- [Narrator] This program is made possible by Sid and Flo Banwart.

(no audio) - [Crew] Here we go, yep, in three, two, go.

♪ Well if you stare at it long enough ♪ ♪ You'll see it move (upbeat music) (attendees cheering) ♪ Well if you dare swing the wrecking balls ♪ ♪ Still some damage you can do (upbeat music) (attendees cheering) ♪ Yeah, oh (Liv sings indistinctly) ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's go ♪ You stare at it long enough (George claps) (attendees clapping) - Welcome to Sound Bites, a collaboration between the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and WTVP Public Television for Central Illinois.

For many of us, it was that episode of "America's Got Talent" that brought Peoria-born, Liv Warfield into our cultural consciousness and into the national musical spotlight.

However, the story of her journey is much more, it's much longer and it's much more compelling and we're gonna explore that journey tonight with Liv, herself, some great guests and some interviewers, Anthony Marotta, who's the executive director of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and Jenn Gordon, who's the executive director of WTVP, along with myself.

So as music director of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the PSOs 2026 Artist and Residence, Liv Warfield.

- Blessed, thank you.

(attendees clapping) Thank you, thank you, thank you.

(chuckles) Thank you.

- Hi, Liv, welcome home.

- Thank you, thank you so much.

- It's great to have you here.

- Thank you.

- So we have a lot of things to cover.

- Okay.

- But I wanna tell you that the talent, the energy, and the grit you showed on "America's Got Talent" made me immediately want to work with you.

- Wow.

- So, I'm totally excited that you are our artist of residence with the Peoria Symphony.

- Thank you.

- And you'll be working with us on three different occasions at our concerts this season.

It was Simon who gave you the golden buzzer, but he talked in the show about your grit, your determination, but you also responded to him in a way that really caught my attention.

You said, first the music business is hard and second that you're not giving up.

- No.

- So, I want to ask you if you'll tell us a little bit about the challenges you had to conquer in your inspiring yet unfinished journey from Peoria to prime time.

- Well, my story is quite interesting, because I was super introverted.

I didn't really express my art of singing or any of that to anybody in my family, nobody knew I could sing, okay?

I hid it from everybody (chuckles) and it was just- - Do they know now?

Okay.

- Yeah, they know now, but it was the arts.

It was, I think my family, my parents for introducing me to violin, introducing me to just exposing me to music, you know?

I think I already kind of knew that when I was eight, eight years old, I knew I had something, I felt I had something as a child, you know, you have something, but I just couldn't, I couldn't figure out how to express that, so within time, you know, I heard rumblings of them sitting me in front of Diana Ross and to shut me up, to keep me from crying, they would put that video of her over and I would just watch it over and over again and that became, which is crazy now I think about this now, this journey that I'm on, with AGT and I'm sitting here with you and I'm back home doing this with the symphony, is a crazy, because it's so much, (chuckles) it's just a crazy story for me about not giving up, only in a way that music is my telepathy, music is my sanctuary, writing is my sanctuary, it's the one place that I actually, am free to be me.

Outside of it, to be quite honest with you, I'm very awkward, I'm very, very, very quiet, but when I'm on stage, it's something about this thing being bigger than me, you know?

When I was eight, I knew something around me felt bigger than me.

- Yeah, I heard one, somebody once described you as, you know, very pleasant, very chill, but then when you start singing, very intimidating.

- Okay.

- So, and I just think that's a wonderful, a very well known arranger of mine, a friend of mine told me that your energy reminds him a lot of Aretha Franklin, - Oh, wow, okay.

- And he was her arranger, so he would know.

- Oh, wow, wow, okay.

- Well, I want, before you see this next video, I wanna bring on someone who is very excited about your coming home and a great friend of the PSO.

He mentioned that his daughter grew up with you and wanted to come by.

So everyone, please welcome Peoria's own, Greg Batten.

Here we go.

- [Liv] Hey.

- [George] Here we go.

- [Liv] Yay.

- It's good to see you.

- Good to see you too.

- Good to see you.

That might've been me that said she was intimidating.

(all laughing) - So- - Here's the deal, I've known this young lady since she was six.

She went to John Williams Gymnastics, my daughter was three, you were six, I knew who you were.

You were a great athlete.

You didn't tell anybody you were a track star, by the way.

Right, you were a track star in high school and so, you know, I saw her, I knew her for a few years.

I don't know how long you did John Williams gymnastics, but a while, right?

- Long time.

- So did my daughter.

- Yes.

- And then life happens, and you disappear and my life goes on and then I'm watching "The Tonight Show," or one of the late night shows, and this woman comes out who absolutely dominates this stage and I couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it was you, like you said, you didn't tell anybody, you did all that, right?

- [Liv] No, no.

- And so we find out about it on, our radio show, "Greg and Dan Show" and you were in town for something, and you came in and I am only intimidated by three women, my wife is one.

- Okay.

- The second is Patti LaBelle - Okay.

- And the third is you.

- Oh, oh.

- And so you come walking in the studio and I'm bracing, I am bracing for this tornado to happen, right?

And you come in and you go, "hi."

