Lissie, the folk-rock artist who’s been catching the attention of the music world since the release of her first album “Catching a Tiger” August of 2010, just followed it up in October with her sophomore effort “Back to Forever.” Lucky for Salt Lake City, she’s touring through the beehive state in support of her latest release.
As a little introduction before her performance here on December 3 at the Urban Lounge, Lissie and I have been playing pen pals, and here’s a bit of what we talked about:
Your debut album was fairly earnest, but “Back to Forever” seems to be even more emotionally raw; what prompted that?
I don’t over think it; I was just writing songs about my feelings and experiences and reacting to the world around me.
What do you do that helps you during the song writing process? Do you write songs on the road? What inspires you to write a song?
Again, I try to give myself space to not force or over think and let ideas float in when they’re ready. If I’m co -writing then I like to sit and talk with who I’m writing with and bat around ideas until something jumps out.
I’m inspired by my busy mind! (Haha) All about getting my feelings out! I write on the road in waves, sometimes I have 10 ideas at once or sometimes none. The road is such a hard place to get alone time though!
With two full-length albums released, what has the recording process been like? How were the experiences different? And what did you learn in the beginning that helped you this time around with “Back to Forever”?
I learned a lot more about what the other instruments were doing from recording “Catching a Tiger,” and playing with the band these past four years has shaped my ability to be a band leader and effectively communicate my musical ideas.
Both albums I worked with great producers and really lived in or just near the studio so it was my soul focus.
You’ve spent a lot of time touring overseas and have a growing fan base in the UK, how do you account for your success across the pond? How does the fan response and your experience over there differ from US crowds?
I’m signed to a major label in the UK and they did a great job of marketing me and getting me opportunities . They have national radio in UK so if you can get on the radio there you kinda reach everyone! The US is so big you gotta tackle it a bit at a time and here I don’t have a major label behind me.
Luckily over the years we’ve established ourselves and amassed a great live following! Our fans are consistently nice, enthusiastic and supportive everywhere we go!
Now that you’ve had another album released and you’re touring in support of it, what’s coming up in the future? Are you just focused on the tour? Do you have plans to go back into the studio? Do you just want a vacation?
I try to take it a day at a time, focus on tour and write when I can! I’d love to start prepping for a new record as early as summertime! But I gotta see how things unfold!
Lissie will be performing her December 3 show at the Urban Lounge with special guests the Kopecky Family band. Tickets are still available for the 21-and-over crowd; $18 for advance sales and $20 for day-of. The show and starts at 9 p.m.
Listen to a live performance of Lissie’s “Go Your Own Way” below:
