By Nicole Acevedo, Executive Board
At first glance, twenty-five year old American singer-songwriter Lisa Heller may look like your generic pop artist, but when you put her on a stage – the raw vocals and rock’n’roll soul comes to life.
Born and raised in Simsbury, Connecticut, Heller has spent the last three years chasing her dreams in the City of Angels.
“I finished school [in 2018], and the week of graduation I was like am I moving to New York City or am I moving to L.A.?” said Heller.
At the time, Heller was attending Colgate University in upstate New York. Like every other college student approaching graduation, she had a major life decision to make.
“I was going back and forth, and I don’t know, something in me was telling me to go to L.A.,” Heller admitted. “Even though I didn’t know a single person there, and my whole family was on the East Coast, something was telling me to go anyway.”
Battling between two cities that reeked with the dreams of thousands of twenty-somethings hoping to make it, Heller knew deep down that going to New York would be the safe choice. She would never have to leave her comfort zone because staying put meant never being one-hundred percent in. So, with a plan to give L.A. a two week shot, Heller boarded a plane with two suitcases in tow, and never looked back.
Now, everyone knows the glamour that is Hollywood. You move to Los Angeles with a couple duffle bags, a journal filled with original songs, and maybe you get lucky.
Maybe you catch the eye of some major label A&R director while you’re performing at an open mic night, or they stumble across your YouTube, and you get signed. All of your hard work pays off and your aspirations stare back at you on a few dozen pieces of paper as you sign your name to people who now decide the kind of artist you’re going to be. Sometimes you get lucky, your sound stays your own, and there’s no need to market you as something you’re not. But not every artist has that experience.
“I ended up working with a record label for a little bit. They wanted me to do this whole different direction of EDM pop music, which honestly in looking back I’m like ‘Oh, Lisa, why did you do that,’” joked Heller. “But I think that honestly that taught me a lesson. I have to stay true to who I am, and that’s it. No industry person, big or small, is going to be able to tell me who I’m supposed to be as an artist.”
Heller’s decision to leave the label she was signed to was not an easy call to make, and six months ago she was almost ready to give it all up.
“I had a pretty traumatic event happen to me,” said Heller. “I was pretty much at my lowest, but I think because I went through that – and despite literally everything – I decided to keep pursuing music anyway. The second I realized that it was my choice and not anyone else’s, that’s when everything started lining up.”
Over the last few months, Heller has been on tour with her newly formed band, performing hits such as “Red Flags,” “18,” and “Wings.” As the new year inches closer, she’s gearing up for brand new singles to drop and tours to be announced.
With mental health and healing at the center of her music, Heller’s reach across fans grows every day. It’s rare to find an artist who is willing to be vulnerable in a product-driven industry riddled with individuals who will sacrifice their artistic integrity for billboards, award shows, and fortune. Yet, Lisa Heller’s raw and authentic voice continues to break through the manufactured melodies.
