Welcome to our first 2120 Music Artist Profile, where artists that we've worked with talk about their creativity.  

How and where do you prefer to write? 

Most of my writing happens in the shower! It's usually where I'll be struck by an idea for a melody or a lyric, and then flesh it out later. My phone is full of voice notes with the sound of the shower running in the background. I think my process (when I'm writing on my own, which I do for all my own songs) is a little unusual; I never force anything and that means that as soon as the inspiration has dried up for that day, I stop working on it and move on.

Most of my songs are written under very organic, stress-free circumstances over several days rather in a single sitting because I find that my best work comes about by just adding to the song when it's ready to be added to instead of frantically trying to finish it in one go. I'm a newcomer as an artist but I've been writing for many many years and know by now not to keep headbutting the wall when the muse is telling me it's done haha; it's been a big lesson in patience but my best lyrics come about when I let them simmer in the back of my mind. 

Do you write the music first and then the lyrics; or, the lyrics first; or, both together? 

Never music first, but it's a mix of either lyrics first or both together, depending on the song. I often start with a song title or a single lyric that I can shape the song around and then go from there. The chorus for 'Tumblin' Back' arrived in my head fully formed and then I created everything else around that. Lyrics are the most important part of a song for me, so that's definitely my focus. 

Where do you go for inspiration? 

I don't get to do it often obviously, because I live in a city, but I find the desert - both the southwest in the US and the Australian outback - hugely inspiring. There's so much magic out there to tap into. Mostly to the beach or the water on a 'day to day inspiration' level - maybe that's why I do so much writing in the shower haha! Most of my songs are about experiences in my own life that I'm working through on some mental or emotional level, so self care is a big one: I have OCD and my mind is always moving really quickly, so I try to do a lot of things that make me feel relaxed and calm so I can get introspective enough to be inspired and honest. I float in the pool, literally smell flowers, go to the movies on my own. I'm a really visual person so I rarely go to music for inspiration - movies and books are the main place I get inspired to write music as far as drawing on existing art. 

Who are your favourite songwriters? 

My background is in punk music, so my absolute favourite songwriter is going to feel a little left of centre for country music haha! Brian Fallon from The Gaslight Anthem is my number one, followed closely by Justin Townes Earle and Bruce Springsteen. 

Which artists have influenced your songwriting? 

Brian Fallon, Justin Townes Earle and Bruce Springsteen, of course, and also Townes Van Zandt and The Indigo Girls. My family used to listen to The Indigo Girls all the time on car trips, long before I ever thought of becoming a songwriter or a musician, and now that I'm co-producing my first album I'm seeing how much of an effect their style of songwriting, harmony and arrangement has influenced what I like and what I want to do with my own songs. 

Two of my biggest influences/inspirations for songwriting are actually authors: Neil Gaiman and Charles Dickens have influenced my writing style more than anyone else. I love their ability to create such strong visuals and feelings with words alone, and I strive for that too. 

Has your songwriting changed over time? How? 

I'm a lot more honest now than I was able to be before. I think when I was in my late teens and messing around in hardcore and indie bands I didn't really have anything to say yet, and that was really frustrating. As soon as I hit 20 I started travelling around the world on my own, and found so much experience and magic to be inspired by - but I also found myself in a really bad, abusive relationship, and the aftermath took years to work through.

I really found my voice as a songwriter once I was able to start being honest about what had happened to me and how I felt - because once I started doing that that and people started coming up to me after shows saying "I've felt just like that line in XYZ song" it felt so much more freeing and so much less terrifying to be truthful. I still like to reframe my reality as, say, a cowboy lament - Hunger Pains, for example - from time to time, but on the whole I started being able to just be like "I'm lonely", "I'm sad", "I feel hurt", without feeling embarrassed and trying to cover it up too much with poetry or flowery words, and I think that's been the biggest change over time. 

It's a scary thing to be so publicly vulnerable; it took time for me to learn that that's where my best work and my sweetest spot is as a songwriter, and to lean into that. I'm working on my debut album at the moment and it's very honest, and I'm really proud of that. I can't wait for people to hear the next single!

You can listen to Lisa's music here

Stay tuned for our next 2120 Music Artist Profile!