10 Quick Ones with LISA DANAË – October 2018

According to her bio: “Lisa Danaë – California native, Disney fanatic, and child of the 90’s – uses music as a platform to narrate her story of growth and empowerment. Her music is a combination of powerful pop hooks and heartfelt lyrics that draws inspiration from her past and how she intends to conquer her future. Breaking her two-year hiatus, Danaë comes back with 1445, a series of singles that, in the aftermath of heartbreak, explore her growth as a music artist and as a woman. The lucky number, 1445, represents the unwavering strength of angels and the series will continue with songs such as “The End of the Line,” “Get Away,” “Glutton,” “Type Erase,” “Temporary” and many more to further illustrate the journey of self-recovery.” We get Lisa to discuss new music, influences, and much more in our 10 Quick Ones…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

My latest release is a ballad called “Temporary”. It’s about those times when you give yourself fully in a relationship with the hope of committed reciprocation, then go through denial, but given more hope, over and over again. I actually wrote this back in 2015 and always played it live. After my shows, this was the song people really loved, but I never recorded it because I wasn’t fully satisfied with it lyrically. I never wanted to give up on it though because I knew it had extreme potential. Hidden gems, not only in this song, but in all of my songs, that only my diehard fans would notice is that I use my vocals to create instrumental samples for ear candy. “Temporary” definitely has plenty of those sprinkled throughout the song.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Both of my parents love music, so I was always exposed to it. I used to play the Disney sing-along tapes, line up my stuffed animals in front of the TV, and stand on the couch to sing to them. When I was 5, I got a microphone and boombox for Christmas and that was when I knew I wanted to be a singer. I didn’t want to put that microphone down!

3. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, Etta James, Celine Dion, and Aaliyah.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Right now, I would have to say Pharrell. He’s definitely someone that breaks the mold and doesn’t follow trends, but creates them. I’ve noticed that when he works with mainstream artists, he’s able to pull out raw emotions from them in a genuine way to push their boundaries and helps them find themselves musically. He seems to make artists feel comfortable with being vulnerable and in turn this allows the artists to create and perform to their full potential.

5. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?

Electro pop with elements of R&B and hip-hop.

6. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

Being able to create something that is my own. Also, having the freedom to express myself without people telling me what I can and cannot say. With this, knowing that someone who is listening to your songs has been through what you’ve been through and relates to your song.

7. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

I’m not in a band, but when I’m with my co-writer, a girl named jaen, usually she’ll cook food and I’ll just start playing music on my MacBook and we’ll bust out singing and reminiscing on older songs that we haven’t heard in awhile.

8. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

This is my dream job. There’s no Plan B.

9. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Overall, I would say I wish I would have done more research when it comes to working with people in the industry. When I was growing up, my parents got taken advantage of plenty of times by agencies, producers, and managers. They would give money upfront to them because they promised great opportunities for me and basically they all ended up taking their money and running with it so to speak. As I got older, even though I knew these things happened to my parents, I got myself into certain situations just like they did where I ended up getting screwed as well. Since then, I’m definitely more cautious and make sure I do my due diligence before signing contracts and all that.

10. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose and what does that record mean to you?

There are so many sessions I’d love to have been a part of, but I think I would have to say Aaliyah’s Aaliyah. She was an artist I really looked up to when I was growing up. She had her own sound, created trends not only in music, but fashion, and she was so independent and strong. We lost this talented woman way too early and I always wonder what her music would sound like today, what R&B would be like, and even where the music industry would be at as a whole. I would have liked to see her creative process, have a conversation with her, and just really pick her brain. That album influenced me a lot because during that time I was really exposed to pop princesses, boy bands, and girl groups, so with Aaliyah, I was able to have more soulful sounds in my life to kind of bring me back to my roots.

LISA DANAË LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Category: Interviews