By: Shayla Lee
With over 9 million Spotify plays to date, LissA’s blend of ethereal instrumentals and unique vocals have been captivating music listeners around the world. I too have been captivated. I added her highest played track ‘ZIMT’ to my playlist last year, only to rediscover it a few weeks ago when I put my entire song history on shuffle. I was immediately hooked on it again.
Before we jump in, take 3 minutes to listen to ‘ZIMT’ because I’m promising it will make your day better.
Okay, we can continue now. I reached out to LissA and we chatted about her EP ‘My Way Up’, how travel has impacted her as an artist, and what we can expect from her this year. Aside from creating beautiful music, she is also pursuing her Master’s degree at the same time- GET IT GIRL!
FEMME RIOT: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What inspired you to become a musician?
LissA: I’m 25 years old and am doing my masters while working for Deutsche Telekom. So I guess I can’t consider myself a full-time musician, however hopefully I’ll get there sometime.
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?
I’d probably tell them that it’s nothing that’s completely different from songs you hear on the radio at the moment, but you will always recognize my songs. I guess it is the mix of my voice, my writing and the music, that give my music this sort of “signature”. Anyway, if it comes to putting a label on it, I’d go with “Electro Pop”.
Where do you draw inspiration for your music? Do you have any musical influences?
I listen to a lot of Hip Hop Music, Mac Miller is my king. I used to listen to a lot of Indie bands (The Kooks, Arctic Monkeys, Libertines…). I actually have a subscription for the opera since I’ve been a child. So I guess my music is influenced by a lot of different music styles, maybe that is what makes it so unique.
Do you have a favourite lyric that you have written?
My best is always the next, haha. No, but tough one though. Maybe: “As long I mumble fuck sleep deprivation”
You have lived in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, and the US. That’s amazing! Has living in all of these different places influenced your music?
Definitely in the way I am capable of writing and singing in English, but also when it comes to the content of my lyrics. My songs are all very personal, a lot of time my friends pick a line out and be like “No way, you put that in your song?!” But for me writing songs is like writing diaries. So to come back to your question: Yes it did, you can find quotes in my songs about a lot of those places (Side Note: “Running straight mazes”, referring to the Eixample district I lived at when in Barcelona. It’s pretty much a blog architecture, wide and long streets, but Barcelona is so huge that I got lost anyway..like in a maze)
You released your EP ‘My Way Up’ at the end of December. Congratulations! I’ve been listening to it on repeat for the past few weeks! What was the creation process for this album like?
It was pretty much a wrap up EP, so all of the songs, besides My Way Up, had already been written. You might ask for the point of that, but this year has been such an incredible experience and I’ve been so thankful for all the love and support on my music, so I wanted to release this EP calling it “My Way Up” which is pretty much describing how my music got more and more popular throughout the year.
On your EP you collaborated with MEMBA and Phillip Nolan. What was this experience like?
MEMBA is just incredible. I always tell them: “What ever you touch turns to gold”. I think they could even make the worst song I’ll ever write sound great. They are unbelievably talented and so kind and humble.. Great boys!
I loved Philip’s song “Baby Bird” and knew him because of that. “Some Of Me” was already written (as a solo track), but I felt like there was something missing. The content was perfect to make it a duet. He wrote his verse and I was amazed, it really fitted perfectly.
Have you faced any adversity being a woman in the music industry? Do you have any tips for other female’s experiencing adversity in their lives?
I think as a woman you always face a little adversity in all kinds of industry. When it comes to the music industry so far I haven’t really faced any though. But you can handle things differently in this business: As soon as anything gets quite in the direction of adversity, I hand things over to my management and let them deal with those things. I’m just here for the music.
My tips for all the girls out there: Adversity is the school of wisdom! Just be yourself and know the times to speak up or keep quiet.
I’m just here for the music.
What can we expect from you this year? Hopefully we will see you in Vancouver soon!
I have to finish my masters degree, so I guess LissA as a fulltime musician is not going to happen this year, but hopefully it will happen next year. And when the time comes, I will be honored to play in Vancouver! Until then: Patience is the key.
What 3 songs are you currently listening to?
No Less – G-Eazy ft. SG. Lewis, Louis Mattrs
Anything we haven’t asked that you want to add?
“Nur der VfL”- I’m a big fan of Borussia Mönchengladbach, a German soccer club
We want to thank LissA for this interview! The cover photo was shot by Ann Kristin Brückner. You can follow her journey on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Spotify. Listen to her lovely EP below and prepare to be obsessed 👇
FEMME RIOT 
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