Liana Cornell seems to do it all. An actor, writer, environmentalist, and award-winning filmmaker, she has dipped her toes into a plethora of creative industries and truly given her all to each. Now, as she embarks on an exciting music career as færy, she once again dives headfirst into the art form, putting her heart and soul into her work. Following five years of musical studies, delving into the therapeutic concept of sound healing through solfeggio frequencies, she reveals her debut single, “blýth”.
A cinematic masterpiece, “blýth” offers listeners an immersive, transformative, and healing experience. Reaching the body’s energy centres through medicinal instruments, specific frequencies, patterns, and repetition, the sound promotes cellular regeneration and relaxation. To represent this visually, Liana worked with Tom Dream, a director known for his work with Gucci, Arlo Parks, and North Face. It celebrates nature and feminine energy in a magical, mystical video.
We are so excited to premiere Liana Cornell’s music video for “blyth”.
Watch here…
Stay up to date with Liana via her Instagram and website. For more information on Refugia, watch the film, visit the website and Instagram, and for more information on Færy, visit their Instagram page.
Read the interview…
Hey Liana, how are you? What does a day in the life look like for you currently?
Hey, nice to connect here 🙂 A day in my life currently looks like waking up, wandering with my puppy in the rainforest to feed my chickens, attending to the varying things I do for work, singing to the trees and being grateful for nature and good company.
Your skill sets lie within so many different sectors such as acting, writing, filmmaking and environmentalism. Tell us about how you have found yourself where you are today, and what has inspired you to try so many new things?
I think completing a degree in acting really gives you a great tool box to play with. At my school, they encouraged us to try everything once and I think that’s also been a bit of a motto for my life… I also believe that I really went all in after the passing of my father. Dancing with death (he was sick for almost two decades) was a great educator in just doing it, and that it doesn’t have to be perfect, just to get it out into the world if your soul is singing for you to do so.
Environmentalism came from my parents, and also from growing up in Byron Bay, where respecting nature and original cultures was woven into my childhood learning pretty deeply.
The acting came from my parents, I don’t think I had much of a chance there growing up in a household of performers 🙂 the writing and music spilled out of the innards of my spirit.
What is the Refugia project and why did you create it?
I wanted to make something that would give back, as well as highlight the incredible people doing amazing things for our planet. It started out as a positive news platform called Save Our Skins back in 2012. It was a mild failure initially but I kept persevering until I got the formula right. I think it’s really important to acknowledge how much failing gloriously is a part of the creative process. We see so many polished and perfected versions of things, and I believe it’s important to acknowledge that it’s through the process of failure that we discover what really works. Oftentimes people lose hope or don’t continue their calling due to failure and I just feel heartbroken thinking of all the great ideas and art that ends up lost. So please, if you’re reading this and creating something, keep pushing through the failures, there’s so much juiciness on the other side waiting for you.
I wanted Refugia to be a healing balm for those experiencing eco-anxiety.. that even though there might be terrible things happening in the world, there were also incredible things happening simultaneously – people giving their time, wisdom and expertise tirelessly to make the world a safer and more beautiful place, not only for right now, but for generations to come. That’s the kind of thinking we all need right now.
My parents always taught me the importance of giving back to community and nature. I wanted to show how beneficial it would be if everyone made the decision to share what they have, as well as to raise up those doing such cool things for the benefit of all.
Can you tell us more about your new alt-pop music project, “færy”, and what motivated you to venture into music?
I grew up singing ancestral songs with my mumma, grandmother, aunty.. I was really blessed with the knowledge of my bloodlines. We regularly honoured the celebrations of the cultures we came from together. I think that’s what’s missing for a lot of people these days, and diving more deeply into it always brings rich gifts.
I have been trained as a healer in a few different modalities and wanted to find a way to make healing music that had a different sound than what you would usually find. Basically something I would enjoy listening to and be able to reap the medicinal benefits of.
Færy as a concept has been floating around since 2017 and only just found her wings around 2 years ago, so it feels kind of surreal that I’m about to release my first single..