You're like super quiet and you're a lot shorter than I thought you were gonna be.

I thought you were gonna be six, eight or seven foot tall and it was so funny for me to meet this powerhouse performer who is that on stage and in real life, just a quiet, introverted, as you said.

- That's really sweet of you.

- And it's amazing to watch.

- Thank you, thank you.

- I'm so proud of you.

- Thank you, thank you.

- And it's just amazing to me that I knew you doing this, doing cartwheels or whatever we were doing at John Williams.

- Yeah, exactly.

- Well, I think what's interesting about that is when you say powerhouse, it's almost inescapable for people to have that reaction.

- So- - Yes, you can't do otherwise.

- Yeah.

- Right.

- So in some of these videos that we're gonna see from Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel and all these people, it's amazing once they start listening to you singing, and even Simon on, you know, just like their eyes open, their mouths fall down.

- It's unbelievable.

- Yeah.

- You know what I love about your story too?

Is that you move out northwest, right?

You go out to the West Coast, somewhere.

- Oh, yes, yeah.

- And you start doing karaoke stuff.

- Yes.

- Not telling anybody back home, you're doing it and making money doing it, 'cause you're winning contests and stuff.

- Yes.

- That is hilarious to me.

- Yeah, because that was my door.

- Right.

- That was my opening.

- Yeah, you're scared.

- I was like, well, how can I, how do I even get on stages?

First off, how do I even, and actually, my teammate was like, "have you ever heard of karaoke?"

I was like, "huh?"

"You can go to this bar, you could pick out all the songs that you want, and you could just sing" and I was like, "Okay, take me" and honestly, I kid you not, and I'm not ashamed of it now, but I went there from eight o'clock at night till four in the morning, Tuesday through Saturday, every, I mean, songs after songs after songs after songs, but the catalyst though, before the Whitney was my favorite, I know I'm moving fast, but Whitney was my favorite, but the voice that really, really triggered me in gymnastics was Etta James, because we would, 'cause I'm trying to think of the radio station in Peoria we used to listen to, to train to all the time at John Williams.

- KZ93.

- KZ93 child, classic rock and to train, though, but when I was listening to "Rain Man" soundtrack, when I heard Etta James, I was like, I found my voice.

I found her, I found another side, 'cause there's many sides of me, many people think I'm intimidating, but there's also a soft, very soft nature to me, very jazz nature to me too, so, but when I heard Etta, I was like, she was both of those things.

She was soft.

She was rough.

She was, and that was the thing that, I don't know I mean, talking about now, I'm just like, okay, like, that was kind of the painting for me, you know, for my developing my artistry.

Like, who am I as artist, you know?

Even then, you know?

- Well, let's watch this next video of you on "The Jimmy Kimmel Show."

- Okay.

- And speaking of switching gears and things, you're singing a song written for you by none other than Prince.

- [Liv] Yes.

- And so, I wanna watch, I want us to watch this video and then hear from you with our next interviewer about what it was like to work with Prince and more things on your journey.

- Okay.

♪ Hello ♪ How are you ♪ 'Cause I made no claim until now ♪ ♪ You can call it the unexpected or you can call it ♪ ♪ Wow ♪ You can call it the unexpected and you can call it ♪ ♪ Call it the unexpected and you can call it ♪ (attendees cheering) (attendees clapping) - Hello everyone, I'm Anthony Marotta.

Wow, Liv, that was incredible.

You have such stage presence and undeniable star quality.

- Blessed, thank you.

- Yes and so, what was it like to work with Prince and what was it like to have him write a song for you?

Was it unexpected?

- Yeah, that whole moment, I just feel like even now, time froze for me.

I worked with him from 2009 up till when he transitioned and it was the most beautiful mind blowing experiences because he knew I was shy, he knew I was rough around the edges, I could say that and he just taught me so much about listening, music, listening and when I was working with him, I didn't, before I get to "The Unexpected," the song that he wrote, I had been working with him as a background singer for many years in order to get to that place to where I could be like, do you wanna listen to my music?

You know, I was an artist before being on stage with him anyway, but when I finally got the gumption to be like, okay, I actually write, I actually do all this stuff.

and but it took a minute for me to get there, because I thought I knew, you know, I had my own band in Portland, Oregon.

I had an album already in 2006 called "Embrace Me," which is amazing.

I was on billboard with that song called, "I Decided," but I didn't quite understand the magnitude of that part of me, of being an artist, of what it was, but when I got to work with him, I started to understand what that was.

It's good, it's bad, it's ugly, (Liv exhales) it's all the things as a writer that I love, but it's just, it's a truth, it's a hard truth, you know?

Because when I started this thing in 2006, when I started my own album, I just was so vulnerable, i was like, yes, I'll sing about anything, like, I was just, but it was the truth what it was, I was just so willing, you know, contracts, that's what I was talking about, music business.

I learned a lot about the music business from Prince.

- Yes.

- You know?

And so that experience with him woke me up to a lot, a lot, you know, which even resonates for me now.

- [Anthony] Yeah.

- Really now, you know that he's not here.

That I can't, you know, pick up the phone and be like, you know, kind of big brother, like, what do you think?

You know, it's different.

- Yeah, it's always great to have that type of person in your life, - Absolutely - That's more of a mentor in a way, it sounds like he was, he really mentored you - Oh yeah.

Oh yes.

- Along in your career.

- And taught you how to navigate the good, the bad, and the ugly.

- Oh, yes, yes, yes, but I mean, it wasn't always that, but it was the reality of the business sometimes and how he was able to take it musically and frequency on stage, off stage, the creativeness, which he held was beautiful to witness.

- Yeah.

- To watch.

- Is there one particular thing that you would say was the most important thing that Prince taught you and that you bring along with your journey today?

- It's the most simplest thing that everybody always says to somebody like, "you stay authentically you," right.

- Right.

- If they don't get you in the beginning, it doesn't matter, because that was my thing, like, people weren't, what is she, is she trying to do this?

Is she trying to do rock and roll?

Is she trying to... No.

- Right.

- You know, I'm just trying to be me, and I'm just trying to create music, good music that I hope really will last.

- Yeah and you are, and I think that the authentic way you approach music is why when we watch you and we hear you, it's so special.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- So Prince is not your only inspiration.

- Oh, no.

- I just wanna talk to you about this completely different direction you went on in rock.

- Yeah, yes.

- Working with the members of Heart.

- Yes.

- Would you tell me about that?

And also this rendition, this wonderful, amazing rendition of Barracuda that you did with Nancy Wilson and the others.

- [Liv] Yes.

- Tell me about that.

- So they saw me on Jimmy Fallon, and they were like, "would you wanna open up for us at the Hollywood Bowl?"

And I said, "what?"

You know, Heart, okay, sure, absolutely and this was right, I think, 2015, I think and we did the show, and I was so excited to meet Nancy and one of, just let me talk to one of them and at the end of the night, that was a crazy show the way and at the end of the night, Nancy was still around and had already left the building, of course and then I said, you know, "Nancy, Nancy, you know, like, I just thank you so much for letting me be a part of this show."

She's like, "oh my God, yeah, you are amazing."

She was like, "let's meet."

Because I was like, "I'm doing some rock stuff and I would just like your opinion to hear the song" and she was like, "Yeah, so you tell your assistant to call my assistant" and then, you know, it was funny.

I was like, "wow girl, I don't have an assistant."

- The you know you're really in Hollywood.

- [Liv] I'm like.

- Oh, you get your people to contact my people.

Yes, you know.

- Yeah, I'm like, I have no assistant, it's just me doing all the emailing.

So I emailed her, and then I really didn't think we were gonna meet and we met up in LA, this amazing restaurant and we just started talking and instantly we just clicked, like, just really great friends and she was like, "Do you wanna start a band?"

And I go, "wait, uh, yes" and that became Roadcase Royale.

- Oh.

- And then we started a band, we recorded an album together and the first day we met, my guitar player, who you saw, he also became part of the Roadcase Royale as well.

- [Anthony] Okay.

- And then the first day of rehearsal, I remember that we all set up like, let's just get to know each other in band and it was like a bonfire.

We just around, you know, Nancy had a guitar and drummer.

We were just in a circle, we were just singing the songs, you know, singing some of the Heart stuff, like "Alone" and I was like, oh my God, am I really singing some Heart songs?

And it's Anne, it's Anne Wilson.

- [Anthony] Okay, okay.

- I mean, it's her voice, you know what I mean?

Like, it's intimidating enough.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- So we were like, okay, we clearly see that we click push all this stuff away.

Let's set it up like we're about to perform, like a band band and then there we wrote some amazing songs.

- Oh, great.

- And I started singing, majority, you know, we did a lot of Roadcase Royal Originals, but I got to sing a lot of the hard stuff, which was another thing, another experience that blew my mind, because Nancy was just always so welcome, always pushing me.

- And she was a writer, clearly a writer herself, you know?

'Cause she scored, I'm trying to think of the movie her ex-husband, Cameron, almost famous, she scored that whole movie and I just was, that was another experience in my life.

I was like, oh, wow, the universe is sending you examples and ideas.

- [Anthony] Right.

- And she was always pushing me to, you know, keep writing, keep, you know, keep playing what's is a cool, just another cool experience.

- That's fantastic.

- Yeah.

Thank you.

- Well, let's listen to this video.

- Oh.

- Or watch and listen to this video of you doing Barracuda.

- Okay.

- All right.

- Okay, here it goes nothing.

♪ So this ain't the end, I saw you again ♪ ♪ Today I had to turn my heart away ♪ ♪ You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn to the wick ♪ ♪ Ooh, bara, bara, barracuda (all clapping) - Oh my goodness, Liv, that was ridiculous.

- Thank you.

- I'm just gonna say it, there's another word, that was amazing.

- Thank you, thank you, thank you.

- Amazing.

I am Jenn Gordon and if you're just joining us, welcome back to Sound Bites with the incredible Liv Warfield.

- Blessed and thank you.

- We're so excited to have you and for this portion, we get to talk about the people behind the performer and you have some incredible people who've had a big influence on your life that are joining us for this segment, can you introduce us?

