Lissie’s husky, Midwestern tones have found an unlikely home in the United Kingdom. The fair haired, blue-eyed singer from the banks of the Mississippi River signed to Colombia in 2007 and her first album Catching a Tiger went gold in the United Kingdom three years later. Though unable to win the hearts and minds of Britain’s pioneering hipsters, her critically acclaimed second studio album Back to Forever is a must for those concerned with the emotional substance of human existence.
Speaking to Vision from a freezing Stockholm, the passionate American discussed dream chasing in LA, the cult of celebrity in popular culture and her love for Britain.
Aged 21, Lissie left university and moved to LA in search of a record deal. “I don’t know if that’s still the thing to do. I mean, I grew up in Illinois. I started writing songs and playing guitar. When I moved to LA, it was naïve of me. I don’t think I really knew how to make it. I guess I’d seen it in the movies and thought I should move to LA and get a record deal. Kind of naively, I did that. I was fortunate. I was so naïve that I didn’t ever doubt that it was the right thing to do so I went at it full force. But now I’m not sure. In this day and age especially with home studios and indie labels and the internet, there’s a lot you can do without needing to do the clichéd thing of moving to LA and scoring a record deal.”
Lost in the greyness of university life, the singer-songwriter chose to focus on her singing. “At the time, I really didn’t know what else to focus on so I was taking really general courses. There was a part of me that felt like the money my parents were spending was going to waste. I’m one of 4 so it was expensive for my parents. Inside of spending money on me drinking beer, skiing and not really going to my classes, I asked them to support me for a year in LA and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll go back to college. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked learning. I liked school and I had a lot of fun. I wish I could have done both and maybe I will go back to college at some point as an older person, just to learn more about the world around me. I wouldn’t tell anybody to drop out of college.
Garret ‘Jacknife’ Lee, the artist responsible for mixing timeless records from Snow Patrol, R.E.M and Weezer, produces Lissie’s latest album Back to Forever. “His hand and his mind have a firm stamp on this album. But I also think that the song writing is reflective of where my head was at in the two years. Also, some of the songs I played live with my band. So the band informs the sound. I’m complicated. I’m a lot of things. You can’t really say Garret Lee is me. He’s part of one thing that I have done and I am currently promoting. Hopefully in a year from now I’ll be making another record that will sound more like my live show and a bit more positive. I do so many different things depending on my mood and who I’m working with.”
Appearing on breakfast TV recently, the American discussed the meaning behind the song ‘Shameless’. Its chorus is a passionate criticism of the cult of celebrity: “I don’t want to be famous if have to be shameless, If you don’t know what my name is, so what?”
“It’s not really about any one person. I don’t want to single out anyone who’s successful in the pop world. I think that pop artists are just filling a role for the media and the population who want to be shocked, entertained and not really think too much. In the year I was writing the record, I was frustrated by the game I thought I had to play. It goes back to me needing to tie up who I am in a nice little package so I could be marketed properly. Or needing to be one thing to people, be a politician, schmooze and social climb. You know? I was frustrated that this world I was trying to live in did not have anything to do with music. It was about being cool, being attractive and being charming.”
Celebrated for reportedly not wearing makeup, Lissie was keen to challenge her hippie caricature.
“That’s not even 100% true. I’ve been in Norway and because of the cold, my skin is so chapped. On TV I told them to cover up my face. I wear makeup from time to time. I want to be attractive to men. Not because I’m vain, just because it’s my biological human-nature primitive instinct to find a mate. It’s not that I don’t give a shit how I look. I care about how I look a little bit, but how I look is not what my music is. I’m not really very done up- maybe that is my image. I feel like if I did want to wear makeup, it wouldn’t suddenly create a conversation about my music because the two things shouldn’t be put together. I try not to think about it that much.”
Since 2007, Lissie’s main record deal has been based out of London. She has recently finished a UK tour and is about to fly to America to tour stateside.
“A lot of the best music in the world has come from the UK. Whenever I’m there, I wonder what it is about England that has created such a high percentage of the world’s best musicians. I really don’t know what it is. There’s just something about you guys. You just turn out really prolific, phenomenal musicians.”
“The fact you have national radio and national TV programs that go out to the entire country isn’t something we have in the states. There’s no Radio 1 or Radio 2 in the US. For someone trying to break into the UK, getting A-listed means that you have such a broad reach. You can get to so many people so quickly. Maybe in the US you can’t cover as much ground unless you have a huge machine behind you.”
Lissie’s commitment to making good music is evident in the diversity of her work. Having worked with electronic DJs, house artists, folk singers and pop producers, it’s hard to categorise the dreamy Midwestern singer.
“I think I’ve got a really great voice, I think I’m a nice person and I work hard. Everything I sing about and write is true, it’s really personal and I’m really passionate. We don’t use backing tracks or computers, we get on stage and we make music with our hands. That’s important to me. I hope that continues to be something people are interested in.”