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Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Liberty: The Hawke’s Bay teen redefining the local pop landscape through TikTok

Kem Ormond
By Kem Ormond
Features writer·Hawkes Bay Today·
15 Nov, 2024 05:00 PM3 mins to read

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Liberty found her feet in high school competitions like Rockquest and Play It Strange.

Liberty found her feet in high school competitions like Rockquest and Play It Strange.

A 19-year-old Hawke’s Bay singer-songwriter is redefining the local pop landscape with her infectious energy and savvy use of social media.

Liberty - full name Liberty Fowler - has released her debut single “I Wanna” through United Kingdom company, B-Unique Records.

From her honest songwriting to her captivating stage presence, Liberty’s songs are resonating with her growing fanbase.

She’s also built an impressive social media following of more than 300,000 followers and 7 million likes across Instagram and TikTok.

Her success on these platforms showcases her ability to engage and inspire, drawing in fans with each performance.

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Singing from an early age and writing since 13, she thrived in high school competitions Rockquest and Play It Strange, nurturing her passion for performance and songwriting.

After graduating from Napier Girls’ High School in 2023, Liberty dedicated 2024 to living at home, saving money, and pursuing her music career.

Liberty has already made waves in the Hawke’s Bay music scene, performing at local wineries and major events like Outfield Festival 2023 and 2024.

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Despite considering this her debut single, Liberty already has two songs out through Play It Strange – Meet Me in Rome and Echo.

Both tracks have seen a significant rise in streams from Liberty talking about them during her TikTok lives (live feeds).

But Liberty states: “They feel to me to be in a different direction to where I am wanting to go, very ‘high school’ me.”

“I mentioned them on my live (feed) hoping to get one of them up to 5000 streams as a component of the NZ On Air funding.

“Meet Me In Rome now has 68,000 streams which to me is pretty crazy considering my lack of promotion, it makes me so excited to see how people receive ‘I Wanna’ - a track that I am truly proud of.”

Liberty playing to the crowds at Nuit Blanche in Napier.
Liberty playing to the crowds at Nuit Blanche in Napier.

Her relatable lyrics embody the emotions and struggles of youth.

Liberty’s social media presence is a powerful asset. In just 18 months, she grew her TikTok following from 2000 to 250,000, alongside gaining 100,000 Instagram followers this year alone.

Her success with social media and her creative lyrics captured the attention of B-Unique Records, who invited her to their Los Angeles studios to work with their United States-based writers.

Liberty said it was “inspiring and eye-opening.”

Within a few months of coming home from that trip, Liberty wrote ‘I Wanna’ in her home studio. She made a demo to send to her team which ultimately is the production on the final track.

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Liberty said she was only ever “putting her ideas down” when initially producing the track, even playing the slide guitar part with the glass of water she was drinking out of, however, she decided that the imperfect “bedroom pop vibes” really gave the song its sound and a point of difference.

‘I Wanna’ expresses feelings of stress, anxiety, and isolation, capturing the universal desire to escape for one unforgettable night.

Liberty explains: “The song came really naturally to me and it was one of those things that just came to life in my head as I was writing”.

“I immediately had a vision for the production of the song, wanting it to sonically represent everything that ‘I Wanna’ do, hence the four on the floor dance like kick and the signature pop side-chained choppy backing vocals.”

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