- Yes, I do.

My lovely, beautiful mother, Bessie Warfield.

Yes, and also my father, Owen Warfield.

My aunt, my beautiful aunt, Sue House, and my lovely amazing coach from high school in Notre Dame, John Cummings.

- [Bessie] Yes.

- Oh, that's incredible.

- Coach Cummings.

- And welcome to all of you.

Now, Liv, I know you've done a lot of interviews.

You've done a lot of shows, but now you're back home.

- Yes.

- In Peoria.

- [Liv] Yes.

- At your local public broadcasting station.

- Yes.

- With your family.

What does this feel like for you?

- It's honestly surreal.

Like, there are moments that have emotional a little bit, because this is like the first time I've actually can sit and look at you all.

- [Bessie] Mm.

- Really, and just understand it all coming together.

- Yeah.

- You know, so it carries a beautiful, beautiful weight.

so.

- Yeah.

- So I wanna start with your parents.

- Mh-hmm, mh-hmm.

(panelists laughing) So, Liv, you had said in an earlier portion that you were exposed to a lot of musical influences, a lot of music as a child, so mom and dad, Bessie and Owen.

Talk us through, what did that look like?

Was it intentional?

Were you trying to expose Liv to a lot of stuff growing up?

- Yes, we did.

Livia played piano, 13 years as a violinist, she was in that Suzuki program, started at the age of three.

So yeah, we did and her dad really exposed her whole lot of stuff, because him being a Vietnam vet and they had real to real- - Yeah.

- Music.

- A lot of music.

- And a lot of music and he had listened to a lot of music then, didn't know what we were doing, you know, but she enjoyed music, man, that was one of the things we had in the household, being in church.

- [Jenn] Yeah.

- She would never sing in the church choir.

Just forget, no.

- Really.

- No, no.

- Well, this is fascinating.

- No, no.

- Okay.

So when you first like broke out, you know, as this big superstar was like, were the choir members like "Liv, you were holding out on us?"

- Oh, yeah.

Like, no, it even then, even now, no, I won't.

- Okay.

(panelists laughing) That was a hard no.

- Yeah.

- Hard is right.

(panelists laughing) - Only thing, closest thing she did was play the violin at the church for a concert.

They had the church.

That's about the closest thing she did for the church, but no, raised up in church, not singing in the church choir, no, mh-mh, nope.

- Yeah and was that, do you think that was like an intimidation factor?

You felt like intimidated with singing or just?

- I think it was all of that, I think it was intimidation, I think nobody, I was so shy, nobody really knew me in depth, you know, nobody really understood who I was, but she was always running track, doing gymnastics, coming, you know, that was- - Yes, yeah, so you started violin super young, which I love, fellow violinist.

- Okay, yeah.

- Hey, yeah.

- Suzuki, Suzuki all the way.

- Yeah, Suzuki.

- And I know like that's a commitment from the parents.

- Yes, yes.

- Right, you're doing that all the time.

That's amazing.

- Yes.

- So, but then we, you started to see yourself emerge with these athletic talents.

Right, can you kinda take me back, when did you first start to identify, again, Bessie and Owen, that not only was there like musical aptitude, but, oh, this girl's got some energy that she needs to get out?

- Well, I was- - You better jump in honey, 'cause, (laughs).

- Yeah, I know she'll take it, but, because you also forgot about the, you sung at Notre Dame.

- Oh, I did, I did.

- The choir.

- I wrote a song- - And that's the first time that I realized like, what, you know?

I didn't know she could, but they were so elated over the song that she sang.

I think the Pope, or not the Pope, but the priest and stuff, they were all excited about that.

- [Liv] Yeah.

- And this is a song that you wrote?

- Yeah.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

- They let me do it for mass.

- Yeah.

- Oh my goodness.

- I remember that, in high school and I said, I have a song that I wrote and it was gospel.

- And it was good.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- And they were like, "yeah, you can" and then we got everybody together and made like a little choir.

- It was crazy.

- That's right.

- So that took some initiative on your part, like to take this piece of art that you had done on your own and like to bring it in front of a whole audience.

- That was like my first attempt, because at that point I was like, I'm tired of holding.

- Yeah.

- And you felt like you're holding back?

- I was tired of holding and I was like, I do other things, but then I was like, and then they let me do it.

- Yeah.

- Is this like your sophomore?

Freshman, sophomore?

- Senior year.

- Senior year, you held out until senior year.

- [Owen] Last mass of her senior year.

- [Jenn] Last mass of your senior year, you held out until the very end Liv.

Wow, that's incredible.

- I did.

(laughs) - I did, I did, yeah, I did.

- So, you probably felt pretty good after that performance.

- Yeah, it was beautiful.

It was, another one of those things for me where I felt like it was like on my heart to do this.

- Yes.

- Like I was pulled to do it, yeah.

- Oh, that's incredible.

That's incredible.

Okay, so let's go back a little bit to the athletic piece and I was thinking, you know, how does this tie together?

Well, when I watch you perform, you are so physical, right?

You are so physical and it comes out.

So it makes sense that like you're an athlete, right?

You've got that in you.

