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The singer-songwriter gives us an inside look at her new LP at NYC's One Mile House Bar.

After the release and success of her last two albums, Lissie was at a crossroads. Would she continue her life and music career in California? However, after some thinking (and perhaps a little soul searching), she made the decision to leave the Golden State, her home of 12 years, and move to a farm in Iowa. She was also thinking about what her next musical move would be and considered going on hiatus. But after teaming up with producer Curt Schnieder, she revived her creative spirit and My Wild West was born.

"[Curt and I] were just going to finish a few songs," she tells Myspace over burgers at One Mile House Bar before her show at NYC's Bowery Ballroom. "In that process, we were having such a good time by not overthinking it. We weren’t trying to force it or create something that didn’t need to happen. It was more like I was coming with new songs and new ideas, and some of the songs maybe didn’t need any production. It was just a guitar and a vocal. And having this freedom this time around and not to force the song to be something but letting the song just be what it emotionally wanted to be."

Since her last two records were under a major label, the creative freedom was overwhelming but welcomed.

"So I think on my old albums where I sung a lot about boys and heartbreak, this was a lot more personal in terms of finding my place in the world," she explains between bites. "'What do I want to be? How do I be my best self and be happy?’ So it kind of turned into this concept album of me trying to process leaving a placed I loved, California, for a new beginning. So all those things played into it, being the more tender, hopefully cohesive body of work.”

“It sounds too good to be true,” she adds. “But making this album was fueled by pure creativity. There wasn’t any struggle with anything. I didn’t have to force anything or overthink anything.”

My Wild West lets us see deeper into Lissie's soul, and her track, "Stay," is a great example of that.

“The first line is ‘Can you smell my desperation from miles and miles away,’” she says, “and that’s pretty pathetic. But I own that. I’m proud of that because that’s what I felt at that moment. These relationships would start and end, and I would think, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ And I know that’s self-indulgent. This whole album kind of is. But sometimes you gotta go there and feel sorry for yourself.”

While “Daughters” sounds like an inspiring song about female empowerment, the message wasn't purposeful. After seeing a documentary called Pray the Devil Back to Hell, she wanted to pay homage to Leymah Gbowee and Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace.

“It wasn’t conscious that I was set out to write a women’s anthem,” she admits. “I thought [the doc] was so incredible and so inspiring. And it’s always been in the back of my mind or I’d tell someone who doesn’t know this story. So it had been years since I’d seen it, and I was in Nashville just working on some chords and a melody with two other co-writers. And I just started singing, ‘We are the daughters.’ Then I started thinking what that meant to me and feminism and trying to inspire women to speak up and stick up for themselves.”

“I had this passion to write a song about celebrating women and our skill sets and our strengths, and that we can reach equality in this world and in society," she adds. "I think we can make the world a better place. We have a lot to offer. It’s crazy to see how few women are in roles of leadership. It’s getting better, but it should be the exception when it should be the norm. There should be an equal balance. It just seems crazy that it’s not.”

After writing the song, Lissie teamed up with charity:water and went on to talk about the song and perform it on CNN during International Women’s Day. “It took on a different life, which I’m grateful for because I think we should talk about women’s equality in a way that’s approachable for men and women,” she says passionately. “There’s not this better or worse on either side. We can all give something and be together equally.”

As she polishes off the rest of her burger, she speaks about her plans regarding the farm bought in Iowa last year, which is where she's based now. Previously a dairy farm, the land currently grows corn and other crops, which she says other farmers, who rented her land, are cultivating at the moment. However, with the additional land she will be receiving in the summer, she hopes to eventually turn her farm into a place for bees, wildflowers and butterflies to flourish.

“My home has been under construction for a while now," she says. "I’m hoping after this tour ends, I can move into my house. Then I want to start planting trees and a garden. But I get another 37 acres, which will give me 50 acres. And my long term plan is to take all of that 'tillable acreage' or what could be farmed and turn that into wildflowers and habitat for bees and butterflies and birds and let the land be wild and heal. It’s for pollinators essentially because without pollination, the earth wouldn’t survive.”

Lissie isn't that girl who will make you like her because of her outer appearance. Instead, she lets her music do all the talking. And while she believes that it might not have made her journey through the music industry the easiest, she doesn't regret going down this path.

“I think it’s probably taken me a little bit longer to get to where I am because I’m not really willing to capitalize on my sexuality or going into my looks for my music,” she reveals. “I’m very open. I’m a dork, and I think it’s kind of hurt me at times. Because I’m friendly and approachable, I’ve been left to the side. But I just try not to be sensitive to how people respond to me and just do my best and try to be nice.”

And for any up and coming artist who wants to get into the music, she has some advice for you: “Know why you want this,” she advises. “If you want your music to reach people, then don’t make it about fame or fortune or trying to conform to what people want you to be because that’s not interesting. And it won’t help you have a long career. Be patient and not be discouraged when things go in waves. But ultimately, know what you want to get across and be yourself. It might take longer [to get noticed], but people will come around to that.”

 

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