Ms. Lisa Fischer Wants You To Be Her Valentine
On Thursday, February 10, powerhouse vocalist Ms. Lisa Fischer will perform An Evening of Love Songs at South Orange Performing Arts Center. The legendary singer has performed with the Rolling Stones, Luther Vandross, Tina Turner, YoYo Ma, Bruce Springsteen, and many others, and is a Grammy-winning solo artist. We recently spoke with Fischer about her special Valentine’s Day concert, what it’s like to be one the most in-demand singers in the world, and how she creates “music that heals, but still rocks the house.”
TRANSCRIPT:
0:04
This is Chris Benincasa for the Jersey Arts Podcast.
This Thursday, February 10, powerhouse vocalist Miss Lisa Fischer will perform an evening of love songs at South Orange Performing Arts Center. The legendary singer has performed with the Rolling Stones, Luther Vandross, Tina Turner, Yo Yo Ma, Bruce Springsteen and many others. She's also a Grammy Award winning solo artist.
We recently spoke with Miss Lisa Fisher about her special Valentine's Day concert, what it's like to be one of the most in demand singers in the world and how to create music that heals but still rock the house.
So you're coming to South Orange Performing Arts Center this Thursday, February 10, to perform an evening of love songs. It must have been really fun to write that setlist.
1:29
It was really great and my manager helped me, Linda Goldstein, she manages Bobby McFerrin and she's just amazing. And so she's such a creative spirit. She actually helped me pull the list together. So I'm really excited to be doing this with Taylor. Taylor's an amazing -- Taylor Eigsti -- he's an amazing pianist and so it's almost like he sings when he plays but he's got way more voices at one time than I do.
1:57
Yeah.
You were featured in the Oscar-award-winning documentary "20 Feet From Stardom" and all of these mega stars like Mick Jagger and Sting are just singing your praises. From your perspective as a singer, can you explain what it is that makes you and your voice the phenomenon that it is?
2:15
You know, there's what people say versus what I feel in my heart. So I'll say with you know, some people said that they... I can't... I can't do that part. I can only speak for myself. So, for me, what I think I bring to the table is a really deep love and respect not only for the artist, but what the artist is trying to convey the story, the support that it takes to do that. Nothing else is more important than wrapping the gift and giving it to the audience. Because the audience is what it's all about, you know. And, you know, there's so many things that, you know, a lot of artists have to think about that the one thing you don't want them to think about is if someone has their back or not. You know, there's so much sometimes other things that people are focusing on when they work for someone, but I think, in general, most times people will focus on just the music and making sure that the artist has exactly what they need with as much love and respect and understanding as possible.
3:32
You said that you want to make music that heals but still rocks the house. You definitely rock every house you walk into, but can you talk about the healing part of your music? What do you mean by that?
3:42
You know, for me, it's all about the vibration of the sounds that are being shared in the space against the walls that reverberate and hit hit the walls and come back at you and and go out to the audience and it comes back through the audience to you. It's almost like an ocean of sound. And it's so important to have the right people with you that sort of get that and the... it's almost like a deep meditation slash party. You know, it's a celebration, because you know, we never know when it's the last time we do anything. And so when we do something in this moment, we want to make that moment as pregnant and as long as possible and and the way to do that for me is to really be in that moment. To just only think about that one thing, which has a lot of, you know, spices and sprinkles on top. To me, that's that's like prayer, you know, and it's healing for me to be able to, to sing to people. It's it's like doing the first part of the lockdown in 2020. I found myself being so depressed that I wasn't able to go out and sing. And even though I knew it was important to my well being, you don't realize it as deeply until you don't have it. And so it just gave me another layer of just sincere appreciation to be able to get out there to sing. I just, I live for it. It's you know whether it's on the stage or if it's in a recording studio, if it's in a church, it doesn't matter. You know, it's the energy that's within you, and the heart that you give when you give it back out into the air. You know.
5:37
How did you first discover that you are a singer? When did you know?
5:41
I think it's sort of captured me. You know, it was always around the house. My parents sanglike grandparents sang, uncles sang. And so, you know, my grandfather gifted us a piano and my mom just love learning how to play and so there was always this love and appreciation for music at home. I think it started there. My dad used to sing in a group called Cupids and they did a song called "The Answer to Your Prayer" and "Your Dog Likes My Dog," it was to do-wop group. And so they would always come by the house and rehearse and so, you know,I'd be sitting under the coffee table or hiding behind the couch and listening as they're rehearsing. And, you know, it was just like, all of a sudden, a window opened, and I felt like I was flying. And so I just love that feeling. And then when I was in my first day of kindergarten -- I remember this so clearly. My mom was walking down the street, and on the ground was a piece of paper. And to me not -- being able to really read at that age -- have picked up this piece of paper and to me it represents music. And so I brought it in to the kindergarten teacher and I asked her if I could sing it. I wrote a song and can I sing it to the class and and she let me. And I wouldn't stop, she had to stop me from singing whatever gibberish I'm singing, you know, so that feeling, you know singing in schools, singing in church was huge. I really enjoyed being in the choir in the church and just listening to all voice parts. I enjoyed listening to records at home. All my my, my parents gave me like all the Motown Records and stuff like what a 45 little disc you know -- you're too young to even understand what I'm saying, I'm sure.