So I'm looking at you Coach Cummings.

Tell us a little bit what it was like, first working with Liv in an athletic capacity.

- Liv was probably the best athlete I ever had in the 45 years of coaching track.

She could do just about anything, except run the 400.

- [Jenn] Oh.

(laughs) - Just go right for it.

(panelists laughing) - She was very talented all the way around.

She normally ran the the 100 and 200, but, - So funny.

- You know, she also ran the hurdles, she was a long jumper.

She was very good at all of it.

She threw the shot in discus.

- Oh my.

- And then she ran, you could only run two relays, so she ran the two relays.

So it was always a matter of where we were going to put her that would most benefit her, most benefit the team, so a lot of times in the conference track meets, she'd run the the 100 and 200 and then throw the shot in discus.

You don't see a lot of girls that are sprinters throwing the shot in discus.

She tried the hurdles and she was good at it, but we said, "well, we've got enough things on her plate, that we didn't wanna keep adding to it."

She was a good long jumper, like I said, but again, it was one of those ones where we wanted to emphasize what she was best at and she was very coachable, never really argued by anything.

The only thing she ever said all the time is, I would make her in practice, run the 400 sometimes.

She said, "Mr.

Cummings, I'm not a distance runner."

Which is kind of ironic because the 400 is a sprinter, is a sprint.

- It is.

- But she didn't like those four hundreds whatsoever, but we said, "it'll make you better" and so she would say, "okay, fine, I will do them."

We told her how I should do it, and I said, "it's gonna make you better" and it did and she understood that as she went through, but never was a problem, always was willing to go work on anything that we wanted her to work on and very kind of self-motivated about that.

- So a relationship between a coach and an athlete - Yes, yes.

- Is pretty important.

- And no doubt you've taken some life lessons from Coach Cummings with you.

- Absolutely - In choosing your professional career.

- Absolutely.

- Talk a little bit about that.

- Mr.

Cummings for me was, you always very matter of fact, not playing around and I love that, but there was this love underneath your eyes.

There was always, you got it.

Like, I don't want to hear you, no, I don't wanna hear that you can't, exactly.

When you said 400, I immediately, like, it triggered me like, yes, 400 in the cross country.

This one trying to get me to do cross country.

Oh my goodness, but it was something about you always being in the back of my head.

Like, I always hear you, always just to hear you yelling "go, go, go, go," you know, it was just, also your value, your value, you cared about, you cared about the girls, you cared about us.

You know, you kept us together, you know, and that was the thing for me is about team, you know, and just the value, honestly, Mr.

Cummings was value, it was integrity, you know?

And that was a thing that I really always took with me about running track, it was about track, but it was also about the value, who I was as a person.

My integrity as a person, as an individual.

When we run track, who else are we outside of this in track you know?

Our schooling, I'll be honest with you, I was a terrible student, okay and only because I could do the work, but my mind was somewhere else.

My mind was always somewhere else creating, you know?

So, yeah, but that's what Mr.

Cummings was for me.

- Okay, so Mr.

Cummings, do you remember when Liv sang?

- Absolutely, absolutely.

- And what was- - And it was funny because I'd never, I didn't really hear about Liv when she moved out to the West Coast and never really heard much about it and I'd hear bits and pieces once in a while, but I always remembered that she had sung and that, because I was sitting up in the balcony and she started singing with the group and I'm like, well, that voice, I did not know you had that in you and so I was very surprised, but I always remembered it, because obviously Liv's hard to forget.

She's that good of a kid and so when I heard she was going into music, I was like, "yeah, I can see that," she has that kind of ability in there and you could tell it was there and she came back in 2014 to Notre Dame, she came back to Peoria.

and then she played during our lunch periods at Notre Dame on the stage and she performed, she had her group with her and I was like, oh my, because this was so not what Livia was, 'cause she was very quiet, very soft spoken, never said anything, never argued back or anything like that.

I think one time she'd argued back, one time at the track, at a state track meet, and her mom gave her a look.

- You showed that look.

- And that shut that down real fast and I remember thinking, "I'm never gonna get on the other side of that, because I didn't want that look," and, but she was always very polite and everything and then to see her on stage, that persona that she projected out there was amazing.

I was like, oh my, that's not the Olivia that I knew in high school and then I've seen her a couple times since then and I'd love to watch her, that energy she has is just amazing.

- Thank you.

- And Liv, in high school, did you just go by Olivia?

Like, was that- - Oh yeah.

- Yeah, yeah.

So everyone from high school knew as Olivia.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Yeah.

- And I was always very involved in high school, was always trying to do things with my other classmates, you know?

We are always involved in that way.

I still felt alone, you know, because I went to Von Steuben and I was supposed to go to Woodruff.

My brother went to Woodruff, so I was like, yeah, let's talk about that.

- There you go.

- And so I was like, I wanted to go to Woodruff, you know?

And the mama was like, "Uh-uh, we're going to Notre Dame.

We're changing, we're going to Notre Dame High School."

You know, and, but that's going back to track and stuff like that, 'cause Von Steen really was where I got a lot of my track, was really running like District 150 track meets and stuff, that was the thing.

