Singer/Songwriter Leah Culver | The Latest With Maya

A conversation with Leah Culver.❤️ Stream Leah's music! 


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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

It's a nice hi Leah.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Welcome to The Latest with Maya. Leah Culver is a singer-songwriter. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm so excited to be talking with you.

SPEAKER_03 0:26

Uh, thank you for having me. I'm excited too.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Um, so I love your music. Um, is there an artist or song that you consider to be the gold standard when it comes to songwriting and storytelling?

SPEAKER_03 0:46

Thank you. Um, I really love Haley Williams and a lot of the writing that she's done on her last couple albums, and she's always really inspired me in that way.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Oh, I love that. Yeah, I um I love writing song lyrics, so I always love hearing people's inspirations.

SPEAKER_03 1:10

Oh, I'd love to hear some of your lyrics.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Oh, I'd love to share them with you. I yeah, I can't sing at all, so I just I write them and there's um a music a couple musicians I'm working with to um that they're helping me um turn them into actual songs. So it's fun, yeah. Um yeah, I haven't um heard Haley Williams, so I'm writing down her name to go listen to her.

SPEAKER_03 1:45

Yeah, she's super inspiring. She's the uh front woman of Paramour.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Oh, okay. I oh yes, I I have heard her. Sorry, I total brain uh fog. I was like, I know I know that name, but I yeah. Um yeah, so um is there a song of yours that is your favorite?

SPEAKER_03 2:15

I think I really like crooked teeth um because the groove is so fun and it's kind of just a little sassy, and that one's always really fun to perform.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

Yeah, oh I love that, yeah. I I love that song. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. My mom and I are both huge fans of yours, so we would listen to your music all the time.

SPEAKER_03 2:41

Bless you and your mom. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Yeah, yeah. Um, so uh what do you find to be the biggest challenge with creating music in the age of social media?

SPEAKER_03 2:57

That's such a great question. I think a lot of artists, myself included, sometimes, you know, creativity ebbs and flows, and flow state ebbs and flows, and ideas ebb and flow. And I think in today's world of social media, there's such a pressure on artists to make content, as we all know. And um, you know, sometimes you don't always feel like doing that, but I think just making it fun for yourself is important in today's world and just having a good time doing it, trying to have a good time doing it.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

What are the songs that make you sing along whenever you hear them?

SPEAKER_03 3:43

I love Harry Styles.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Um yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:48

I always uh those are one of those his music and his albums are one of those um albums that I just rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. I love his albums. I listen top to bottom.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Yeah, oh I love that. Yeah, I I love Harry too. I I love his music.

SPEAKER_03 4:09

Yeah, he's such a nice seeming soul. Like he just seems like a good person.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Yeah, he does, yeah. I um yeah, I've seen like some interviews with him that yeah, he just seems so uh so kind.

SPEAKER_03 4:28

Yeah, that's important.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, um, so if you had a warning label, what would yours say?

SPEAKER_03 4:42

I think maybe I'm sensitive. Um warning will probably love you forever and ever.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Oh, I like that one.

SPEAKER_03 4:57

If I ever like truly love someone, um, pretty much regardless of anything that happens in a relationship, if I really love someone, I'm gonna love them forever. And they can um call me at any point and I'll probably be there. I think like if if you really love someone, it's it is forever.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Yeah, definitely. I yeah, I have um some friends that I always joke with them that like the first usually it's the first time we uh for a lot of them it was like the first time we met, um, and we like actually hung out in person. I was like, well, you're stuck with me now, so you can't get rid of me.

SPEAKER_03 5:44

So I love that.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

Yeah, like yeah, I just recently um met um someone that he and I became fast friends, and I was like, Well, yeah, yeah, you can't get rid of me now. I'm like, we're friends now.

SPEAKER_03 6:03

So that makes you a good friend, I believe.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

Oh, thank you. Um so uh what is the biggest obstacle either personally or professionally that you've overcome?

SPEAKER_03 6:25

Man, um I've lived a lot of life and I've experienced a lot of things um from my age, but I think um I've had to overcome a good amount of grief and and learn how to not fall into it as each one happens, and I feel like um I'm grateful for that skill now. And um I think just having gotten past things that hurt so much or or are scary, it's kind of in a lot of ways a blessing because you know, it's like nothing can hurt me as much as this or nothing can scare me as much as that. And I feel that it's a bit of a a a shield in some way in life at this age already. So I feel, you know, these things that we all go through, a lot of us, um in some ways at the end of it, it's a bit of a blessing to um be able to experience it and come out the other side and uh keep those people with you and keep those experiences with you as you move forward.

SPEAKER_01 7:46

Yeah. I I'm so sorry that you've had to go through all of that.

SPEAKER_03 7:52

Well, I appreciate you. I respect you very much for everything you've gotten through. I really do.

SPEAKER_01 7:58

Oh, thank you so much. Yeah. Um so uh I am uh sorry, I don't know why I just lost where was uh um yeah, I lost my spot and my questions. Um I am uh pop culture obsessed and I go in stages of shows that I cannot stop watching. Um is there a show that you are currently obsessed with?

