Fire In Her Eyes Interview | ‘Look Into the Sky’, Youth and Karl Ferris
Fire In Her Eyes have spent several years bringing their debut album, ‘Look Into the Sky’, into focus. At the heart of the band are sisters Natasha and Daniella Livingstone, whose music moves between psych folk, pop, progressive rock and jazz.
The album emerged during a difficult period in their lives. An earlier version was recorded at Crescent Studios in 2023, but the band felt that the songs had not yet reached their full potential. Working with Youth helped them find the depth they were looking for.
The album’s visual identity comes from Karl Ferris, the photographer and designer behind some of the defining psychedelic images of Jimi Hendrix and Donovan. His cover brings his 1960s visual language into the world of Fire In Her Eyes. Natasha and Daniella discuss the making of the album first, followed by a conversation with Ferris about the artwork and his approach to photography.
“Karl Ferris created something incredibly special, capturing the energy of the 1960s with a modern feel, just like our music.”
How did Fire In Her Eyes begin? How did you meet Gabrielle Gordon, what were you listening to, and what did you want the band to sound like?
Daniella Livingstone: Natasha and I were brought up in a very musical household and were introduced to artists such as Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Queen and Hermeto Pascoal at a very young age. Gabrielle and I met at primary school when we were six years old and became best friends instantly, always sharing music with each other. When we were twelve, we started writing songs together in the playground. The very first track we wrote together was called ‘Rescue Her’. It included a long bridge section in which we repeatedly sang ‘Fire In Her Eyes’, which is where the band’s name originally came from. At that time, we were listening to The Beatles a lot, especially albums such as ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ and ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. We were also listening to artists such as Tame Impala and The Verve.
How does being sisters affect the way you write and work together?
As we are sisters, it definitely helps with the songwriting. We bounce ideas off each other very well, making idea maps and researching concepts together. When it comes to the musical side of things, we both have very broad musical knowledge, so our ideas complement each other, from shaping melodies and choosing the right chords to arranging the structure and instrumentation.
Harmonies come very naturally to us, but that is sometimes the only thing we have the odd clash over. It is always light-hearted, though.
How do you hear your early releases, including ‘Presenting’ and ‘People of the Sun’, today? Were they already leading towards ‘Look Into the Sky’?
‘People of the Sun’ and ‘Presenting’ are both still classics to us, along with many of the earlier songs. They all have their own magic, and none is better or worse in our eyes. Sometimes simple is best! ‘Look Into the Sky’ emerged naturally and came after we had been introduced to much more progressive rock, along with instrumental jazz, which makes the album arguably more musically complex.
Daniella, what did songwriting give you while you were undergoing treatment? Did your relationship with music change afterwards?
During that period, while going through chemotherapy for leukaemia, music was the main thing that kept me going. ‘Juggling Clown’ was a turning point, when my blood count went up and I found happiness again. The song is about our thoughts, symbolised by a juggling clown in our minds. Thoughts can go from bad to good, and once this song was written, I ended up recovering from that round of chemotherapy pretty miraculously. ‘Sooner or Later’ came just after a bad breakup, and it was my way of channelling it and getting through the process. If anything, music became even more important after the treatment, if that was even possible.
“Somehow, despite everything, the music found a way through.”
Natasha, what was that period like for you as Daniella’s sister and musical partner? Did it change the way you worked together?
It is difficult to put into words what that time was like. I am not going to sugar-coat it… it was not easy. But it taught us a lot about life and put things into perspective. Suddenly, the things I would have considered problems before did not feel so significant.
Watching Daniella, the person closest to me, go through something no one should ever have to experience was incredibly difficult. As her sister, my instinct was to be there for her and take away as much of the pain as I could. But I also knew we had poured years of passion and hard work into the band, so I kept thinking, “The show must go on.” Somehow, despite everything, the music found a way through. We were experiencing emotions we had never felt before, which worked in our favour when it came to songwriting. Looking back, that period strengthened our bond. There is a deeper level of trust and understanding between us now.
You recorded an earlier version of the album at Crescent Studios in 2023 but decided it was not finished. What was missing, and how difficult was it to start again?
The tracks felt unfinished. After an album listening session with the musicians who played on the record, we all realised that it was missing psychedelic depth. We therefore reached out to Youth, the missing piece of the puzzle, who worked his magic and helped bring out the best in us and the songs. It was a lot of work redoing parts of the album and adding a bunch of new layers, but it was definitely worth it. We had some of our most important musical moments during that time and developed our production skills and techniques.
How did Youth become involved, and what did he bring to the album?
One day, I went for coffee with a good friend, Ross, whom I work with, and told him that the record was missing something. He suggested that we reach out to Youth, as we had previously recorded backing vocals at his place during a session. We messaged him, and he invited us over to look at the material we had. From then on, we worked together on the album, and he definitely made his mark. One track in particular that he helped to change a lot was ‘Psychedelic Lighthouse’. Our ending became the chorus, and our chorus became the bridge…
The album moves between psych folk, pop and jazz. Did you set any limits on what Fire In Her Eyes could sound like?
