The recording industry is a male dominant business and leaves little room for women to prosper. Rarely do you see men opening the proverbial door for their female comrades-in-arms. Swedish producer/songwriter/singer Melisa (Lisa Lee) is kicking down doors with her soulful passages and unique blend of kicks, keys and cords. G Spot had a chance to sit down with this one of a kind artist and got the scoop on how a prevailing woman is preparing to make her mark in the music industry.
AS: Hi Lisa. Thanks for taking the time from your busy schedule to do this interview. How are you?
LL: I’m doing fine, thanks. Now is a good time for me.
AS: Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from?
LL: Well, I’m Norwegian and Swedish and have lived both in Norway and in Sweden, here and there. I am a single mum and have a little boy who is 3.5 years old. My father is a studio engineer/musician, my mum is a great singer and my sister is a gospel choir leader. When I was a child my father owned a studio called studio Bohus, so me and my sister basically grew up in the studio environment. My very talented father, Bo, taught me and inspired me to work in the studio very early on. I remember sitting with midi-sequencers/computers arranging and playing songs starting at the age of 11 and probably even younger. Back then in the 80’s it was all analog studio equipment of course and maybe that’s why I love vintage studio-stuff.
As a teenager my mother’s alcoholism got really bad unfortunately and I had to move by myself at the age of 15. My father had actually started a new family far away so he had his hands full. I moved to a town in another country (from Norway to Sweden) where I didn´t know anybody and I was basically alone most of the time. Fortunately, I got in to a great music school and spent most of my days practicing music [on] cello, piano, guitar, singing and even electric base. Music was my whole world back then (and it still is) when I didn’t have nobody but myself. And it has saved me from going crazy I think. Now my mother has been rehabilitated and sober for a number of years and she and I have a wonderful relationship now, that’s why it’s a little sad that she lives so faraway, in Norway and I live in Sweden.
Right now I’m working on my own album, which I hope will be done this summer. My artist name is Melisha and I plan to do every bit of the record production myself (as I am used to managing things by myself 
) I will produce, arrange, sing, play, record, mix and master it myself. Maybe that seems a bit strange but there are many reasons for me doing that. I have to take the journey myself of creating my album from start to end. I just have to. I have sent along one (unmixed/unfinished) song from my upcoming album to give you a taste of my album.
AS: When did you first know you wanted to work in the music industry?
LL: When I first knew there was one. I don’t know when that was though. My work in the music industry has up until now been collaborations with other producers. Now is actually the time when I’m coming out with my own [self] produced stuff and finishing up some of my projects I’ve worked with. Let’s just say that Amped Sounds really caught me in the right time.
AS: Every songwriter has their own distinct style that transcends genre, arrangements, and adaptations. How do you define a Lisa Lee/Melisha song?
LL: I always try to customize songs as much as possible when I collaborate with others and I try to be very adaptable. I really want to be able to write different styles, Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, Electro, Dance and so on. A good example of me customizing is my writings and productions for the theatrical-character artist Kittykaytee. (kittykaytee.com). I’m not afraid to create new crazy music like that. The lyrics and vocal melodies on the Kittykaytee-songs are made by the talented Kittykaytee, I don’t wanna forget to give her cred. A great violinist is on these tracks also, her name is Salome.
When I write music I don’t like to use samples, but sometimes I want to make it sound like a sample though. I program every beat I make and play every instrument in the arrangement. There is more than one reason for that, and it’s not that I think it’s wrong to use samples. It’s just that I love the feeling of having a beat or a song in my head and try to get it out in the real world.
When I write my own songs as myself as an artist it gets a little bit different, then you can hear my own style coming trough I guess. And it always gets very personal and it feels almost therapeutic for me. Up until now I have not released my own personal songs but now is the time for that. And no, I am not signed But [my] songs arelegally protected though.
AS: Describe your songwriting process. Which comes first, melody or words? Do you have a singer in mind when you begin or do you customize the song to the singer?
LL: The songwriting can come from many angles, sometimes melody, sometimes lyrics, sometimes I play something on the piano or the guitar. Nowadays I often hear my songs in my head as they play [in] real-time, almost like a freestyle flow. Sounds strange I know, but it must be a result of me working so much with this. And it comes in handy as I just have to listen to my head when I write.