Your debut single, “blýth,” is described as a celebration of the yin and the inner darkness within each of us. Can you elaborate on the message behind the song and what you hope listeners will take away from it?
I believe this song is an encouragement to find your inner wild. The full album itself is a healing journey that actually helps to shift blockages and stagnant energy. blýth is a permission slip, it’s there to encourage you to physically move your body, as so much is stored within us that we often don’t get an opportunity to release.
I think one of the most potent steps we can take in self-healing is to learn to love and honour our shadow side. We all have one and I’ve found that the more I honour and know my inner darkness, the more I find it doesn’t start dictating my waking life from subconscious shadows. We each have so much within us, that by giving permission for release, as well as an invitation for us to love up and allow for ALL of us, is a very delicious place to exist. I wanted to create music that would allow for us to touch that inner primordial place, to touch the chaos, to allow for the free-flow of the feminine no matter what gender/sex you are. We are now in the age of the unknowing, the transformation, the inside of the chrysalis, and I believe our way through is to allow for it all to rise to the surface, so we can choose what we desire to more forward with as a collective – so nothing is hidden and the full depth of each of us, and thus, our collective consciousness can be loved up on..
How do all your backgrounds within the creative industry compare to making music? Are there any similarities/differences in the creative processes?
There are definitely some crossovers. I think the album sounds so cinematic because I loved creating soundscapes at drama school.. one of my favourite things about film is the foley soundtrack – the way they create an auditory world to make everything feel more real and poignant. I wanted to have that for the album too, so you were actually diving into your own færy realm when listening..
I also channel when I act, similar to healing work.. I like to allow myself to get into a state where the character can come through me, as it removes my ego and fears and makes the whole process much simpler, as I’m no longer interfering with it, just getting out of the way.. I use the same process for music and writing too. It feels different to method acting as I can choose to come in and out of it whenever I want.
How do you balance your various artistic pursuits?
It’s probably the trickiest thing for me. I love creating and I do have to watch myself for burn-out which I have experienced before. I find having a clear schedule that includes percolating time (aka doing nothing but letting the ideas float around in my mind) and also time in nature or just doing daily self-care is my saviour. It’s still something I’m learning though..
Tell us about the recording process of “blýth” and your collaboration with writer/producer Will Vaughan? What was it like working together?
Will is the dreamiest Wizard ever. I adore him. I like to think of him as my Music Husband. He’s so incredibly talented and we just have the best musical chemistry together, we really balance each other out in the best ways. I’m deeply grateful we are friends and co-creators, he’s one of my favourite people on the planet..
What do you hope to achieve with your music?
I hope that this music aids people in healing themselves. I would be stoked if it could be a resource for even one person and that they get a solid benefit from it.. working in the environmental realm I realised we actually can’t care beyond our own bubble if it’s filled with trauma and pain. One of the first steps in healing the planet is healing ourselves and it shouldn’t be something that’s only accessible to the privileged. Music seemed a simple way to allow for this kind of offering that also went with my skill set.
Are there any artists or musicians who have had a significant impact on your music and creative style? How have they influenced your work?
I mean there’s a long list starting with David Bowie and his very tight pants in The Labyrinth. I have a really vast love of all music, however off the top of my head, I really look up to Stevie Nicks, Björk, Bowie, Nina Simone, Cher, Sade, Prince, Aurora, Portishead, Connan Moccassin, Ayla Nereo.. I could go on for days as there are so many delicious weirdos out there giving us permission to be our full whacky selves and that’s really my kinda thing.. the more we live in our authentic truth, the more likely we are to find our fellow weirdos and that is just such a juicy way of living which I hope we all find.
What can fans expect from your upcoming music releases?
A touch of the old ways remixed with the future we can all feel coming. Healing ourselves through being connected to each other through the great and growing færy coven. I hope that this album really helps people. It’s been a rough few years for us all whilst the poison has risen to the surface in order to be sucked out and healed. We can see what needs fixing and healing and we get to start with our own inner world, and little by little, we can birth a new world together. <3
