Singer/songwriter/producer Lisa Simmons has been in the music business for several years and she worked with many critically acclaimed artists like Randy Crawford, Backstreet Boys, Kelly Rowland, Fantasia, Toni Estes and Jojo. I caught up with lovely Simmons to talk about how she got into the music industry, plans to pursue a singing career, her favorite songwriters, and the difference between working with male/female artists. I really enjoyed conducting this interview, and I hope you'll enjoy reading it too … So don't to post your thoughts :)
When did you start pursuing songwriting professionally? And who was the first artist you worked with?
I have always loved singing and performing, and I think with that love, naturally came the desire to want to write songs, but professionally I started writing after high school. I was signed at the time, and I had the opportunity to work on my own project.
The first artist that I ever worked with was an artist by the name of Toni Estes, and the songs were "Where'd The Feeling Go?" and "My Minds Playing Tricks On Me". I heard one song that she recorded, and I was instantly a fan. It was a great experience for me.
Do you have plans to pursue a singing career? If so, which producers you'd like to collaborate with?
Yes, I definitely want to work on putting out an album this year. I would love to work with Robin Thicke, Timbaland, Ryan Leslie, Soulshock & Karlin, Will- I-Am, and John Mayer just to name a few.
Tell us about the songs available on your MySpace profile: - "Have It All", "That Girl", "I Do" and "Premier".
Those are a few of my favorite songs that I wrote with another writer. I wanted to put them up on Myspace to see what kind of feed back I would get, and really see if people could relate to them. They all represent a female's perspective in a relationship.
- "Have it all" is telling that man that you love, that you want all or nothing.
- "That girl" is saying that, I am your every woman, I can chill with you, love you, be your friend, and give you your space when you need it.
- "I do" is just saying that the girl that you chose to be with is not the one for you, she doesn't treat you like she should, but when you are ready to walk away, I will be there.
- "Premier" Is just comparing your relationship to a movie premier, its lights, camera, action, every time you guys are together.
I got to know you through the track "Happy" by girlgroup Juice. What does that joint mean to you? And how was it like working with them?
"Happy", wow.... that was a song that Maria (from the group) and I discussed before it was written. It's one of those songs, where you just feel like saying "I'm not perfect, I may even say and do wrong things on occasion, but no matter how things may seem, at the end of the day... you really just want to be happy, and not hurt anyone". I feel like I am being philosophical, lol. I really liked "Happy" because of its message, and because it also gave me the opportunity to work with Juice again, on their second album, and see the world outside of Los Angeles, which was a wonderful experience in itself for me. I truly look at that as a blessing, because they were such a great group.
[Listen] Juice - Happy
What's the difference between working with male and female artists? And is it harder to work with bands?
There isn't really a difference, at least that I have found, between working with a male or female artist. You know, we all feel love, lost, happiness, and sadness, and as artist we want our music to reflect those differences in emotions, and the authenticity of who we are, regardless of gender, so I think for the most part, artist relatively are the same.
Lol, working with bands, you would think it would be much harder, but I actually worked with the Backstreet boys on a track called "Why You Keep On Calling Me?", and they have so much respect for each others opinions, that also made the writing process that much more enjoyable for me.
Which other songwriters you're fond of? And which artists you'd love to write songs for?
Wow there are tons, I like Ne-Yo, Makeba Riddick, Jazmine Sullivan, The entire Clutch, Diane Warren, Ryan Leslie, just to name a few, but there are so many others that I like.
I would love to write for Whitney Houston, I am absolutely a huge Whitney Houston fan, Toni Braxton, John Mayer (even though he writes his own songs J I have been a huge fan since his first album). I also like working with new artists because they don't have that "one song" that everyone knows them by, so it gives a writer the opportunity to create something along with the artist that could be ground breaking.
Why do you think it's harder for songwriters to get record deals than artists themselves?
I don't think that it is necessarily harder for writers to get deals, as it is for songwriters to take the time and pursue a deal. Sometimes you might get caught up with writing, or working with an artist, and may not have the time to work on your own project at that moment. You want to put 150 percent into everything that you do, weather its for yourself, or someone else, so it's at least for me, a matter of prioritizing.
On the downside of that, I think when people get used to writers making "hit songs", they may not think about how this person may be as a "artist", because the focus is on the song writing, so its just a matter of knowing what you want to do in this industry, and not giving up, no matter how many "no's" or you "cant do it", you might get.
You've also worked on the movie "Save The Last Dance 2", tell us about that experience.
I actually had a song in the movie, but not on the sound track. I found out close to when the film was being aired on MTV, that a song that I had worked on with some other writers was being placed in the film for scoring, which was cool because I'm fairly new to this scoring thing :)
I'll ask you about other artists/producers you've worked with, and you tell me how was the experience like:
Soulshock & Karlin
I have known Soulshock and Karlin for a long time, they were the first producers that I ever worked with, they really took me under their wing as a singer/songwriter new to the business when I first started out, and I have learned a lot in regards to writing, and vocal producing from them. It's always fun working with the guys. Its like Sunday dinner with your family after church, which just feels like home.
Fantasia
Well the Fantasia song I did was "No More" with Soulshock & Karlin. I was working on another project at the time, so I did not get to meet her when she came in to record it, but the guys love her so much from working with her on the first album, that I know the experience would have been great!!!!
Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland is just wonderful! I actually came to the studio to hear the song "Tell Me" right after she recorded it. What a great girl! She has such a beautiful voice, and I had been a Destiny's Child fan since their first album, so being able to write for Kelly was a true honor.
Jeannie Ortega
For someone who is so young, she has a great head on her shoulders. I had met her when she was working on another song for her album, and out of the blue some months later, I was asked to come write for a new artist, and it ended up being her. She just has a great personality and amazing voice for her age. She was definitely another artist that I enjoyed working with.
Jojo
JoJo is such an amazing singer! She sings effortlessly, and she gave me chills :) I liked "Leave Get Out" so I know I speak for all of us who worked on "Good Ol" and "Coming for you", when I say that we definitely felt the pressure of trying to write something as great. She was so much fun to work with, because she gets involved in the songs and has fun with it.
Kasey Butler
I love working with Kasey, she has a beautiful voice, and can dance her behind off. Kasey definitely has in my opinion, exactly what it takes to be in this business for the long haul.
What are your future projects?
I am working on a few projects with production team Soulpower at the moment, so 2007 should be a great year!
Is there any message you'd like to give to your fans all over the world? Especially aspiring songwriters who are trying to make it in the mainstream business!
I just want to encourage anyone with a dream no matter how small, to nurture it, and never give up on it. If you believe in yourself and your dreams, you have the power to make other people believe in them as well. Don't get caught up with the timing of when it will happen, just put your best foot forward always, study your craft, get books on the industry, take a creative writing class, whatever you can do to help yourself , and advance your knowledge at the same time, is a good thing. If you give 100 percent, God will give you so much more in his perfect time, so keep your wits about yourself and your faith strong.
I would like to say thank you to the people who support what I do, and also support the artist that I have written for. I feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity to write songs for people to hear and enjoy, it's truly a humbling experience, and a dream come true, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!
Thank you again Monica!!! :)
[Visit] Lisa Simmons on MySpace
