Liv.e

Biography

Liv.e, born Hailee Olivia Williams in Dallas, Texas, grew up in a highly musical household where her father played keys in gospel groups, her mother sang in the church choir, one brother played drums, and another rapped and taught her rhyming skills. Exposed to R&B, soul, jazz, gospel, southern rap, and albums like Outkast's Aquemini, she initially pursued visual arts, attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2017 but dropping out after two semesters. Initially reluctant to pursue music due to her family's influence, she began releasing her own work in 2017 with the EP FRANK via Dallas's Dolfin Records, followed by ::hoopdreams:: in 2018, blending hypnotic vocals, rapping, dusty samples, and production into a genre-defying mix of alternative R&B, experimental hip hop, neo soul, jazz, and more.

Relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, to live with her mother in 2018, Liv.e worked a dead-end retail job while recording her debut album Couldn’t Wait to Tell You… (2020) in her bedroom over a month, earning critical acclaim with features from C.S. Armstrong, Lord Byron, and Akeema Zane. She later released the deluxe CWTTY+ in 2021 and now resides in Los Angeles, where she has garnered co-signs from Tyler, The Creator, Janelle Monáe, Erykah Badu, and Earl Sweatshirt, including touring support on his 2019 Fire It Up Tour and a feature on his Feet of Clay EP track 'MTOMB.' Her sound draws from vinyl samples, '90s nostalgia, J Dilla-style flips, and producers like Knxwledge and Mejiwahn, creating timeless, eclectic tracks that subvert southern rap and experimental jazz norms.

As a singer-songwriter, rapper (also as Jade Fox), and producer tied to Dolfin Records, Liv.e continues to build a cult following with her left-field, funk-inflected style, prioritizing authentic vibrations over polished pop production. Her early DIY releases and rapid evolution mark her as a rising force in independent music, with no formal mentors noted but clear familial and regional influences shaping her barrier-breaking approach.

Fun Facts

• Raps under the alias Jade Fox and formed the supergroup Kryptonyte with Dolfin labelmates Lord Byron and Pink Siifu.
• Recorded her 20-track debut album Couldn’t Wait to Tell You… entirely in her bedroom at her mother's house in St. Louis during a self-described 'great pause' in life, completing it in just one month.
• Her first favorite jazz song was 'My Favorite Things' from The Sound of Music, introduced by her father who learned keys from the film; Outkast's Aquemini blew her mind by blending genres in hip-hop.
• Initially shrugged off music due to her musical family, feeling she couldn't measure up, and only started seriously after college inspiration despite dropping out.

Associated Acts

• GENA

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Brother (unnamed) - Taught her how to rhyme and encouraged rapping from a young age (Early rhyming skills influencing her rap style) [Childhood in Dallas]
• Knxwledge and Mejiwahn - Inspired her production style in high school, showing imperfect, vibrational sounds (Influenced shift to sample-based production like Dilla) [High school, pre-2017]

Key Collaborators

• Earl Sweatshirt - Featured on his EP and supported on tour ('MTOMB' on Feet of Clay EP; Fire It Up Tour)
• Lord Byron - Frequent Dolfin Records labelmate; supergroup Kryptonyte; album feature (Kryptonyte (as Jade Fox); Couldn't Wait to Tell You…) [2017-present]
• C.S. Armstrong - Guest appearance on debut album (Couldn't Wait to Tell You…)
• Akeema Zane - Guest appearance on debut album (Couldn't Wait to Tell You…)
• Pink Siifu - Supergroup Kryptonyte (as Jade Fox) (Kryptonyte project) [Post-2017]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #electronic, #hypnagogic-pop