We were lucky to catch up with Lisa Crawley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken was moving to Los Angeles in January 2020. I’m originally from Auckland, New Zealand and have previously based myself in London and Australia.

Creativity and pushing myself to become a better artist/musician is extremely important to me. When I’d visit LA in the past I’d always come back inspired and my gigs seemed to be well received, so after a long process with artist visas etc, I made the permanent move in January 2020. I had a month to try and find gigs before the pandemic, and from there the risk was staying in LA during that time. Despite it being extremely humbling and challenging, I stayed as focussed as possible and tried to envisage the future I could have here if I stuck it out. I’m glad I did.

Lisa , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a songwriter, vocalist, composer and play a variety of instruments (piano, bass, guitar, clarinet & recorder) but am usually found playing live at the piano. My music falls into the alternative/pop realm with neo-soul and retro influences and lyrically are often described as ‘heartfelt, reflective, and funny/sad’.

I’m originally from New Zealand and initially got into music as a family friend commented on my pitch when I was singing as a two year old, and from there I went onto play recorder at age four, followed by piano, clarinet and voice. I’ve lived and breathed music ever since partaking in everything from school choirs, concert bands, orchestras, musicals and rock bands. My high school rock band was playing in bars from aged 15, thanks to supportive parents who would have to tag along! I was always involved with dance and acting, including some commercials and small roles on New Zealand and Australian TV shows. I had my heart set on musical theatre as a career but in my later teens that passion shifted to songwriting and composition.

I studied jazz piano in Auckland, New Zealand for a year before being offered a job performing in Japan, so at aged nineteen I moved there for four months, and have being traveling with music ever since.

It’s been a long journey and I’ve pretty much done every kind of gig you could imagine – both the weird and wonderful and have played everything from stadiums to playing to five people in a dive bar.

I release music regularly and also write for others/film & television and teach piano and songwriting. as well as hosting live piano karaoke nights around town and perform at a lot private events. I have a strong interest in comedy and performed as ‘GIRL’ in the Tony Award winning show and movie ‘Once’ and have had some roles as a musician on TV shows such as ‘This Is Us’ and ‘The Company You Keep’.

I’m currently writing and performing my own music regularly in Los Angeles in venues such as Hotel Cafe, Tramp Stamp Granny’s, and the legendary LA haunt, The Dresden, and I have a residency at the legendary cocktail bar, ‘The Dresden’.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Supporting artists by buying their material directly can make a huge difference – for example, if we’re being specific with music – buying a song for $1 on Bandcamp (a site where artists can sell directly to their audience) is the equivalent of around 400 streams online. I’m grateful for the exposure that streaming services can provide and know that can lead to new fans who will buy a ticket to your show, but if you’re really wanting to support musicians, buying music and merch from them directly as well as buying a ticket to their live shows can make a world of difference.

Also finding out if the artist has a site like Patreon where you can pay a small amount to get exclusive updates etc is a great way of both supporting the artist and becoming a ‘super-fan’ who is the first to hear/see anything the artist is up to. For me, my Patreon supporters made the difference of me buying groceries for the month during the peak of the pandemic and I’ll always share any new demos or news with them first!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Authenticity, kindness and excellence are always things I strive for and believe my artistry as improved over the years. I’ve been releasing music since 2007 and I’ve always done that independently. Over the years I have come across all sorts of opportunities and highs and lows and learnt things the hard way. I’ve definitely said yes to gigs because I was being a people pleaser and not necessarily thinking through how saying yes to those opportunities were saying no to other things that I really wanted to do, and if they would serve myself and my music well.

In a town like Los Angeles where there is so much going on, staying focussed and remember the end goal (which for me is making sure my songs are as good as possible, making a living from them and playing gigs with artists/musicians I love) rather than getting caught up in saying yes to everything (which a lot of us do when we first get here!). Although I want to have authenticity and credibility as an artist and have definitely found myself in some very ‘Flight Of The Conchords’-esque situations, I don’t believe any opportunity is wasted and are all part of the journey!

Contact Info:

• Website: lisacrawley.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/lisacrawleymusic
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisacrawleymusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-crawley-a9aabb3b
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisacrawley
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/lisaonkeys
• Other: https://lisacrawley.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Lisa Crawley, Karen Anne Patti, Nikhil Suresh.