Singer-songwriter Lizzie Weber has recorded a cover of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box,” and we’re excited to premiere it today on Speakers in Code. Weber’s piano-based cover highlights her strong vocals as well as the lyrics of the iconic Nirvana song. You can listen to it below, after you read our mini-interview with the St. Louis, soon-to-be Seattle-based musician.
Weber’s “Heart Shaped Box” can be purchased on iTunes here.
Tell me about why you chose this song. I remember when it came out and we would crank it up in my basement and scream the chorus. How long have you been a fan of Nirvana?
I honestly didn’t know who Nirvana was until I was in high school. I was so young when Kurt Cobain died that all of my exposure began from hearing their songs on the radio. I think “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was the first song of theirs I heard on the radio. I don’t think I appreciated Nirvana until I was older though, and started to listen to rock and roll from a few decades ago. Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, and Nirvana. I rotated those three bands for like a month straight when I first moved to LA at 20.
But it wasn’t until earlier this year that I started covering “Heart-Shaped Box.” Probably one of my favorite Nirvana songs, and yeah, you’re right, that chorus is so, so good, so well written. My knowledge of Cobain’s life outside of the music Nirvana released was very little until I saw the HBO documentary “Montage of Heck.” For whatever reason, that film made me appreciate Nirvana that much more because it gave a deeper look into his upbringing and his struggles with addiction and constant scrutiny by media throughout his success. I started playing my rendition of the song at live shows and folks really seemed to enjoy it. So I decided to go into the studio and produce it, and hopefully it’s something Nirvana fans will appreciate, although it is vastly different than the original.
Tell me about your year. What’s been a moment that has stood out?
I was commissioned to write the title song for a documentary called “Caffeinated” that was released this year. That was really special because I wrote it with my dad, and it’s sung in English and Spanish which made it somewhat more of a challenging task! It was a special experience.
I’m preparing to leave for Japan in a few days where I’ll be performing on a mini-tour. Can’t say I ever thought that moment in my life would come, and am very excited to share my music with a non-western audience.
What are your plans for 2016?
To begin recording and release my second record! I’m planning on beginning work on it in January… still have a ways to go, but the process is the most exciting part. I’m also moving to Seattle in February. I have so much love for St. Louis; it will always be my home and I owe so much of my growth to this town, but I’m excited about what this next chapter in my life will bring, and what it will inspire.