- It's a big deal, big deal.

- That was- Like, I'm thinking about it now and just gimme a rush, because the District 150 track meet, everybody was there.

Tree wind, like it was just, it was such a thing and I think even that, even the values of that, like, 'cause I was really, oh my god, I was so disciplined in it, I can remember, 'cause we lived down the street by the Peoria Stadium.

- Right.

- That long road going to Peoria Stadium, my dad would be like, - Yeah, - We gonna run this, we gonna run this home (panelists laughing) and we would be running that, always doing it, you know?

But it wasn't something that you had to pull me to do.

I wanted to do it so much, you know, so.

- [Jenn] Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Oh, I love that.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- Okay, now we have to have your Aunt Sue weigh in here.

So I always find it fascinating when you get a family member, like outside of like the parents who can give a little bit of that outside perspective, so as you were watching Liv, grow up.

- Yes.

- What was it like for you to do?

Did you see some of the specialness?

'Cause you are special Liv, and we can say that.

- [Liv] Thank you.

- You're special, we're very proud of you.

- Thank you.

- We're proud that you're, - Thank you.

- Proud that you're back home.

- Thank you, thank you.

- So yeah, tell us a little bit about that.

- Yeah, I always saw something special in Olivia because I was always her babysitter, 'cause when her mom had work, I was her babysitter.

I think I started babysitting you, when you were maybe like a year or two.

- Oh wow.

- Two years old.

- So you have all the stories?

- Yeah.

- We can talk for a long time.

- Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah.

- Yeah, up until about 12, I was her babysitter and she was always with me, we always did a lot of things together and she's just always been special, we always had fun and she was always like, she said, "quiet" and, but then she was one of those type of young ladies that we would be at the mall and she would see her friends and men, she spoke to everybody.

She would always say "hello, hello."

You know, whatever person she knew.

I mean, there was not one time she would never speak to anyone.

She was always so pleasant and just fun and I just love her a lot.

- I love you too, Sue and here's the thing, because I know she's being shy, she's on camera, but the thing is, is Yvonne Steuben.

- Oh yes.

- The love, the love really and why community is really, really, really, really important for me is that she used to come there to lunch, everybody had a school lunch, she come rolling up to school with Godfather's Pizza.

- [Jenn] Oh boy.

- For lunch and would come and sit at the table, the cafeteria table with us, you know, and we would just, and it wasn't just one time, but it was multiple times that she would come and do that, but it was just the love, even though she couldn't even probably see it at the time, that I wanted to sing or be in entertainment.

- Right.

- Sue knew, well, I don't think you knew this either, but even when looking at the pictures of her modeling back in the day, really.

- Trying.

- No, but just, but still that was, you made me feel open and that was something I didn't necessarily have, that I could look at, that I could see, that's why I always say representation matters, it is a big, it is a big thing because even if the child is not talking or not speaking, if they could see something that they could see themselves, that's the door that opens and I thank you mom and dad for that because you allowed opportunity, whether I was gonna do it or not, whether violin was gonna last, whether piano was gonna last child, you exposed me to it.

It's the exposure, you know?

So, yeah.

- So a lot of kids here growing up in Peoria, now have someone to look to.

- [Liv] Oh, blessed.

- You know, for inspiration, you're providing that.

You said you went back to Notre Dame.

- Oh yeah.

- And what was that like when you had a chance to be back in front of those kids?

- It was different because I was a different person.

- Mm.

- You know, I remember who I was in high school.

I remember who I was, I'm very different now.

So, like I said, for me, it's just about connection.

Like okay, the ones that are shy, the ones who are not singing or drawing or doing whatever, and you're not showing anybody.

This is it, like, not saying, like, don't be afraid to try something else.

Don't be afraid to, like, if people are putting things on you saying, you know, just don't be afraid, like do it, try it.

- I love that you brought that up, because we're seeing a bigger picture of Liv Warfield tonight, right?

We're learning about violin lessons, piano lessons, track, the dismal 400 that never worked out despite Coach Cummings best efforts, right.

- Of course.

- Right, but it wasn't until, you know, after all of these different, you know, passions and things that you enjoyed, it wasn't until much later on later that you found the thing.

- Yes.

- That unlocked that deeper voice in you.

- Yeah, oh yeah, yes, yes and then I also, my mom, even we got in our fights and stuff like that.

- [Bessie] Yeah, sure did.

- For real, but my mom said journal.

- Yeah.

- Mh, good advice.

- Seriously, she was like, she would put a pen and paper.

"Here's a notebook" and that, and I love you, tough love, but it was just- - Uh-huh, you right and the thing is, it wasn't like, and this is what you, no, she was like, "here," you know?

Take it out on whatever, but you're not gonna be talking like that to me.

You are not gonna be disrespecting us on, get it out and that's when the writing came for me.

That's when you probably didn't know all of that was probably a locked in me because I was so quiet and so I kept everything inside so much, so.

- Yeah, with all the writing and stuff she did, she has one poem that's in the National Congress Library of Poetry.

She forgot about that one.

- Well, tell us a little bit more.

