Lisa Ramey
Interview conducted May 2, 2021
By Dan Locke
WHAT IS YOUR UPBRINGING?
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri
HOW DID YOU DISCOVER MUSIC?
My parents were always playing music when I was growing up. Everything from The Jackson 5 to Anita Baker and Whitney Houston to Doris Day. I’m so blessed by their musical influence
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST PERFORMANCE LIKE?
My first performance was when I was 6 years old. I was dancing in my dance recital!
HOW WAS IT ON THE VOICE?
I had an incredible experience participating on The Voice both seasons!! I am beyond happy I was lucky enough to sing on that stage, get mentored by John Legend, wear those awesome clothes and have the time of my life in front of millions of people.
DO YOU FEEL THAT SHOWS LIKE THE VOICE ARE GOOD FOR SINGERS TO HELP SHOWCASE THEIR TALENT?
Yes! Anytime a singer has a chance to perform in front of a crowd that size they should say yes. All those eyes on you performing on primetime tv means your chances of booking shows is getting higher and higher!
DO YOU BELONG TO SONGWRITERS’ ORGANIZATIONS?
Yes, BMI
WHAT MAKES A GOOD SONG WRITER?
I guess authenticity. I wanna feel what you wrote how you meant me to feel it
FIRST ORIGINAL SONG AND DID YOU RECORD IT?
My first original song was I Can’t Get Enough of It. It is on all music platforms under the band name JuiceBox.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF WRITING YOUR MUSIC?
It can change from time to time but my favorite way to write is to hear an idea of a song then create a melody/lyric from there.
SURRENDER MADE GMA’S BEST 50 ALBUMS OF 2020. WHAT DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU HEARD?
I’m SO PROUD!!!! I worked very hard on Surrender so it felt like a hug from your celebrity crush to hear it from Good Morning America!!!
HOW WAS IS COVERING COME TOGETHER
I loved it! Such a dope and iconic song to play with. I enjoy taking any song and making it my own.
REMIX-LEFT FOR DEAD?
I decided to remix this track to a dance track because I wanted my music to play in NYC LGBTQA+ clubs. But what gay clubs are playing recent soul-rock hits of 2020? So! I asked my close friend Time Young to help me remix Left For Dead as a dance track and boom! I couldn’t be happier with the end result.
HOW WAS IT MEETING KAMALA HARRIS?
Meeting the Vice President was life changing. She is historical and I was beside her during her campaign!!!
HOW IS TWITCH OR A PERFORMING PLATFORM
Twitch was a game changer for me. Because I partnered with them, I was able to catch over 4,000 people watching my album release on Twitch’s main page. I wouldn’t have had that many eyes on me for my release if it wasn’t for Twitch. Especially because I happened to schedule my album release the day NYC shut down from Covid. Unreal
DIGITAL VS VINYL?
Digital for convenience but Vinyl all day for sound.
HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT PERFORMING ON JUNETEENTH DURING COVID IN BROOKLYN?
I hate germs. I barely ever get sick. I knew if I obeyed every rule made in NYC, I wouldn’t harm myself or others. I was beyond happy to perform and it helped that the event was outside and covid safe.
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
Not at all!! Humans need real life connections. The feeling I get from crowds during my shows is why I can’t stay off the stage. There’s nothing like it. Everyone loves the experience of live music concerts.
I believe the music business will be affected but in a positive way! The Grammys this year were terrific. Makes me excited to see the future of all thing’s music
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH YOUR PERSONAL QUARANTINE?
I started creating my new album. It’s an Americana Album about the music of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.
WHY DID YOU START COFFEE CONFESSIONS?
I wanted to give my incredibly successful friends a platform to be silly during a horrible time where none of us can work and get paid. This is still happening to my show lingers on!!
ANY NEW HOBBIES?
boxing and roller skating!
Governments around the world are hearing the call of thousands of music creators and included protections for the music community in the omnibus bill. In addition to extended and improved unemployment benefits and small business loans for freelance creators, the package includes several bills which the Recording Academy, its members, and the larger music community advocated for. From the Save Our Stages Act, provided a lifeline to performance venues and promoters, to the CASE Act, which creates an avenue for smaller creators to defend their copyrighted works, Congress has ensured that both music creators and those who act behind the scenes to bring music to life are given the support they need during this difficult time.” Do you think this will save music venues?
Yes!!
WHAT IS YOUR HAPPY PLACE?
My bedroom
The studio
The dance studio
A fully stocked kitchen
