Review Fix Exclusive: Lisa Denae Talks ‘Type Erase’ And More

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Lisa Denae, who discusses her origin in music, creative process, standout work and goals for the future.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Lisa Denae: I started singing at the age of 3. I would line up my stuffed animals and stand on the couch to perform to them while singing along to the Disney Sing-along tapes. I received my first microphone at the age of 6 and I never wanted to put it down! I started taking piano lessons at the age of 7 then eventually started playing the violin and was very involved with other musical performance and art related extracurricular activities. My parents both love music and were always playing their collection throughout the house, so I was constantly surrounded by it.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Denae: I tend to co-write a lot, whether that’s coming up with a chord progression on the piano and taking that idea to another writer or just sitting down with a writer and talking about what’s on my mind. My process isn’t really one way, but the majority of my songs started with writing the lyrics and melody and then taking that to a producer to put the musical production together with them. I’ve been working with a girl named jaen for about 3 years now and not only is she a very strong writer, but she just understands me and my voice, especially, to where she’s helped me find my own voice with my sound and lyrically.

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Denae: If we’re talking inspires my writing then, definitely my life experiences. There’s so much that goes on In the world and in our lives that someone else is going through, so I’m inspired by the thought that I could help others that may be going through the same thing as me. But, if we’re talking what inspires me in general, I’d say my friends and family. Each and every one of them has shown me tremendous amount of love and support and I just want to make them proud. I also collaborate a lot with my own family and friends, so they inspire me to keep going in hopes that I can, not only achieve my career goals, but help them achieve theirs as well.

Review Fix: What does music mean to you?

Denae: This is super cliché, but music truly is my life. It’s a universal language and makes you feel something. Whenever I feel misunderstood or out of place, I use music to help me push through, and look for guidance, and the feeling of knowing that someone else has gone or is going through the same thing is comforting. I love how I am able to express myself and my personality through music whether it’s mine or by another artist.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Denae: Cinematic and a combination of light, catchy melodies with dark undertones.

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Denae: My studio work tends to be more precise as far as making sure everything is on time and melodies being more structured. Live shows, I just like to go with the flow of how I feel in the moment and how my voice wants to portray the melody in that moment. I tend to overthink when I’m in the studio, so when I first started recording vocals in that setting, the emotions of the song weren’t being portrayed as it would when I would sing live. I also noticed that I need to really accentuate and embellish my vocal technique in order for the recording to capture the emotion I want.

Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?

Denae: A music writer wrote reviews for my past releases, “Type Erase” and “1445,” and called me a “rising pop starlet”. My co-writer, a girl named jaen, loved the review and called me saying, “We need to write a song called ‘STARLET,’” and I agreed! We hadn’t heard that term used recently, so we also thought it was a fresh idea. From there, we established the theme of self-love and empowerment, and wrote about my personal experience in the music industry, thinking that I had to be like every other female pop artist to go mainstream, to then realizing that I can do this my own way and be who I want to be not only as an artist, but a woman in the industry. I want to give a voice for other artists that may feel lost and think that they need to fit the mold in order to be successful.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2020?

Denae: I definitely want to get back into live-streaming regularly especially since we won’t be able to play live shows until at least 2021. Besides that and releasing new music, another huge goal of mine is to get at least one of my songs synced in TV or film. I’ve been learning a lot from music supervisors and started to pay attention more to how music can really set the tone and mood of a scene and I would be honored to have one of my own drive a storyline.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Denae: I have more music coming out along with more visuals and I will continue to release music. I would love to be able to tour the world, but again, we have to take it day by day, but even just having my music reach more countries and build audiences outside of the States is something I am working towards. I’ve created a good community with people in the Philippines, so hopefully I can also be able to travel there soon to connect with them more!

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add? 

Denae: I want to emphasize how much I truly believe in creating your own path in the music industry, especially now, with everything going on in the world. I think it is time for the independent artists to be heard and rise up. The majority of us are creating music for ourselves, so we’re not afraid to push boundaries. “STARLET” is all about authenticity and finding what makes you unique and using that to your full ability to show your true self. We have no excuses to be in the shadows anymore. There are too many tools that we can use to make our voices be heard.