AS: Who do you dream about working with and why?
LL: This list could be very long. I can start by saying that I also don’t mind working with unknown people. Nikki Ross, she sings like her voice is an instrument! Jennifer Hudson, because of her incredible voice, her style of songs. Ne-yo, great voice and songs. India Arie, she’s got everything. Kirk Franklin, an incredible great songwriter, love him! This list could go on forever so I better quit here.
AS: You have quite a catalog of songs. How many songs have you written all together and how do you keep it fresh?
LL: Well, I have written many many songs, but the work that I consider to be my best is not heard or [hasn’t been] released yet. All together it may be hundreds of songs but the reason why I waited so long with showing my stuff is that I wanted to learn things better and develop. I’m not doing this for money I’m doing it because I love it and I would die if I couldn’t create music in my life. I am not looking for fame; I just want my songs to be heard.
AS: What songwriters do you admire? Why?
LL: Kirk Franklin, he is connected with gods heavenly Internet Stevie Wonder, listening to his songs is like entering a new beautiful world.
AS: How do you go about scouting out talent?
LL: Well most of the artists I have worked with has been students on the artist school in Gotenbourg witch was called new DNA. I have worked there as a vocal coach and songwriter/producer/teacher for a number of years.
AS: You have worked with some really talented artists. How did you and Mizz Dee end up collaborating?
LL: She was also an artist from new DNA artist school (newdna.net). That school does not exist anymore.
AS: What other artists have you worked with?
LL: Kittykaytee, Mellow (New Artist), Lollo, Vibes and stuff, Stina, Asal, Suzie De Cabo, Philip Williams and more.
AS: Which is more difficult for you as an artist, producing or writing?
LL: I don’t find that difficult at all. If I don’t drop my flow
AS: Do you sing? Which creative outlet gives you the most satisfaction and why?
LL: I do sing a lot. I love it. It’s me singing on myspace/artistlisalee “Let the words”. Maybe singing gives me the most satisfaction actually. Because it is so direct and it is real-time.
AS: How long have you been producing?
LL: I started really young with creating music in the studio but I didn’t consider myself as a producer until much later. For 12 years I have seen myself as a producer even though I didn’t let any of my productions out. It has been a journey and I guess I needed time to mature and grow.
AS: Who and what inspired you to produce?
LL: My father taught me about studio and therefore he inspired me. It’s just something that has been a part of my life so long that I guess it is as natural and necessary for me as breathing. My mother, sister and my son is also my inspiration.
AS: Where do you do your recording?
LL: In my own studio. My studio consists mostly of software/computers and stuff like that. I work with Protools and Reason. But what I really love is vintage studio stuff. Unfortunately I don’t really have the money for that yet, but I dream of having a real analog mixer console, tape recorder and so on in the future. That’s why the picture of me on the cover is taken in my cousin Kristofers [vintage] studio, Studio Vest.
AS: Who was your music idol when you first got into the music industry? Who is it now? What do your answers reflect about you?
LL: I listened to a lot of artists but I can narrow it down to the most important ones for me. Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, Mary J Blige. I’m also a sucker for Rap/Hip-Hop. I just love it. My first rap Idol was MC Lyte. I love Luda-cris, I am in love with his voice and flow! Missy Elliott of course, and so on. Now I listen to a lot of gospel music. Kirk Franklin is my favorite.
AS: What gave you the courage to pursue your dreams and what was the first step you took to realize your goals?
LL: My goals of making a living as a songwriter/producer has not been realized yet. This is the time where I’m gonna do that. The courage and strength I get from God, my inspiration.
AS: Your songs challenge the traditional definition of femininity a la India Arie and Mary J. Blige by encouraging strength, self-reliance, and individuality. How did such a young woman become so wise?
LL: I think I have been through many bad things in my life, but that has only made me who I am today, I have always managed everything alone but I think God has helped me through. Maybe we all can create rings on the water by learning from life and showing the world around us where we come from.
AS: Many of your songs are about stereotypically “female” issues, e.g., back stabbing girlfriends (“X-best Friend”), being addicted to a lover (“Addicted”), finding a dream man (“Dream Luv”) and are sung by women. Do you foresee writing for men and producing male artists?
