Q&A: Ivory Layne Makes You Want to Create
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY INDI TEJEDA☆
Amie Akers
SOME ARTISTS WALK INTO A ROOM WITH AN EFFORTLESS SENSE OF CONFIDENCE—Ivory Layne walks in with something even more contagious: curiosity.
Before the conversation even begins, she's laughing, asking questions back and radiating the same warmth that runs through her music. It's the kind of energy that makes her instantly approachable, yet beneath that bright personality is a songwriter, producer and performer who's spent years quietly mastering her craft.
From teaching herself production in her bedroom in small-town North Carolina to building a career in Nashville, Layne has never waited for permission to create. Her newest single, "Saint," is the latest example. Written, produced and performed almost entirely by Layne herself, the song captures the creative independence that has become her signature. But beyond the accolades, the collaborators and the growing list of career milestones, what stands out most is an artist who still approaches music with genuine excitement, always eager to learn, experiment and invite listeners into the process alongside her.
More than anything, talking with Ivory Layne leaves you with the sense that she genuinely loves creating. She approaches every part of the process with the same infectious enthusiasm and curiosity that shines through in both her music and her personality.
For Layne, making music isn't about having all the answers, it's about staying open to wherever the next song might lead. That outlook has become the foundation of a career she's built entirely on her own terms. Layne continues to trust authenticity, collaboration and the simple act of showing up to create. She's doing far more than writing great songs, she's building a body of work that invites listeners to embrace life with the same openness, joy and fearless curiosity that have guided her every step of the way.
Read Luna’s conversation with Layne below.
Amie Akers
LUNA: You've experienced the industry as a songwriter, artist and producer. How has being involved in every stage of creating and releasing your music changed the way you understand the business behind it?
LAYNE: I've never been asked that question before. I think it gives me a greater appreciation for people who produce exclusively, write exclusively, are artists exclusively and, for people like me who do it all, it just makes you value the talent even more. For me, it helps me gauge and challenge myself to be better. When I pit a song of mine against a song that I really love, and then I go and look at the credits and realize there was a producer doing that—there was a separate writer who happened to be the artist—it encourages me to collaborate more and feel like I don't have to do everything myself. It just makes me a lot more aware of how many talented people are out there in the world and how many people I want to work with.
LUNA: Producing and promoting your own records means you're constantly shifting between creative and strategic thinking. What's something that process has taught you about the music industry that most listeners, or even artists, don't get to see?
LAYNE: I would say something I've figured out about the industry is that there are no rules. People will come to me and give me a formula that's proven to work, or tell me I need to emulate this artist who blew up and went viral in a matter of 90 days of promoting the same song, but it's all chance to a degree. No one really knows what they're doing.
Some days, that freaks me out because I do like rules and instructions. I'm a middle child, so I'm like, “Plan this out for me, tell me that it will get me where I want to go and I'll do it.” The fact that that doesn't always exist can terrify me, but on other days it really challenges me and inspires me to try new things.
Even if people are saying “This isn't the song” or “This isn't going to work,” who are they to say? They couldn't predict that somebody else would pop off. I know there are a lot of layers to the industry, but I do think people are more hungry now for just real authenticity. To show up and try new things without knowing whether or not they'll pop off—sometimes that's freeing.
LUNA: When you're making a record, how do you know when to trust your instincts instead of chasing perfection? Has your relationship with that balance changed over time?
LAYNE: I'm going to start with the caveat that I'm not a perfectionist, so that actually helps me. Especially in production and vocal production, I'm not looking for anything perfectly shiny. I'm looking more for an internal symmetry or a feeling of satisfaction or completion for a song. It's really a vibe check. Are the lyrics saying what I want them to say?
When I'm doing something completely on my own, like my last single, it's more about making sure I've gotten it to the best of my abilities before I send it out to mix. It's not even “I need it to be perfect.” It's ”Have I reached my limit of what I can do from an excellence and skill point of view?”
That has changed over the years because my skills have improved. Maybe I would've stopped at a certain place a couple years ago because I wouldn't have been able to play electric guitar or do something else that I've since learned. It's really determined by how much I have in my arsenal at that moment.
LUNA: Your music often feels emotionally intimate without oversharing. How do you decide where the line is between telling your truth and protecting parts of yourself?
LAYNE: My natural inclination as a writer has always been to speak artistically. I like experimenting with a poetic format and talking through imagery. Sometimes that, in and of itself, provides a little bit of a veil when it comes to not disclosing as much about my personal life as I might if I were just saying exactly what I thought.
“Saint” actually stemmed from a conversation I had with my sister about this guy I'd been talking to. I was listing off all these disappointing things about the situation and I just said, “He makes my ex look like a saint.” I thought, “That's a line that's so cool.”
I was already trying to write my next song, so I built it around that line. I went a little Shakespearean with the intro and started talking more about the hypotheticals of that person. It wasn't this tell-all about my personal life. It just started with a real-life line from me venting to my sister.
As long as you keep living your life and being open, songs just land in your lap. You just have to be accepting and ready to receive them.
LUNA: As someone who has built a career through both collaboration and self-sufficiency, what qualities have become non-negotiable in the people you choose to create with?
LAYNE: I would lead with the issue that I struggle with the most, which is ego. Is the ego in check? Is it not about my idea winning or their idea winning? Is it about us coming together to create an idea?
I think there's a lot of fear in the music industry right now, and sometimes when we're afraid or insecure, we lead with ego. At least I can. I look for people who challenge me not to because they're not leading with theirs.
I'm also looking for people who are excellent at what they do and have something in them that intimidates me. I'm like, “How did you do that?” Usually, when you have those two things together—humility and talent—not only am I getting a great song, but usually a great friendship.
I view my production and my writing as a constant apprenticeship. Since I didn't go to school for it, I love working with people who are doing something I admire because I get to learn from them. That's how I've gotten where I've gotten, by absorbing information, skill sets and different ways of approaching the work.
LUNA: Looking ahead, what kind of legacy do you hope your work leaves, not just as an artist, but as a songwriter and producer who has taken ownership of your creative vision?
LAYNE: I actually asked myself this the other day because I have to check in with myself every couple of years. I've been doing this for so long that the answer changes in subtle ways.
I always hope that the legacy is excellent, but truly, I'm a deeply spiritual and emotive person. I hope whatever I put out resonates with someone in a way that makes them feel less alone. I hope they're inspired not to escape from their life, but to be more present in their life through listening to my music. That's something I always try to shoot for.
On a broader career scale, I hope I inspire people not to give up, even when they get a lot of rejections or the road looks very different than everybody else's. I hope people keep that underdog spirit and keep forging a path through because that's what my career has largely been. I hope it's an invitation for people to really be present in their lives and live them to the fullest, regardless of where they are.
