Mim and Liv Nervo, The new face of POP Music
Behind every great song is a great writer. Behind every great girlie pop hit of the last 12 months there are two: Miriam (Mim) and Olivia (Liv) Nervo. Born and raised in the leafy suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, the 27-year-old twins left home at just 19 in the hope of realizing their dreams in London. “We dropped out of Uni and took a chance,” says Liv who, alongside Mim, worked in cafes, bars and retail stores to make rent. Eight years later the couple have bid farewell to the service industry and made a grand entrance into the world of number one pop hits and worldwide industry recognition. Writing the melodies and lyrics for the likes of Kelly Rowland (“When Love Takes Over”), Pussy Cat Dolls, Ke$ha and Disney money-maker Hannah Montana (“Let’s Get Crazy!”), and collaborating with renowned DJs such as Roger Sanchez, David Guetta, Armin Van Buuren and Kaskade, they have cemented themselves as creators of fast, catchy, intelligent girlie pop.
“Since the release of ‘When Love Takes Over’ we have literally been inundated with calls,” starts Mim enthusiastically. “People like Estelle, Natasha Beddingfield, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Beyonce…I mean, it’s just totally surreal and an amazing position to be in. We have, for so long, been the ones knocking on doors and asking people to listen to us. It’s wonderful to be on the other side of that for once.”
While their new position might take them all over the world, the duo remain down-to-earth aware that it may all fade in an instant. “We’re milking it for all it’s worth at the moment. We expected and dreamed for this, but it’s still so much more than we could have hoped for and we’re just thrilled.”
In addition to penning the tunes behind some of the biggest dance pop, the duo has joined forces recently to DJ in clubs from New York to the Netherlands. “We absolutely love DJ-ing. We had actually never thought of it—which is funny since we produce dance/pop music. The second we started, we loved it!” says Mim. “We play some of our own music, but the best part is getting to play other people’s music and learning new things that are coming out. There’s nothing better than playing fun dance music to a group of hyped up people who just want to have a good time and dance, right?”
Intelligent, business savvy and brimming with creativity, Mim and Liv Nervo are two names we’re likely to be hearing a lot more of. In 2010 the duo plan to release their own record as well as launch their own label, Nervo Music, granting exposure to some of the world’s best, as yet unheard of, dance acts. As the world’s youngest established writers of their music genre what advice can they give to others? “Believe in your talent and ability first and foremost,” says Mim defiantly. “Take that, couple it with perseverance and a lot of hard work, and you’ll go a long, long way!”
– Fiona Killackey
Photography by Chloe Paul
