Entertainment
THE INSIDER: LISSIE
our band crush goes cover artist on her new ep.
Lissie's already racked up major views on YouTube for her signature bluesy-folk take on Top 40 hits like Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness" and Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," and now the California-based musician is releasing an EP of her popular cover songs. In addition to these two tracks, Covered Up With Flowers includes Joe South's "Games People Play," Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters," and "The Ship Song" by Nick Cave. Besides showing her impressive range (hip hop and pop and metal, oh my!) and reconfirming her awesome vocal chops, we love it because the EP will satisfy our impatience until Lissie's upcoming sophomore album. She filled us in on the project below:
Why did you decide to release an EP of just covers?
I've been touring the past 2 years to support my first release and I'm getting ready to make a new record. I wanted to have something in the middle to supplement the wait. 3 of the covers were stuff we really liked to do live and then they got put up on YouTube and were a huge success. A lot of people found out who we were through them, so it was kind of a happy accident in a way.
"The Ship Song" was the only track you hadn't performed already before. Why did you choose that one?
I always thought I'd get around to doing it, but never did it live. I love doing songs that people don't expect me to cover. It's less production, a really pure take- we made it at my house.
Speaking of covers, what's your go-to karaoke song?
I haven't done karaoke in a while! But when I do, I like to sing "Fancy" by Bobbie Gentry. It's like, she's singing about this girl and her family was poor and they put her in a tight dress, red lipstick to go out into the world and seduce men to survive [laughing]. I also like "Turn Off the Light" by Nelly Furtado. Random, I know, but it was on one of my mixtapes from college.
Are you superstitious before shows? Do you have a ritual?
I have this new necklace that I bought myself; it's Topaz, my birthstone. I treated myself to this elaborate gemstone crystal necklace, so now I like to wear it when I perform. I like to take a sip of tequila before I go because it loosens me up. I also find washers, those little round metal parts, like, everywhere. I find them and pick them up and I just have jars of them. It's funny, because some of the guys I've dated have told me that now they find them, too! [laughing]
