photo by: Contributed

Singer and songwriter Liam Elliott said that the arts scene in Lawrence — and performing at Theatre Lawrence — made him want to pursue a career in song writing. He will host a release party Friday night for his new song, "Long Road Home," that is inspired by his hometown.

While Liam Elliott has performed at famous Los Angeles venues like The House of Blues, the first time he took the stage was here at Theatre Lawrence. And now, he’s coming home to celebrate the release of his new single in the city that first got his creativity flowing.

After spending a few years in Los Angeles, Elliott, 23, is happy to be back in his hometown, where he will be holding a release party Friday night for “Long Road Home,” which is inspired by his love of the city. Elliott said the creative heart of Lawrence was a huge inspiration to his career, and he is happy to celebrate a moment that he thinks is a turning point for his art.

It all started at Theatre Lawrence, where Elliott said he was invited on a whim by a family friend to audition for “The Sound of Music” when he was 10 years old. He remembered “freaking out” — partly due to the crowd, partly due to the fact the only song he knew to sing at that point was the national anthem.

Despite shaking with nerves at the time, Elliott recalled that when he finished singing, the other people were going nuts, and it was a moment that catapulted his love for performing and started him down the path to making music.

photo by: Journal-World File

Liam Elliott (back row, first from left) got his performing start at Theatre Lawrence when he was cast in Theatre Lawrence’s production of “The Sound of Music” in 2012. It was a key moment that inspired him to pursue a songwriting career.

“The fact I get to be here when I release it is so cool for me,” Elliott said. “Lawrence has contributed greatly to who I am.”

After getting the first role in “The Sound of Music,” Elliott scored roles in two other productions with Theatre Lawrence, including “Ragtime” and “The King and I.” Once he got to middle school though, he said began to want to write and record music on his own.

Elliott learned how to play guitar and went through the process of producing his first song when he was 12, with an assist from a family friend in the music industry. When he was a sophomore at Free State High School, Elliott said he reconnected with that friend and learned how to produce songs on his own over Zoom.

Throughout high school, his basement turned into a studio where he and his friends were rapping and “making beats, cranking out songs” to post to music platforms like Soundcloud. Although Elliott said they might’ve not been radio-worthy, everybody was supporting each other, having dreams of becoming one of the stars — like Post Malone or Rae Sremmurd — that they saw perform at the Granada.

“The fact that it was really supportive from the beginning, even when I was making bad songs, it was cool,” Elliott said. “Everyone would just come and create.”

When he graduated from Free State, Elliott eventually moved out to Los Angeles to work more in the industry. During that time, Elliott said many songs he wrote like “Long Road Home” — which includes references to his favorite Massachusetts Street hangouts and the Jayhawks — were inspired by him feeling like he was watching his friends from afar via social media. Whenever he visited back, he said simple things like sitting around a bonfire or going out to fish were things that he missed.

But during his stint in California, Elliott said he felt himself grow as an artist, and something clicked for him in 2023 when he was exploring a more pop-inspired country sound. He started to feel like his music was similar to what was popular on the radio, realizing he had found “(his) sound and what works for (him).”

As he returns home, he is happy to be able to debut a song that was inspired by Lawrence in Lawrence. He is holding a release party at Johnny’s Tavern, 401 N. Second St. on Friday starting at 6 p.m. The event is free and will feature performances of his new song and others in his catalog.

Elliott said he hopes to move to Nashville later in the year to further dive into the genre of country music with the goal of improving as an artist. In the hub of country music, Elliott is excited “to be pushed” in learning more from other talented artists, while always remembering where home is.

“I hope to be an example of Lawrence,” Elliott said. “I will always represent it.”