Liza Garza is a rare soul. As a poet and vocalist, she possesses the uncommon ability to keep listeners captivated while provoking social change and action in the community. Her words simultaneously whisper power and strength; peace and grace.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, where she formulated her own degree in Performance Activism, Liza balances her performance time by speaking on topics related to women, hip-hop and culture at colleges, universities and conferences. She self-published her first book of poetry, You Never Knew Until I Spoke in 2005 and began 2006 with an Emmy Award nomination for a piece she wrote promoting university enrollment. During that same year, Liza caught the attention of HBO producers and was invited to perform on ‘Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry’.
Born and raised in Flint, Michigan—a city most famous for its murder rate—Liza, a single mother of two young boys, used her experiences to pen her debut album ‘BloomBeautiful’. The release, a tapestry of poems, ballads and songs reminiscent of Mexican folk tunes, is gracefully infused with the spirit of hip-hop, a culture she claims whole-heartedly.
Showing no signs of surrender in an art form overrun with machismo, Liza has remained humble and resolute in using her gift to teach, learn, inspire and be inspired. It is this determining spirit that influenced Rev. Jesse L. Jackson to invite her to perform along side Stevie Wonder and Roberta Flack at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition’s national march.
When asked about what she has accomplished, Liza is genuinely puzzled. “There is so much work to be done for the people,” she replies. “I haven’t even begun.”