- Yeah, yes, it's just, it's something about a penny, but yeah, I got the, they send you a book and there is her poetry right in there that she wrote.

That's from the writing that had made her to write and that's when she was about 11 years old, 11 or 12 years old.

- This is what's so great about parents, it doesn't matter how many TV shows you've been on, or rewards you've won, mom is remembering.

- Oh yeah.

- You know the poem you wrote when you were little.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- I mean, even if the parent or just someone creatively telling you, you know, to utilize, use the things, you know and again, if you're that person that's shy and it's not really that extroverted like some other people are, like just use the tools.

There's somebody out there that could see that again in you.

We see the things in people.

You just have to sometimes help them pull it out, pull it out more.

- Well, this is a special moment.

We're almost done with this segment, but before we leave, I wanna go through and just give each of you an opportunity to say something to Liv about what she means to you.

- Oh God, no, oh.

- Oh, coach, let's start with you.

- I was like I'm ready, I'm ready to jump in anytime.

- [Jenn] I know.

We'll save mom for last.

- Yeah, that's best.

- I think what I see with Liv is what she just said in that she is more than the person that she was in high school.

She grew up, she developed, so many people see us as they are in high school, and they're not those kids, they grow up as adults and they become different people and Liv became something so beautiful out there with all that talent and she let it finally come out of that part of it.

I mean, she had her track talent and it was there in high school, but then she moved on into that music and it's amazing to watch her perform now.

That enthusiasm and everything on all of that in "America's Got Talent" was, I mean it made.

- Thank you.

- It made my wife and I just like, it was like things come down between us.

We're just like, oh my, I can't believe that, that's Liv.

- Thank you.

- Sue.

- Well, Olivia means the world to me.

You know, she's almost like my daughter and I've been following her since, I babysit her when she was in track.

I followed everywhere they went to travel.

When she was in gymnastics, everywhere they went, I was there, when she started performing, we were there when she got the call about Prince.

I was there and I just always been there for her whenever there was something that she needed or, and then like she said, I would go to the school and just, it meant so much for me and it meant so much for her, for me to be there and just have lunch with her at school and then the kids were almost like, they were so jealous, I guess, because they would always come around the table and they would say things, you know, like, "oh, so Olivia, you're aunt is here" and I just enjoyed that also myself and she's just a great performer.

I mean, every time, I'm always on the phone whenever I see her or something, where she's performing at now at her job, I'm just always comment on everything about her and how beautiful she is and just how great she sounds and I just love her to death.

- Thank you, thank you.

- All right, dad, tough act to follow.

- Yeah, I guess I have to say I'm the guilty one.

- Yes.

- That sat her down in front of a Diana Ross tapes and I was kind of a music connoisseur myself, 'cause I always was listening to music, always.

I big stereo fan, I had the nice stereo equipment, she used to be down there listening and I'd be playing all kind of different music, but she shocked me when she went with Prince.

That was the thing that kind of shook my world, because I'm like, wow, this- - [Jenn] Prince.

- Yeah, yeah, - Yeah.

- Wait, what?

- But I love my daughter, she knows that I love her tremendously, she's a fighter and she gets the physical stuff from us.

We just had good jeans, we were like that and so she picked it up and love you, hun, I love you, thank you.

- Love you so much.

- Thank you.

All right.

- Right.

- Well, July the 10th, 1979.

- [Liv] Not long.

- "Not too long," she said it.

We had a baby girl and she was so loud.

The nurse said, "who baby is that with those lungs?"

You know, mm, yes, so yes, we had a journey with Livia.

Olivia is so determined on a lot of things.

She didn't get her tricycle put together and she decided to ride it down the basement steps.

- Oh geez.

- We went, we look up and she looks up back at us, you know, she takes this tricycle and go all the way down.

That is the age of three.

At age of four, she takes her little journey go to the dairy to get a bag of M&Ms by herself, she did a penny outta my purse and go to the dairy and buy a bag of M&Ms and a woman told her that was enough money and the woman behind her bought 'em for you.

That was a journey and the store was on (indistinct) drive and we lived on Missouri.

- Oh wow.

- Yes, this little girl and walking down the middle street with the bag of M&Ms swinging and I'm having everybody in the neighborhood look for her.

So that was a journey with her.

So yes, the piano lessons and the violin lessons she didn't like to go to, but she loved the gymnastics though, 'cause that was the time for her to do her little playing with John.

With John almost what?

12, 12, 13 years.

Oh and through high school.

- Mh, Johnnie, yep.

- Oh, to John Williams gymnastics.

Take a trip down to, she went to Bella Corolla gym.

Bella Corolla wanted her.

He said he had never seen a girl that did the doubles being tall as you were.

So we do have that information.

So they got, they told me, "okay," literally said, "okay, okay" but yes, this is the journey that we had with her and then when the one that really got me was, when we found out Prince wanted you, we were in the parking lot, in Detroit, she was up for award program.

- Soul Tracks.

- And so, Soul Tracks or whatever and she's on the phone, we are in the parking lot in the car and we was trying to look for a dress for her for this award program and all of a sudden she gets this call, about this woman said they got a ticket for her in the Peoria airport, Prince wanna meet her and we said, "huh, purple rain."

