Lisa Mitchell (08/10/2012)
The 59th Sound recently spoke with Lisa Mitchell, who is set to release her sophomore album Bless This Mess.
Hey Lisa, how are you?
I'm good, and you?
Good thanks. You must be pretty excited to be releasing your second album.
Yeah. Yeah for sure. It's been a while since the last one so yeah I'm really excited. Bless This Mess, as a whole album, is just about embracing the chaos of life. It's something that I'm really passionate about. I get so much energy and truth from that saying and trying to embrace imperfection and letting go of control.
What was the recording process like for the new album?
The recording process was actually very long, it took a year nearly, including pre-production and that side of things. I recorded this album with Dann Hume (of Evermore) who I have recorded a lot of my first record with and working with him again meant we knew each other very well and we could really push the limits of both of our barriers as far as recording, we really tried to push everything a bit further and because we had no time limit we could just take our time so it was a bit more luxurious. We went through a whole bunch of options with each song, so basically if each song was a naked body we were trying to find the perfect clothes for it.
It really sounds like you've put a lot of work into the new record.
Yeah it's been 3 years since the last one but I've been writing for this one since the last record came out. There were actually a fair few songs I wanted on this record but there is always a culling which is kinda sad but overall it makes it a better album. It actually comes out in about 2 weeks (12th October) and some of the main themes on it are the greater world and what it means to be here, on planet Earth and I guess where I fit into the whole thing. There were all these big questions that came up after finishing my last tour for my first record. I'd toured the UK and Germany and lots of Aussie shows and it was a really big learning curve and I was in a really uncertain place, but I guess that's kinda life isn't it? You have these times of uncertainty and it forces you to dig really deep and ask yourself really big questions about your life and I think my biggest question was “What am I meant to be doing?” and “Am I meant to be doing music?” I hadn't really chosen it, I'd kinda fallen into it but I think that's fine now because I've realised it's definitely what I'm meant to be doing. Basically I had a really big evaluation of what I was meant to be doing and that really led to me a lot of spiritual places like Buddhism and different philosophies, different books. Mostly just spiritual teachings that really address these questions, things like “What does it mean to be here?” and “How do you know what you are meant to do?”so really big questions which a lot of Eastern philosophies cover. I really hope that mainstream society open up to the more ancient ways of just dealing with life, it really helps with your sense of belonging.
What influences you when writing songs?
A lot of the things I just spoke about and a lot of books that I read. Relationships also, not just mine but other peoples as well. I like to think that I write happy songs sometimes as well, like Spiritus is the perfect example of a really joyous moment but it's really come from a dark place. The verse, for example: “Heart is lost like a lost little one, I can't stop thinking there's something I forgot” has that real feeling of double thinking yourself and feeling lost and you don't know where you are meant to be. I always find myself coming back to this universal truth that where there is a question and where there is uncertainty there is always some kind of resolve so I find myself not being so afraid of darkness anymore and I think I've gotten sidetracked, what were we talking about? (laughs)
(laughs) That's alright. What about musically? Who inspires you?
Oh gosh....who inspires me? At the moment one of my favourite songs is a song called Some Nights by 'fun.' which is a song that gets smashed on the radio, it really is just a mainstream radio song yet it retains this freaky creativity. I just think all the lyrics and harmonies are so creative and so real and it's got these gorgeous melodies, it's almost like a cross between Queen and Graceland by Paul Simon. There is this really incredible rhythmic, almost tribal, harmonies and yeah...I could go on about it for ages (laughs) I heard it on the radio the other day and decided to have a look at the producers and it was a really amazing producer who had worked with Beyonce, Kanye (West) and these really amazing artists. It's such a slick production. Then on the other side of things I like classical music and instrumental music. I'm a massive fan of a pianist called Erik Satie, he's just so gorgeous, so slow. It's really bizarre the sense of melody and timing. I also have so many friends that are song writers and I just love listening to their songs, it's so consuming and intriguing and they really inspire me.
It sounds like your influences come from all over the place.
Oh totally, it's just amazing. I feel there is to little time to see it all and hear it all. I actually just got back into violin, I used to play when I was a kid and I love Irish Celtic music, all that world just blows my mind. Songs that were written hundreds of years ago and they are played note for note today, it's like they are summoning up your ancestors, it's just so magical.
I remember seeing you on Australian Idol back in 2006, how would you say you've changed as an artist since then?
I'd say my song writing and influences change with my life. I'm 22 now, I was 16 on Idol, so 6 years is a big change, from when I was 16 and kind of a girl to 22 and more of a woman so there's been massive life changes so going back to your question I feel like I'm a lot freer and more open to different influences. I'm now also influenced by traditional music, and I'm really fascinated by what music does, how it brings people together. There aren't many things that brings everybody together but I think music is definitely one of those things.
What was it like to win the AMP (Australian Music Prize) for your first album Wonder?
Winning that was a complete surprise, it completely blew me away. It was really humbling and a good sense of encouragement especially coming from all the more experienced people, people that have been in the industry for a long time, it really felt like a pat on the back like a “you're doing good, kid” feeling which is really gorgeous. I know you don't need that but it was lovely it came along. It felt like I was being embraced and got rid of any stereotype after being on a TV show and it made me so happy that people could let the music transcend a stereotype. It's a credit to the album and was just really humbling.
