I just want to become an expert in being able to record music in my home: Lisa Mishra

Indian American singer Lisa Mishra talks about pushing content digitally because of the Covid-19 situation, her performance at the Global Citizen concert and her recent single, Nai Chaida.

While the entire lockdown situation created by the ongoing Covid -19 crisis has hit musicians financially, the fact that the only way for musicians to interact with their fans is through the virtual world, Indian-American singer-songwriter Lisa Mishra, is happy to be back in a space which helped her in becoming a musician, for the last thirteen years.

“I was never really keen on going through the reality TV circuit, because I always felt it was really, really very difficult to do that and I was just scared of approaching music that way,” says Lisa.

“I was never really keen on going through the reality TV circuit, because I always felt it was really, really very difficult to do that and I was just scared of approaching music that way. I have been releasing content, and putting up music on the Internet for the last 13 years now. That’s the only way I knew how to release music, that is doing covers and putting them on the internet,” says Lisa, who made a breakthrough in the industry, when she released a version of Tareefan (Veere Di Wedding, 2018) on her Instagram account. For her, Internet has always been the way for her to connect with her audience and her fans.

“And so that’s the core of my relationship with my audience, and its not to just get a particular number of views or anything else like that. It has been a very honest relationship for the last 13 years,” adds Lisa, who, up until her claim to fame moment, was putting up cover versions of songs on YouTube, all the way from Chicago, US, since 2007.

“By the time all of this is over, I just want to be able to send some one a demo version, or a scratch of my song from my room, if they ever want it. I just want to become an expert in being able to record music in my home,” adds Lisa, who after becoming the “girl who sang Tareefan”, went on to sing for a few Bollywood films and has also released independent music as well.

Her duet with singer Vishal Mishra, Sajnaa Ve, did fairly well in the indie circuit and the 26-year-old even played the song at the Global Citizen virtual concert, which took place last month. “ Just to see my name on the poster along with names of artists who are such big names and have been foundational to my musicianship, was one of the most surreal and one of the most insane experiences,” says Lisa, whose recent independent single, Nai Chaida, is her first ever solo release.

The song which is about her “personal story about the transition from Chicago to Mumbai”, was completed quite quickly, only because the intention was to stay “ authentic”. “ I have seen audiences relate to the most authentic version of yourself. So this song, too was a very personal thing, a very personal experience. Nothing was romanticised or done over the top. I think that’s why it got created quickly because it came from a personal experience,” she says.

Being authentic, is perhaps the only way for Lisa, to be able to maintain her sound, which is constantly evolving. “ You evolve, or follow a trend because its a natural thing to you. You don’t do it because everyone else is doing it. Otherwise, it won’t be your identity. That’s I feel staying authentic to who you are is what’s most important,” she signs off.

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