LL: Well the lyrics and melody of Addicted and X-best Friend is written by a great songwriter Asal. [The] music [is] by me. I don’t mind working with male artists, I have done that before and I wanna do that in the future also. But female issues is something I think is natural for me as I am a woman. I really burn for other female issues that is more serious. One of my songs on my own album that Im working on now is about women in cultures that take away their freedom and oppresses them only because they are women who want to make their own choices in life. Free women like us always tend to forget about them. Even today women die because of the only fact that they wanna be free in such cultures. Two young women in Sweden were killed because of that by their male relatives. Their names are Pela and Fadime. We can’t forget about them.
AS: In the U.S., women in the music industry are treated as sex objects. Are these same practices evident in Sweden? Is there a difference in the way a female producer would be treated as compared to a female singer or a female songwriter? (Is there a hierarchy in the mistreatment of women based on their role in the industry?)
LL: That’s true, I have seen that. How do artists wanna portray themselves to the public? Are they here selling sex or music? One can really wonder. I think it’s the same everywhere. But really, being bad is what everybody is trying to be, right? That’s not new. Hey, if they wanna rebel and do something unique why not try posing on the red carpet without makeup? Maybe a tip to Lady Gaga if she can’t come up with her next radical stunt. The treatment one can get really depends on who you’re working with. Many guys are great to work with. Often guys are not used to girls taking control in the studio though, cause there so few of us doing that, maybe they panic a little; “-Hope she’s not gonna break my mixer with her pink nails!” As a producer I have received a few comments that stuck to me, now this was a few years ago but it still affected me somehow. Here’s two examples of these comments; -”You produce? You mean you put together samples, right?” (The other reason why I don’t like to sample) -”No, don’t touch that compressor! You have to know what you’re doing” (I know what I’m doing as if that guy actually knew)
AS: How do female writers and producers find success in an industry considered to be blatantly hostile to women?
LL: I honestly don’t know. That’s one of the reasons I wanna do things myself. But the Internet makes everything easier for us now I think.
AS: Expletives and sexual themes dominate lyrics and videos. Do you ever feel pressure to conform?
LL: No I don’t wanna be like everybody else. Music influences so many people. Music is power. Sex is not wrong and is important to us as humans. But if it’s used just for selling music and not with real substance and depth, I wonder what people learn from that.
AS: I love your a cappella praise song “Let the Words”, however it’s less than a minute long. Was it designed to be that long?
LL: That is actually a cover from take 6 and it is just that long. But I love the words in that song and I also needed something with my vocals to put on a MySpace since my Melisha-stuff is not finished yet.
AS: What inspired you to write “Saved Me” and “Heavenly Protection”? How does that same inspiration influence your secular music?
LL: God is the inspiration for these songs. I believe God really saved me and that’s why I am who I am today. I think that God gave me a gift of writing songs and I’m so thankful for that. So he’s my inspiration to everything I do. I grew up in a family of non-believers, so faith has actually been given to me when I was grown up.
AS: Do you foresee a gospel album in your future?
LL: Yes, I am actually a part of a group of gospel singers in Gothembourg. Glow is the name on that group.
AS: What role does the Internet play in the music industry?
LL: Big role. This means you don’t have to be signed to get your stuff out. I love it. One down-side is that the worth of music seems not to be the same as before.
AS: What do you predict will be the next trend in marketing independent artists? Will scouts look more to the Internet to find the next “big act?”
LL: Yes I truly believe so. They would be stupid if they didnt, right?
AS: What effect do you think the Internet has on independent artists and record labels?
LL: The Internet allows somebody like me to get her songs out to an audience. The artists get poorer though.
AS: What’s hot on your iPod right now?
LL: I don’t have an IPod, it broke down Don’t actually have spotify either. I’m old-school so I buy CDs or buy music on iTunes Right now I recommend Jennifer Hudson’s album, I love it.
AS: What musical legacy do you wish to leave?
LL: My dream is that people remember my music as great songs.
AS: How can artists who are looking to collaborate with you get in touch with you?
LL: Email: lisa@newdna.net
AS How can your fans preview or purchase your music?
LL: I will have my own website www.melisha.com (right now it’s not up yet) but in summer it will.
AS: What would you like to share with our readers and your fans that I have not asked you?
LL: Don’t fill your life with years, fill your years with life! (And music!)
We wish you continued success. Thanks Lisa!
