Ask any person who has had the pleasure of watching, listening or working with Liv Cartledge, they will tell you she is made up of equal parts talent and equal parts determination. And that’s one formidable whole.

Liv was born in 1996, and raised in the high country hinterland of Beechworth, a little town atop of a granite plateau in North East Victoria. A young wide-eyed Liv was bestowed the greatest musical education from her dad, sitting by the campfire or around the family dinner table, learning the power of music and telling a good yarn.

Hitting the streets of her hometown at the age of 10, Liv would busk her little heart out, before hitting the pub circuit with dad in 2008 - ripping out pub classics from the likes of Creedence Clearwater, Chisel and Paul Kelly. These experiences well and truly affirmed Liv’s love for music, so much so, she made the choice to drop out of High School, and follow her gut, and potential to Melbourne.

Shortly after leaving home, Liv’s dad died by suicide. A time of great grief and loss, Liv learnt how to navigate the big smoke, processing this loss at the tender age of 17. The very next year, Liv threw herself into a creative and productive time - releasing her first single “Please Stop Messing About”, featuring as a guest performer on Aussie television classic, Neighbours, and Winning the Telstra Road to Discovery (program funded by Telstra, Hosted by Mushroom Publishing). 

In 2016, Liv continued this creative momentum, and travelled to North America to record her debut EP ‘Timber’ in Lake Echo, with award winning producer Daniel Ledwell and the acclaimed Neilson Hubbard in Nashville. Rounding out her whirlwind time in the US, Liv performed at the Nashville institution, the Bluebird Cafe. Need we remind you, this was all before her 21st birthday.

Back on Aussie soil, Liv continued to release works including her Debut EP Timber, featuring the single You Got Me High - followed by a 11 date national tour. 

Time obviously doesn’t stand still for Liv, her pace and drive are impressive. With a mission to start a conversation around mental health and the stigma of suicide, in 2018 Liv and her mum Lisa walked 740km from Beechworth to Sydney in honour of her Dad. 

Covid threw the live music scene into the darkness, giving Liv time for reflection and writing - and of course pivoting. Liv and her partner Jake moved back to Beechworht in 2020 and  opened their successful business TINY, slinging the best coffee, cocktails and tunes in the region. On the bill for Isolade, performing at Theatre Royal in Castlemaine, and just as lockdowns were easing, releasing her EP ‘Forward Motion’ to a sold out local crowd in Beechworth - the world seemed so far away, but cherishing these more granular moments in a very weird time have definitely been a career highlight for Liv.

Substance stands strong, and the proof is in the people Liv has worked with. She has supported Australian music greats like Angie McMahon, Garret Kato, Tia Gostelow & Riley Pearce and most recently one of Australia’s most impressive singer/songwriters Liz Stringer.

Liv’s raw truth telling, powered by a husky and bellowing voice, is a complex, melancholy love letter to depression, friendship and moving forward. 

In the throes of writing her debut album, we suggest you hang on tight, because this ride ain’t slowing down anytime soon.