LIEZA’s ‘Don’t Make Me Dance’ Will Empower You to Leave a Toxic Relationship
Toxic relationships are (unfortunately) a part of life.
One of the worst parts about them is they can be incredibly difficult to exit. No matter how bad it is, you still find yourself going back to the person who broke you.
If anyone understands the struggle, it's LIEZA. Her latest single "Don't Make Me Dance," is all about saying goodbye to a toxic person for good.
Scroll below to give the tune a solid listen and get to know LIEZA a little bit better.
(Photo courtesy of Sideways Media Team)
Artist: LIEZA
New single: "Don't Make Me Dance"
What it means to LIEZA: "'Don't Make Me Dance' was a weird one for me because it wasn't actually triggered by a particular event or a feeling. I was playing around with a piano progression and it just sort of came out of my subconscious. I think the brain is a little strange, the way that it processes pain and tries to suppress it, and then finds a weird way to bring it out again.
"The song is personal, but instead of one particular instance providing the inspiration, it's more about multiple someones and experiences that I've had with that one person I keep falling back into step with even when it might be toxic. It's this cautious admittance that if you let that person get close enough to dance with you, they might just see that you're not as together as you might look and they still have an effect on you that you don't wish to entertain anymore.
"It's also got this incredible power behind the 'I don't wanna dance with you' line that gives the author of the narrative—in this case, a woman—power that I feel is stripped from women today. I hope that it gives the listener the okay to say 'no,' that you don't want to dance, even if there might still be feelings there. If something's toxic, walk away."
(Photo courtesy of Sideways Media Team)
How the music video came to be: "I think it's really important to showcase all different forms of art, so I really wanted to get some dancers to portray this constant push and pull that's present in the song. We managed to find two incredibly talented dancers, Bethany Dieringer and Jeremy Reynolds, who were a joy to work with and really were able to bring my vision to life.
"It was a very organic process. We would throw out ideas and just run with it and see where it took us. And none of it would have been possible if not for our amazing videographer Philip Macias, of course. The man is a genius. The end result was something vulnerable yet powerful and I could not be happier with it."
Biggest influence: "Lorde, both lyrically and sonically. I really love the way she is able to write about the world and her experiences in such a raw and honest, yet artistic and abstract way. I feel like every time I listen to her stuff I'm listening to it for the first time and discovering something new that I love about it."
Dream venue: "I would love to play at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London, England one day. The venue is absolutely gorgeous and so many of music's finest have played there."
(Photo courtesy of Sideways Media Team)
Dream duet: "Either Lorde or Julia Michaels, both are goddess artists and genius writers in their own right and I would be honored to even be in their presence."
Fave songs: "Sober" by Lorde; "Make It up to You" by Julia Michaels; "Fade" by Lewis Capaldi; "Strangers" by Sigrid
Dream accomplishment: "I have lofty goals of touring one day, hopefully to a couple of different countries, as I really love to travel and interact with different people and learn about cultures while sharing music. I'd like to make a couple albums and work with some of my favorite artists and creatives in the business as well. But my biggest goal has always been to write songs that connect with people and make them feel less alone, so as long as I am doing that I'll consider what I'm doing to be a success."
Follow LIEZA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with all her music releases. And if you need some holiday cheer, listen to her Christmas single HERE.
While we're on the topic of empowering songs, click HERE to listen to Jule Vera's anthemic "Lifeline."