<laughs>
It's like, you put it on a on a record player. And I would lay next to the speakers and I would pick out all these voices that was, like, all of a sudden, the people that were singing and performing on the record, were in my bedroom, and I was having these exchanges of information. And so it was just always captured for me. Music is such a... it's it's more powerful to me than words alone. The combination of sound vibration with the purpose, with the pitch, in combination with the harmonies, and in it, it shifts the room and shifts. It impregnates the words in a way that just words by themselves don't do.
8:24
Your singing has literally taken you around the world. You can't ask just anybody this question: which was your favorite world tour?
8:33
My favorite world tour, I would have to say was the Rolling Stones. I mean, it's a traveling universe. There are so many moving parts that make the tour happen. And so many wonderful people behind the scenes that facilitate that. And, you know, there would be things like a world of different food. When guests would come, they would have different food stations for people. There'd be one Japanese, there'd be one more English food, or, you know, each city would have a different culinary experience, and so, every city would have the best of the best backstage and everyone was just so happy to be there. The people that were lucky enough to get backstage passes would come and it was sort of like a celebration and anticipation and they felt so loved and cared for by the detail that the Stones gifted to the people that would come and the dressing rooms were amazing. Like, I had my own dressing room, like, I could have decorated any way I wanted. Anything that would help me be in a good space right before we go on stage, and it was like they would arrange the cities before we would come in for soundcheck and then they would break them down and move on to the next city. It was just amazing to me and just working with the band, being on stage live at the band. Each of them are just so unique and special. And those those spirits come together to give so much joy to so many people and not only people as a whole but generations, you know. It would be the generation that grew up with the music, their children that they shared the music with, and then the grandchildren. It was just mind blowing to me.
10:38
Could you tell us a little bit about your process: how you train, how you create, how you deliver what you deliver one project to the next. Maybe it's just because the Olympics are in the air, but I think people would be really interested to hear about what it's like and how it operates at your level of skill and performance.
10:54
You know, it's interesting, it varies. I thinkthe basic training prior to all that is, you know, just trying to sing as healthfully as possible. You know, going to your lessons, finding the right teacher, making sure that you have a recording of your lesson so that when you're traveling you have your teacher with you, so that you can warm up before show and do the warm down after a show. The things you shouldn't eat and the things you should eat, the things you should drink and the things you shouldn't drink. Hydrating, traveling, figuring out how to travel and stay hydrated especially now. Having to wear a mask is really difficult. But it still has to be something in the mind. You know, really hydrating days before and making sure that you you have the moisture in the throat to to not get dried out or to harm your throat. Warming up before the show, breathing exercises, so those are kind of like just the main things, that's kind of like a given. And then, once you figure out what the assignment is, if you're working for someone and they're asking to sing a particular note in a particular way or phrase in a particular way, really truly understanding the lyric and their intention. Understanding the colors and sounds that they're using against the music and the instruments that they're using. Also switching and changing your sound when you're singing with particular artists, between men and women. You know, guys have a different tone, usually, and so I have to sort of shift in shape and find the right color for not only their voice but also the instrumentation that they're using. It really has a lot to do with what is being asked of you. You know, a lot of times it's a precision kind of vocal. Sometimes it's a rangy kind of vocal, sometimes it's a heartfelt vocal. Sometimes they're just experiments and you just, you know, don't care about making a mistake, because sometimes those mistakes end up being these beautiful things that never happen again. And so just trying to free my mind up to do those things has always been difficult because I'm so precision oriented, you know? But yeah, it's every time I walk into a situation where I have to say I'm so -- I'm like a two-year-old it's Christmas every single time -- because I never know what's going to be asked like, "Can I do this? Oh my god, can I do this?" You know, and then if I do it, it just makes you go <sigh> done a good job.
13:46
Alright, so you've got a bunch of tour dates coming up and your special evening of love songs concert is this Thursday at South Orange Performing Arts Center. What can your audience expect to experience
13:56
A very intimate sort of handholding and personal interpretations of the songs that we've chosen. "So Amazing" will be one of them. But it's really more about the people that come and them honoring their love for each other. And so it's like we're opening the gateway for them to live in the stories of these songs and to honor their love for each other. It's really a purpose of it.
14:33
Ms. Lisa Fischer, thank you so much for doing the podcast.
14:37
It's my honor. Thank you Christopher.
14:39
Ms. Lisa Fischer will perform an evening of love songs this Thursday, February 10 at South Orange Performing Arts Center. For more information and tickets, go to SOPACNow.org/events. And for more information on the Arts in New Jersey, go to JerseyArts.com I'm Chris Benincasa for the Jersey Arts Podcast. Thanks for listening.
