Watch out parents, 13-year-old heartthrob, Liam Lis, is stealing your daughter's hearts every time he hits the stage or uploads a YouTube video. Along with a cosign and collaboration with "Trap Queen" rap star, Fetty Wap, on his newest single, "Number One Girl," the singing sensation exclusively tells MusicTimes how he gained the attention of his label Lava Records at the age of twelve, how fame has affected his life and he talks about upcoming collaborations with southern duo super-group, Rae Sremmurd.
MT: You said you started singing at age five. What was your push to start going public with it and uploading YouTube videos?
Liam Lis: I started singing and writing when I was five and then I really wanted to do this so I wanted to get out there more on the Internet. I started doing some covers like the one with Passenger and the Leona Lewis cover. I started pitching those and then I saw people liking those a lot so I wanted to do more and prove my writing and singing career.
MT: Outside of YouTube, were you performing live? Were you going to venues and singing for talent shows to promote yourself?
LL: I did school shows but then I started writing some of my own songs and putting them on YouTube -- like official videos.
MT: How were you discovered?
LL: I'm signed with Lava Republic. I showcased for them. I showcased for Jason Flom and they had high hopes for me. They're awesome!
MT: What does it feel like to be 13 and have millions of followers and girls running after you every time you're spotted somewhere?
LL: I mean [laughs] it's really truly awesome. I love it so much. It's what I really wanted to do my whole life. It's awesome, but sometimes with school, it gets a little stressful but I have a really good principal, so he lets me do my music but I also have to do my studies.
MT: So you're not being home schooled?
LL: I'm not home school but my label says if this project takes off, I might have to get a tutor.
MT: I saw you performed with Fetty and that must be exciting because people are obsessed with Fetty Wap. He compared you to Justin Bieber right before you came out. Do you feel any pressure when you're compared to someone like him?
LL: Justin Bieber is awesome. He's really talented and I'm a big fan. But I kind of would not like to be introduced as Justin Bieber. I kind of want to be Liam Lis, but that's pretty big. That's pretty awesome.
MT: How did you get a collab with Fetty?
LL:Number One Girl" and my friend knew Fetty so he played it for him and Fetty really liked it so he thought it would be a really good collaboration. We went to New Jersey to record the song and then he did his part and then we performed it at Stage 48 -- it was awesome.
MT: What was going through your mind when you performed on that stage? Were you nervous, excited...? LL: I was really excited because when I'm on stage, I'm in a whole other world, I get so hyped up. I'm not nervous at all. MT: Are there any other celebrities that you've met that you've looked up to all your life? LL: I always was a fan of Bruno Mars and he actually encouraged me to write songs on the piano so Bruno Mars is the best. And in the hip hop world, Fetty's awesome and then there's Rae Sremmurd. We're probably going to do a track soon. MT: What direction do you think your track with Rae Sremmurd might go? They're kind of wild [laughs]. LL: Yeah, yeah, yeah they're awesome. Because my manager, he knows them and he told me about them. We're still writing a track. I'm in L.A. right now and then I'm co-writing with producers. We've just got to find that one song. MT: Are you interested in doing acting or shows? LL: Oh yeah, definitely. I've been doing acting. I did some commercials like Macy's. I like acting but I think writing and singing is my number one priority. MT: Do you have any ideas for the video? LL: We're going to start filming a big production video. I don't know when but it's going to be really exciting; it'll be on my YouTube channel. MT: Who would be your ideal "Number One Girl" cameo if you could pick one celebrity girl? LL: I like Bella Thorne, she's cool. MT: She's your celebrity crush? LL: [laughs] Yeah. MT: What's your EP, I know you're working on it now, but do you have a title in mind? And when can we expect the release? LL: I'm still working on some stuff, "Number One Girl" will probably be my single. Also I'm getting a lot more songs done. We don't know when it's going to be released yet, we're working on it. I'm going to find out really soon, probably maybe next year or like in February. MT: Do you have any more collabs on the EP that people might get excited about? LL: I don't really know yet but we're going to do that Rae Sremmurd one, it's going to be awesome. MT: Where do you want to see yourself in five years? LL: We're trying to get a lot more shows. My one big dream is to perform at Madison Square Garden in my hometown -- I was born in New York.
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