We'll wrap it up there, thanks for your time and good luck with the tour and new album.
Thanks, bye!
Hey Lisa, how are you?
I'm good, and you?
Good thanks. You must be pretty excited to be releasing your second album.
Yeah. Yeah for sure. It's been a while since the last one so yeah I'm really excited. Bless This Mess, as a whole album, is just about embracing the chaos of life. It's something that I'm really passionate about. I get so much energy and truth from that saying and trying to embrace imperfection and letting go of control.
What was the recording process like for the new album?
The recording process was actually very long, it took a year nearly, including pre-production and that side of things. I recorded this album with Dann Hume (of Evermore) who I have recorded a lot of my first record with and working with him again meant we knew each other very well and we could really push the limits of both of our barriers as far as recording, we really tried to push everything a bit further and because we had no time limit we could just take our time so it was a bit more luxurious. We went through a whole bunch of options with each song, so basically if each song was a naked body we were trying to find the perfect clothes for it.
It really sounds like you've put a lot of work into the new record.
Yeah it's been 3 years since the last one but I've been writing for this one since the last record came out. There were actually a fair few songs I wanted on this record but there is always a culling which is kinda sad but overall it makes it a better album. It actually comes out in about 2 weeks (12th October) and some of the main themes on it are the greater world and what it means to be here, on planet Earth and I guess where I fit into the whole thing. There were all these big questions that came up after finishing my last tour for my first record. I'd toured the UK and Germany and lots of Aussie shows and it was a really big learning curve and I was in a really uncertain place, but I guess that's kinda life isn't it? You have these times of uncertainty and it forces you to dig really deep and ask yourself really big questions about your life and I think my biggest question was “What am I meant to be doing?” and “Am I meant to be doing music?” I hadn't really chosen it, I'd kinda fallen into it but I think that's fine now because I've realised it's definitely what I'm meant to be doing. Basically I had a really big evaluation of what I was meant to be doing and that really led to me a lot of spiritual places like Buddhism and different philosophies, different books. Mostly just spiritual teachings that really address these questions, things like “What does it mean to be here?” and “How do you know what you are meant to do?”so really big questions which a lot of Eastern philosophies cover. I really hope that mainstream society open up to the more ancient ways of just dealing with life, it really helps with your sense of belonging.
What influences you when writing songs?
A lot of the things I just spoke about and a lot of books that I read. Relationships also, not just mine but other peoples as well. I like to think that I write happy songs sometimes as well, like Spiritus is the perfect example of a really joyous moment but it's really come from a dark place. The verse, for example: “Heart is lost like a lost little one, I can't stop thinking there's something I forgot” has that real feeling of double thinking yourself and feeling lost and you don't know where you are meant to be. I always find myself coming back to this universal truth that where there is a question and where there is uncertainty there is always some kind of resolve so I find myself not being so afraid of darkness anymore and I think I've gotten sidetracked, what were we talking about? (laughs)
(laughs) That's alright. What about musically? Who inspires you?
Oh gosh....who inspires me? At the moment one of my favourite songs is a song called Some Nights by 'fun.' which is a song that gets smashed on the radio, it really is just a mainstream radio song yet it retains this freaky creativity. I just think all the lyrics and harmonies are so creative and so real and it's got these gorgeous melodies, it's almost like a cross between Queen and Graceland by Paul Simon. There is this really incredible rhythmic, almost tribal, harmonies and yeah...I could go on about it for ages (laughs) I heard it on the radio the other day and decided to have a look at the producers and it was a really amazing producer who had worked with Beyonce, Kanye (West) and these really amazing artists. It's such a slick production. Then on the other side of things I like classical music and instrumental music. I'm a massive fan of a pianist called Erik Satie, he's just so gorgeous, so slow. It's really bizarre the sense of melody and timing. I also have so many friends that are song writers and I just love listening to their songs, it's so consuming and intriguing and they really inspire me.
It sounds like your influences come from all over the place.
Oh totally, it's just amazing. I feel there is to little time to see it all and hear it all. I actually just got back into violin, I used to play when I was a kid and I love Irish Celtic music, all that world just blows my mind. Songs that were written hundreds of years ago and they are played note for note today, it's like they are summoning up your ancestors, it's just so magical.
I remember seeing you on Australian Idol back in 2006, how would you say you've changed as an artist since then?
I'd say my song writing and influences change with my life. I'm 22 now, I was 16 on Idol, so 6 years is a big change, from when I was 16 and kind of a girl to 22 and more of a woman so there's been massive life changes so going back to your question I feel like I'm a lot freer and more open to different influences. I'm now also influenced by traditional music, and I'm really fascinated by what music does, how it brings people together. There aren't many things that brings everybody together but I think music is definitely one of those things.
What was it like to win the AMP (Australian Music Prize) for your first album Wonder?
Winning that was a complete surprise, it completely blew me away. It was really humbling and a good sense of encouragement especially coming from all the more experienced people, people that have been in the industry for a long time, it really felt like a pat on the back like a “you're doing good, kid” feeling which is really gorgeous. I know you don't need that but it was lovely it came along. It felt like I was being embraced and got rid of any stereotype after being on a TV show and it made me so happy that people could let the music transcend a stereotype. It's a credit to the album and was just really humbling.
We'll wrap it up there, thanks for your time and good luck with the tour and new album.
Thanks, bye!