SPEAKER_03 8:32

Yeah, I um I just finished season two of Beef on Netflix, and it's really good. I really liked it. Is I'm actually looking for a new show if there's any that you would suggest.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

Oh yeah. Um well, I mean, there's so many that I uh I actually also just watched season two of Beef. Um, and I really liked that. Um hold on. Uh I wrote some down, so I'm gonna uh look them up to give you some recommendations. Because now I don't remember what um oh there's um I don't know if you've watched on HBO Max, there's um a show called Rooster. Yeah, uh it just finished its uh first season, and it's so good, it's so funny. Um so I highly recommend that. And then another show I love is um Will Trent. Um that it just had its season four finale, and all um seasons are on Disney Plus. Okay. Um so those are two I highly recommend.

SPEAKER_03 9:59

Thank you. I need I need the recommendations. You said Will Trents on uh Disney. What's that one about?

SPEAKER_01 10:05

Yeah, it's um it's about um uh the in Georgia, it's the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. I I think that it's GBI, I think that's what it stands for. Um and uh it's yeah, it's like a police show. Um, and it's so good.

SPEAKER_03 10:33

Well, as a Georgia girl, I'll have to check that one out.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

Oh yeah, I I'm obsessed with it. So yeah, I'd love to hear what you think of both of those. Unless you both. So yeah, okay. I yeah, I'm excited to hear what you think. Um I just started re-watching W Will Trent from the beginning, so it's a good show when you can do that. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, um so what uh genre of movie would your life story be told as?

SPEAKER_03 11:15

Hmm. That's a great question. I'd I'd like to say comedy because even even like later it's easy to just laugh at it all.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

I love that.

SPEAKER_03 11:31

Important to laugh.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Yeah, absolutely. I I 100% agree. Um my family and I have such like a uh dark sense of humor, just because everything we've gone through, we're like you have to laugh at it. It's so we always find something to laugh about. Yeah, definitely. Um, so is there um a song that you are currently obsessed with?

SPEAKER_03 12:08

Let me think about that. Yeah, um there was one that I just oh yeah, um Sophie Tucker's what do they call it? I'm very brain foggy today, too. I love Sophie Tucker. I'm on a Sophie Tucker kick right now.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

Oh cool. Okay, I'm writing Sophie Tucker down because I don't think I've heard her music.

SPEAKER_03 12:35

Yeah, it's um oh it's called Cook. It's a banger. I love mid-tempo like uh sway type uh beats, and I I I haven't heard a good new one in a second. That one came up on my my uh beat, and I was like, dang, okay. It's they're really cool. They're um I I see that they're doing really well, and that makes me happy.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

Yeah, oh I love that. Yeah, I um there's so many songs I'm obsessed with. There's a singer named Catherine Gallagher, who I love, and her newest song, Stella, has been on repeat. Okay, I write that one down. Oh yeah, I yeah, I uh love her. Her first name is uh it's spelled K A T H R Y N. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 13:37

Yeah. Okay, I see her, yeah. Okay, Stella, I'm adding it. Oh yay.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

I love hearing your music. Yeah, me too. Yeah. Um so who in your life has had the biggest impact on how you choose to live?

SPEAKER_03 14:01

I think my mom. My mom, uh, she's such a light in the world. Um, she's experienced so much, and she always shows up with the biggest heart um every single day, is brand new to her. And um, she's getting married, and uh he's gonna be my stepdad, and he's been in my life for a long time. Um, Frank also has been an amazing part of my life. Um, just showing up with the best attitude, and he's a little older, and you'd never know it. He's just bouncing on his toes, he's so energetic and excited every day. And I think if I can be at even half of that at his age, uh I'll just be so grateful. You know, he's a perfect example of how the mind is so powerful.

SPEAKER_00 14:54

Yeah. Oh, I love that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

Um so if you had the opportunity to put a message on a billboard for everyone to see, what would it be?

SPEAKER_03 15:14

I love your questions.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 15:18

Keep going.

SPEAKER_01 15:20

I like that.

SPEAKER_03 15:22

Yeah, if if someone else can, so can you keep going?

SPEAKER_01 15:27

Oh, I love that. I'd like to see that.

SPEAKER_03 15:32

Billboard should be like that instead of advertisements, just like encouraging little quotes and sentences.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I um uh there's one of my favorite shows is called A Million Little Things, and it's in the second episode, one of the first season, one of the characters says, love each other, and that's that's always stuck with me. That I know so many people have said that, and I mean to me, like it's that character though that I think of when he said that, and gotta check that out too.

SPEAKER_03 16:15

And I love love each other, that's that's everything, and we really need that right now.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Yeah, definitely, yeah. That um, yeah, if you watch um that show too, I'd also love to hear what you think. That's also on Disney Plus, so yeah, of course. Um, do you have um a go-to show or movie that you just turn on when you need to turn out the world and escape?

