Liam Kronman: Jazz, red paperclips, and “A Village Ballad”

You wouldn’t expect an autumnal, saccharine, almost childishly innocent love ballad to spring from the harrowed, soulless halls of Stuyvesant. But as freshman Liam Kronman proves with his new single “A Village Ballad,” available on Spotify and Apple Music, Stuyvesant students are not only talented but active in their artistic pursuits. I caught up with Liam, who is a frequent performer at Stuy’s open mic and an avid songwriter, musician, and baseball player, a couple of weeks ago. When asked about his favorite musicians, he laughingly commented, “I have plenty,” and rattled off names like John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, and Erroll Garner. And sitting down with Kronman to talk about music, I heard the same passion and sincerity that distinguish “A Village Ballad.”

How did you get into music, what’s your background?

I started out with piano at a young age, maybe four or five, until around 13 years old. Then I switched to jazz piano because I also played the saxophone before. And I found jazz to be so unique. I listen to all sorts of jazz, Harlem Renaissance jazz from the ‘20s, Coltrane from the ‘60s, and even fusion jazz from the 2000s. It’s all so complex but it sounds so good!

What was the process of creating “A Village Ballad”?

I never really wrote songs before, but last summer I was in China, and I didn’t have very much to do. There was a piano. And I didn’t really know what to play because I didn’t have any music with me. So I started writing some music and I had all these ideas but I could never piece them together. I thought of the chorus of “A Village Ballad” first, and when I came back to the States, I was hanging out with a friend who’s also a songwriter, and he played this line and the whole melody came to me. As for lyrics…I just wrote.

And recording it?

At first I was just going to sing it myself, just record the whole thing, but I couldn’t hit some of the high notes. And there was this good singer, a girl named Joslyn Grey, who I went to middle school with. I showed her the song and she was like, “I love it.”

What lyrics stand out to you?

I’ll be honest, the lyrics are more of an embellishment for me. I was intrigued by the idea of a red paperclip as love and kinda went from there.

What were your biggest musical influences when creating this song? Did you have any riffs or melodies in mind when writing?

In the beginning I was aiming for more of a Beatles, rock-band type of vibe. So I wrote it and I played it for two of my friends, a drummer and a guitarist, and they were like “drop the drums and guitar.” So I tried to make it more like an Elton John or Billy Joel type piece, just that style, a slower song.

Going forward, how do you want your music to change or improve?

Mainly I want to expand into different types of music.

*At this point in the interviews, Mr. Stephan interrupted to compliment Kronman on his song.*

So for my next song, I’m writing a rock song, it’s faster and more upbeat. It has hints of jazz and pop but it’s definitely a rock song. But I definitely want to spread out, maybe explore gospel too. I also want to become a better producer. Learn how to sample and combine different aspects of the process. Obviously I want to work on my songwriting too.

Do you see music as a career or a hobby?

Music is my passion. Right now it’s a hobby, and it would be fun to have a career in it, but I’m keeping my options open. I feel like music is a way to compete with and improve myself. Also, it’s really stress relieving, I can play for hours!