From Albury to Australian Idol to the world stage, Lisa Mitchell has forged a career with her sweet folk voice and quirky melodies. This month Lisa will release her debut album The Attic Space and embark on her first national tour as a headlining artist. Today I caught up with this bright young star to chat about her passion for travelling and teacups.
You got your start on Australian Idol. How do you feel about that experience looking back?
I got a lot of exposure out of it, so from that point of view it’s been great for me, to do my own kind of music. So it was a positive experience for me.
After Idol you returned to Albury and stayed out of the limelight for a while. Why did you decide to take that time away from the spotlight?
I guess it wasn’t really a conscious decision. I was just working on my own songs. I was living over in London for a while, recording some songs over there, just travelling about a bit. And as it happens I’ve got some songs together now, so I’m just in the last steps of putting them together into an album.
You’re releasing your debut album The Attic Space later this month. How would you describe it?
Someone asked me if it was typical of me, and I said I think it’s typical of me in that I like to experiment. It’s I suppose slightly experimental, and it’s quite dark in some parts. I did some recording in London with a guy called Anthony Whiting and that part of things was quite dark. Just lately I’ve been back in the studio with Dann Hume (Evermore) who I did the EPs with and we’ve been recording some new songs, and they’ve turned out well because every time we start recording it we don’t know what to expect. I suppose it’s a similar sound to my EPs, but also I think I experimented a little more.
You mentioned some of the awesome people you’ve worked with on this album. What’s it been like collaborating with such talented guys?
Well I’ve collaborated with a fair few people over the last few years, which has been a really great experience, but they’re not necessarily collaborations I’m using on the album. It’s a brilliant exercise for songwriting I think. Just meeting them, and seeing what their life’s like, I think you learn a lot more from them as people than maybe you do writing songs together.
Is there anyone you’d really love to work with in the future?
There’s countless people I’d love to work with. I just bought the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album, so I’d love to do something with Karen O. I think she’s pretty amazing. There’s millions of people I’d love to work with, anyone, even painters and artists, I like that kind of thing as well, poets.
“Neopolitan Dreams,” from your second EP Welcome to the Afternoon, exploded internationally. Did that success take you by surprise?
It did a little. I wasn’t really expecting it at all. It ended up on an advert in America for Kraft cheese. I’d love to go to America, so that’s brilliant. I suppose the international thing, getting the song on television ads is brilliant, because it gives you the potential to go over there and make a name for yourself in a different country. But I still can’t believe it. It’s got its own little feet that song. I don’t really understand it.
I heard that late last year you signed a global deal with RCA UK/Sony Music. That’s really exciting. Are you planning on spending more time working in Europe?
Yeah I am. I love being in Australia but I also love travelling, so I’m going to head back to the UK in a couple of months, once I finish this Australian national tour. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve got a band now, so they’re going to come with me as well. It’ll be great. I’m going to release the album over there obviously. I love travelling, and I think touring and travelling is the best way to travel because you actually have things to do, you’re not just aimlessly bobbing about. You meet a lot of locals at the venues, and they kind of show you where to go and look after you.
Can you see yourself moving over there permanently, or will Australia always be home?
I’m not sure at the moment. I feel like at the moment I live in Australia, because I kind of do! But I don’t know. I think I’ll always probably live in Australia, but I really want to spend a lot of time travelling. I feel like I’m at the very beginning of my travels. There’s so many places I want to go still.
You’re about to start your own headline tour. Are you excited about getting out in front of local crowds again?
Yeah I’m very excited. I love touring. It’s like my favourite thing in the whole world probably. The tour’s going to be really great. We’ve got Jason Mraz shows dotted throughout my own tour which are really big places, probably the biggest places I’ve played. So it’s going to be terrifying, but really exhilarating.
What do you love most about performing live?
Probably the terror that you feel. That’s always the addiction. And just that you really have to open yourself up, and that’s very scary. But people get so much out of it when you’re really honest with them, and so it’s kind of like in giving you actually receive.
There’s a crossover period where you’re playing your own shows and supporting Jason Mraz on his tour. How do you keep things fresh when you’re playing so many shows?
I suppose playing by myself it was a lot easier to just make it up as I went, but now [performing with a band] there’s a little more planning involved. But I think that also gives us a lot more room for experimenting throughout the set as well. We’ve got these new songs at the moment, and I’m playing with a band, so I think these shows are going to be really different to the usual live show, more interesting and exciting. I really can’t wait to try it out.
What do you miss most when you’re on the road?
I have a favourite teacup and saucer, which I was contemplating taking with me. It’s just silly little things like that. Waking up and knowing that your favourite teacup’s in the drawer, just routine I suppose. But hey, I don’t really have any routine anyway!
You’ve got a few days before the touring starts. What are your plans for the Easter break?
Me and Jan [Bangma] and Rob [Vasy], who are my bass player and drummer, we’re just kind of hanging out and getting our act together. Just a bit of last minute practice before we get on the road. That’s about it really. Just having a nice weekend.
Image supplied by Warner Music Australia