SPEAKER_03 16:51

Yeah, I love the office. I think the writing is brilliant and it's always fun to re-watch and re-watch the office. It's one of those easy put it in the background and let it be light.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

Yeah, oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Yeah, uh, sorry, white. How about you? Oh, um, sorry, I don't know why the sound cut out. And um I I have so many. Um actually just mentioning a million little things. I'm like, I need to go back and rewatch that again. Um, but I was just actually before um our interview, uh, I was um watching Will and Grace. That's one of my comfort shows that I just I've seen every episode so many times. I've lost track. Um that and friends, I just I have on in the background all the time.

SPEAKER_03 17:58

Those are great.

SPEAKER_01 18:00

Yeah, yeah, no matter with both of them, uh it doesn't matter with both those shows, it doesn't matter how many times I've seen the episodes. There are jokes that can will make me laugh every time just as hard as I did the first time I heard them, which I love.

SPEAKER_03 18:22

Incredible writing on all those.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Um, yeah, another one uh is uh the new adventures of old Christine, um that I've been uh like on Nights I Can't Sleep, I put that on to that one. Oh, it's so good. I watched it for the first time during COVID, um, and it just immediately became another one of my comfort shows.

SPEAKER_03 18:56

Hey, I'm excited for that one.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Yeah, oh yeah, I'd love to hear what you think of all these shows. Yeah, yeah. I um uh there's also uh I just recently rewatched uh there's a a show a few years ago called Bless This Mess, um, that I really liked. That uh one of my I just re-watched my favorite episode that um I loved every episode of that show, but I just rewatched my like absolute favorite episode and it just never fails to make me laugh. Um and it's called Calm Down, and it's hilarious. Yeah, I remember when my family and I watched it for the first time, it it's all about that how when somebody tells you to calm down, it basically has the opposite effect. And then when my mom and my sister and I watched it for the first time, we were like, yeah, it that when people tell me to if people say calm down to me, it just makes me like I'm like, no, I can't calm down, especially when you tell me to calm down.

SPEAKER_03 20:23

Never say calm down or relax.

unknown 20:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

No, yeah, yeah, there's one character that he was like, Well, how was I supposed to know it's the one sent or phrase that has the opposite effect of what it means? What if somebody's having a panic attack? How are you supposed to help them? Are you supposed to say panic more? So I yeah, my family and I quote that episode to each other all the time.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

I'm excited to watch that one.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Yeah, I can't wait to hear what you think of that. Um, so what uh three words best describe you?

SPEAKER_03 21:26

Um patient and strong.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

I love those. How about you? Well those are great words. Um I hope I hope they would be strong, creative, and loving. I don't know, I I hope. Oh, thank you. Thank you. So I just uh have one more um question for you. Um so today what are you most grateful for?

SPEAKER_03 22:15

I'm grateful for the day. I'm grateful that I woke up today and I'm grateful for new friends. I'm grateful for everything. The roof over my head, um my family and friends, my health today. And um gonna go play pickleball with my friend, and that's exciting to kind of try a new activity.

SPEAKER_01 22:45

I love that. Um I mean there's so much. I mean, getting to talk with you and um yeah, my family and my friends, and yeah, I getting to watch Will and Grace. I'm grateful for getting to re-watch that. Yeah, I don't know, there's so much.

SPEAKER_03 23:10

Uh the list goes on forever. It's a great question to think about as many times as you can.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Thank you. Yeah, my my dog too. Also, she's like at the top of the list, too. Um, what kind of dog? She's a plot hound boxer mix.

SPEAKER_03 23:32

Oh, so a bigger dog?

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Yeah, yeah. And she um she thinks she's a lap dog, and so she'll always when I'm sitting down, she'll just uh jump in my lap, and it's my favorite thing in the world. That's the blessed.

SPEAKER_03 23:52

Oh yeah, it is a picture of your dog.

SPEAKER_01 23:56

I will, yes. I have like thousands of pictures of her on my phone. My mom always jokes that I'm stalking her. Um like well, if you look at my phone, it looks like I am, so it's just love, yeah. I mean, it's everything she does is so cute. So I just need documentation of her.

SPEAKER_03 24:20

You can't get enough of that.

SPEAKER_01 24:22

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that's what my camera roll is filled with mostly.

SPEAKER_03 24:29

That's the way it should be.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

Yeah, I think so. Yeah, um, well, thank you so much for joining me. Um, I've had the best time talking with you, so thank you so much. I appreciate you. Thank you too. I appreciate you. Of course, and I um yeah I can't wait to hear um your new music. And um, I hope you have a great rest of your day.

SPEAKER_03 25:05

Uh, thank you so much. I'll send you some stuff I'm working on. You can check it out and let me know what you think.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Oh, I would love that. Thank you so much. Of course. Thank you. Yeah, and um, if you ever wanna come back on, I'd love to have another conversation with you. Thank you. I'd love that. Yeah, yay. I I look forward to that. Um, and thank you, and yeah, I hope you have a great rest of your day. Thank you. Thank you. And that's a wrap on today's edition of the latest with Maya.