Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Crawley.
Lisa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born in Auckland, New Zealand. A family friend heard me singing as a two-year-old and picked up that I had ‘ perfect pitch’ and suggested I start recorder lessons at age four, so I did. From there I started piano, clarinet and singing lessons.
A lot of people have parents that push kids into music lessons, but it was always me asking them to take me to music, acting and dance classes, to which they kindly agreed to. I’ve always sought out opportunities rather than waiting for them to arrive – in primary school I wrote a letter to the teacher explaining why I’d be perfect for the lead role in the school show! I’d get the newspaper every weekend and circle all the auditions for music and acting jobs.
In high school, I was very involved with music – choirs, orchestra, concert bands, the musicals, etc. I joined a rock band at the age of fifteen and started playing shows in bars and clubs. In my last year of high school, I was accepted into a musical theatre school overseas but didn’t have the money to go. I was heartbroken at the time, and had always enjoyed writing but started to take it more seriously when my path took a different turn.
Since then I’ve released three EP’s and two albums and am working on my third album at the moment. I’ve traveled and performed in the UK, Asia and lived in Melbourne, Australia for five years before coming to Los Angeles. I’d always dreamt of living in the States and after a few trips back and forth with some amazing gigs, I’ve signed with music supervision company ‘Think Music Group’ and come here on a more permanent basis and have been working with some amazing songwriters and producers.
My latest single/video ‘Girl With No Name’ is released April 26, and I’m playing the role of ‘GIRL’ in the award-winning musical ‘Once’ which begins June 27.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been far from a smooth road for me, personally and professionally. Like many artists, I’ve struggled with anxiety for a long time which has had it’s setbacks. I’ve had more stage fright, self-doubt, and unsolicited advice about what I should sound and look like that I would wish upon anyone. But it’s made me more determined in the long run. A great outlet for this kind of comments was creating a cabaret show ‘Elizabeth’ with Bullet Heart Club, a show that addresses the highs and lows, the funny and sad thoughts of the life of a female musician. My first boyfriend introduced me to some amazing bands, and tragically passed away while we were together. He’s a huge inspiration for me to keep going with my music. I’ve gone on to work with some of those bands so hopefully he’d be very proud of me.
I’m a self managed artist at the moment – it’s enabled me to be super knowledgeable across the various platforms that a self-managed/any artist need to be, and has allowed me to help and mentor upcoming artists, in the same way, that others have helped and help me.
The highlights in my career and life have definitely outweighed the lows. I’ve met some amazing people, and have worked really hard to create my own opportunities and am grateful to have managed to have had a career as a full-time musical artist. I’m excited for what the future holds.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I am a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist who writes and performs indie pop tunes. I also enjoy comedy and acting and am thrilled to be playing the role of ‘GIRL’ in the musical ‘Once’ this year.
My music is influenced by a number of genres – 60’s, folk, soul and classical music. I’ve been lucky enough to perform on the same bill as John Mayer, Paul Weller, Suzanne Vega, Jools Holland, Simply Red and Kimbra.
I also work as a session keys player and vocalist for other artists and have a side project where I host ‘Piano Karaoke’ – a night where I play piano for singers of all levels. It utilizes my skills of knowing 1000+ songs off by heart. My new single ‘Girl With No Name’ is out April 26 and third full-length album will be released in late 2019.
NEW MUSIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahLPlIOHAC4
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Tenacity, positive thinking, a necessary sense of humour to survive, and copious amounts of hard work!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/lisacrawleymusic
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/lisacrawleymusic
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/lisacrawley
- Other: http://www.lisacrawley.com
Image Credit:
Paul Petch, Leila Koren, Frances Carter
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