We all laughing, you know, we moving around the park lot like, oh, we couldn't believe, it was her father said, "gimme the phone, let me see" and the woman said, "yes, Prince wants to meet her."

- [Owen] Yeah.

- "We have a ticket for her at the Peoria airport, so when she can" and she said, "I don't care if I win award or not, I'm seeing Prince."

That's it, you know, but along the way, me, and your dad is very, very proud.

Even the ups and downs, ins and outs, you know that we went through, we love you very much.

- [Liv] Thank you, I know you do.

- You the only girl I got and only one who's up in age now, but I love you, mom love you, you know all the things we've been through, mom loves you.

- Come on everyone, let's get round of applause.

(attendees clapping) (panelists chattering) There's more Sound Bites to come after this next segment.

- Oh boy.

- Excellent, thank you.

(upbeat music) ♪ Why did you tell me you were with her last, now why ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Why, why do you lie, why do you lie ♪ (attendees cheering) (attendees clapping) - Liv, you've given us an amazing insight into you.

What I loved watching and learning about you during this recording of this show is, you know, we bring a lot of people here on Sound Bites and to WTVP and we've got this idea of bringing the world to Peoria, but I think the opportunities sought you out because of your upbringing and the values you have and the things that, you're just your personality and I was thinking, you know, what she's doing, she's bringing Peoria to the world with her career.

So I'm very touched by what I learned from you tonight.

You have a residency coming up with the Peoria Symphony.

- Yes.

- That I'm very excited about.

- So excited.

(attendees clapping) - And you're gonna be narrating Aaron Copeland's iconic Lincoln portrait in January.

- Yes.

- And then we have your show with the Peoria Symphony, all you in April, but you're also going to be singing on the student concert which I think is fantastic, because I think the students will definitely be inspired, but not only by your music, but by your life and then you're making cameo with us in May.

So this is gonna be an exciting next five months coming up and so I want to thank you for doing this with us.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

- What's your feeling about doing all this orchestral work suddenly?

- Oh wow, it is so many feelings.

One that I'm really excited about, 'cause I've dreamed about it, but also an undertaking in a way that I want it to be right, because instrumentation, all of this instrumentation, it vibrates and it sends frequencies and so for me, I'm so excited to send the frequency.

I'm so excited to hear what it sounds like with the original music, with you, with a really good composer, good friend of mine's Stevie Black.

- Oh yeah, right.

- So I'm just excited.

Kid in a candy store vibe, just 'cause I artistically, I can't wait to see what it's like just to be in the room.

The first rehearsal.

Let's get there for me.

I'm just like, what is this?

So and so.

- Well we're looking forward to it as well.

- Yes.

- And you know, for all the things I learned watching you do the show, there's one thing I was little confused about.

So you went to Notre Dame High School and your senior year you Barracuda at mass?

Is that what you were saying?

- Oh.

- I'm kidding.

(attendees laughing) - Well that was maybe like, - No, I just kidding.

- The energy was like bubbling up there right at mass, yeah, exactly.

- I was like, how did that go over?

No, but the thing that, - That's funny - The real thing that I was thinking about as I was listening to you and all the, your family and your coach and all the interviews, questions that you were answering.

What's next for Olive Warfield?

- Hmm, that's a really good question.

Writing, but creating in different atmospheres that I can actually use more contemporary dancers, ballet.

I was, and still do aerial and singing at the same time with the circus, so I've been with the circus.

- Yes.

- The circus being?

- Circus.

- Really?

Wow.

- Yes, circus with hand balancers, I do it in Chicago, in the Chicago Theater.

That's where the gymnastics will never leave me.

I'm not going crazy up there, but I am, my body's still allowing me to do some of the things.

So I just wanna be able to imagine worlds where I can bring this kind of instrumentation power or just the stories, you know, 'cause life hasn't been easy, sure hasn't been for all of us, but it's in the beauty of how to get out of it, to sustain, to bloom wherever you, 'cause that's one of the songs for me, original song to bloom where you can and like the Phoenix, sometimes you rise from the ashes from things and sometimes it's lovely, all of it's beautiful and then the flower, the petals, they close, you know?

And then there's another season and I feel like I'm in another season and whatever that is, I try not to rush it, but this symphony for me is a season that I can't wait to explore.

- Right.

- Right?

So, yeah.

- Well, we're excited.

- Mm, thank you.

- And I want to thank you for being here.

- Thank you.

- And I think we're gonna, we also want to thank WTVP.

- Yes.

- The Peoria Symphony Orchestra.

All the people involved in putting this together and to our underwriters Sid and Flo Banwart for helping this happen.

- Yes, yes.

- And making it possible and I think we're gonna go out to a little show called "David Letterman."

- Oh wow.

- That you appeared on as well, so you truly went from Peoria to prime time and back and now beyond, so thank you for being here.

- Blessed, thank you.

Thank you so much, it's an honor.

Thank you.

(attendees clapping) Thank you.

♪ Paul McCartney got it wrong ♪ I ain't never want no song ♪ I ain't special, I ain't strong ♪ (Liv sings indistinctly)