We did not have any specific rules. We let the music do the talking and go wherever it needed to go.
The album returns to images of clowns, puppets, birds, lighthouses, seekers and keepers. Where did this imagery come from?
The concepts and imagery within the album were found during lockdown, while sitting on the roof and writing the first couple of tracks, looking out over the garden and the nature around us. The imagery came about quite early and soon felt like a world of its own.
Where did the character in ‘He Cries’ come from? Does the song reflect any of your own doubts about life as musicians?
In a way, yes, it does reflect how we sometimes feel as musicians and artists, as we are sure most people who choose this path do at some stage. However, the song was not directly inspired by our own feelings. We wanted to create a character whom people could relate to, with a universal message in the chorus for anyone struggling in life.
How did you meet Karl Ferris, and what was it like working with him on the album cover?
We met Karl through Instagram and connected instantly. The Hendrix covers are some of our favourite sleeves, along with the work he did with Donovan and his other 1960s shoots. Karl knew what we were about straight away and had a great idea from the very beginning. His words during our first phone call were something along the lines of, “The cover has to be dynamite.” He followed through on his words and created something incredibly special, capturing the energy of the 1960s with a modern feel, just like our music.
What did you learn about yourselves while making the album? What comes next for Fire In Her Eyes?
We have discovered that our music is pretty advanced, especially for our age, and that our sound is quite unique. Having legendary names connected with the record highlights this. We have already nearly finished writing and have begun recording our second album, which will be more acoustically led. We also already have a vision for the front cover. We hope and plan to travel across America, Europe and the whole world with our music, both as a duo and with the full band.
Karl Ferris on the Artwork
Karl Ferris is closely associated with the visual language of the original psychedelic era. His photography and album artwork for Jimi Hendrix, Donovan and others remain instantly recognisable. For ‘Look Into the Sky’, Ferris returned to that visual approach and created a new cover around the music and style of Fire In Her Eyes.
When you created your early album covers, did you think the images would last, or were you responding to the moment?
Karl Ferris: Thanks for this recognition, Klemen. I was definitely in the feeling and living the ’60s moment. Like a painter, I expected the resulting images to be permanent.
What first struck you about Jimi Hendrix and Donovan before they became legends?
This was before they became legends, and they impressed me as very unique individuals. They were like princes in their respective fields, so I created their images to look like that.
Your use of colour feels immersive rather than decorative. Was that always your intention?
I intentionally used my unique, self-invented psychedelic colour-infrared technique to transport viewers into another dimension!
Did record labels or managers ever resist your ideas? How did you handle that?
Yes, indeed. The A&R people at Reprise and Epic Records wanted to cut costs and made other suggestions. For example, Reprise used a background printed with “gold” ink instead of my overlaid metallic-gold layer design, as shown in the attached image. Epic did not want to release Donovan’s ‘A Gift from a Flower to a Garden’ as a box set until Donovan and I insisted on it!
“I am primarily a designer and work like a painter.”
How much of each image was planned before you took the photograph? Did chance play any part?
I am not only a photographer who shoots what is there. I am primarily a designer and work like a painter. I design everything myself first: the image, technique, location, set design, clothing and hair. Once everything is perfect, I take the photograph to be used, usually on the first roll of film.
What interested you in working with Fire In Her Eyes?
Fire In Her Eyes contacted me through Instagram after seeing my work. I was attracted to their 1960s style of music and dress. It was synchronicity! So I agreed to create their first album cover design for them, which is attached.
Did their music feel nostalgic to you, or like something new growing from 1960s psych folk?
Their style of music is a contemporary interpretation of 1960s psych folk, growing out of the original roots.
Did you return to your 1960s visual language for the cover, or adapt it for the present?
Yes, indeed. I intentionally used my 1960s approach to fit their music and style, so it did not matter whether it fitted this era. In any case, the new generation is now discovering the 1960s in a huge way, and of course baby boomers will always love the style of their youth!
What do you make of younger people rediscovering 1960s psychedelia?
Yes, indeed, as mentioned in my previous response. It does not surprise me because great music and style have always been recognised for their historic cultural value, just like the Renaissance and La Belle Époque!
If you were starting today, would phones and digital photography change the kind of images you made?
I am a hands-on analogue person who does not rely on mobile phones or digital AI. However, I had to compromise and use a digital camera that I had converted to use a full-spectrum sensor, allowing me to recreate my colour-infrared film technique, as the original film was discontinued long ago.
Is there any image or shoot that still feels unfinished to you?
No. They were all successful!
What do you hope someone feels when they first encounters your work?
I hope they feel attracted to what it is all about and recognise it as art, with its own place in our cultural history.
Klemen Breznikar
Fire In Her Eyes Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp / YouTube
Karl Ferris Facebook / Instagram
Karl Ferris | Interview | “My Psychedelic photographic style evolved from my self-invented experimentations with colour”
