Lisa Goe
Ever been in need of something thrilling and catchy? Something that strikes the perfect balance between your auditory comfort zone and the unknown? If so, Lisa Goe is your go-to girl. You might not the name -- for now, that is -- but the artist’s been a mainstay in the industry for about a decade now, just behind the scenes. A talented songwriter, Goe’s written several songs that have been coveted for performance by celebrities across the board, including Justin Bieber. But, that’s just one of the many highlights of her illustrious career. A west coast is native who’s been bashed in Nashville for twelve years, Goe gradually made the transition from being a songwriter to being both the prior and a performer. She’s since collaborated with Midnight Kids on the absolute bop “Break Away,” and released a few solo singles, her latest being “I Got Mine.” We recently spoke with Lisa Goe about her creative process, some of her amazing stories from life in LA, and more!
How did you start making music?
I started making music at a young age. Part of my DNA really. My dad is a drummer, and growing up around him jamming out, and the church there was always music. I'd climb trees and journal as soon as I could write sentences. Then later on, I got a recorder and would sing into it. I then started layering sounds on top of sounds, and then I'd add my voice. I really should find those tapes. Probably about nonsense, but it would be interesting to hear them now.
So, you wrote a song for Bieber at the beginning of your career, huh? What was it like to strike gold so early?
Ha!! Not sure if you would call it striking gold, although I can't say it wasn't eye opening. The truth is, I was, and I still am, working several jobs so that I can create music. When Justin covered the song... let's emphasize this. He COVERED and then RECORDED a song originally Recorded and Performed by Ernie Halter, I had been playing shows and writing music independently for maybe 8+ years at that point. Justin's team then made a free download of the song "Come Home to Me" without our knowledge, and made it accessible not only for free download, but for kids to make lyric videos, which then helped them monetize on work Ernie and I had done. Are Justin and his team aware of my role in all this? Probably not. I reached out to several lawyers, but without a chunk of change I couldn't do anything. And honestly, the song really did become more than a paycheck (although, it would have been really nice). The messages I received on my twitter feed of gratitude, and hope, was literally priceless. It reminded me why I wanted to write music in the first place. And let's face it... I FREAKED OUT when I saw him play it in front of THOUSANDS of people... still mind blowing. An experience that is genuinely difficult to explain.
The day I woke up to the song going viral on Twitter, was the most bittersweet day of my life. As exciting as it all was, I couldn't keep up. To those who work full time and then some to create, I hear you loud and clear. It's exhausting. Not only was I not prepared for this surprise, I didn't have time to reach out to anyone. There was no time to make calls, or make a website, or do any kind of follow up. I walked into my job that day deflated, while a massive pop star was singing a song I wrote. In my world, the hamster wheel kept spinning. Nothing seemed to change. I never was pursued by labels, or publishers, and my old PRO didn't even recognize the song until I consistently submitted for a paycheck. (It was tossed into a pile of coffee shop venue music) The truth is, until someone comes behind you and supports you and actually does work with you, it's pretty lonely. I've worked hard to get where I am now. The writers I write with, don't write with me because of the song that Justin presumably dedicated to then girlfriend Selena Gomez. They write with me through hard work, dedication, friendship, openness, and creativity. So yeah. It was neat. It made a few heads turn, but nothing to fully pivot my life from working full time at a 9-5.
So in short, what did it feel like to strike gold early on in my career? (Which this was after a good many years of me pursuing music) Kind of like thinking you're about to drink water and its soda. It doesn't quite make it in your mouth. You keep drinking it though :)
What opportunities do you attribute to that song?
I've had people introduce me as “This is Lisa Goe. She wrote for Bieber" and it makes me feel uncomfortable. I did not write FOR him. He liked a song I wrote WITH my friend Ernie Halter, and decided to perform it and give it away for free. I'm sure it has perked a few ears, and perhaps allowed people to listen to my music that otherwise would not have listened, but I wouldn't particularly say it has thrusted any opportunities for me. If anything, it kind of made me jaded. Even with a big name like JB, it didn't seem to make anyone budge. Nowadays with Instagram and social media, I wonder sometimes how that may have been different. Regardless, I keep truckin’.
I can say, it did something unexpected for me. It pushed me to quit my regular day job that I was talented in, but not passionate about. I went from making a pretty comfortable living to a very... well let’s just say I had to make some major adjustments in order to have a more flexible schedule to write. All in all, monetary or not, I'm happier for it.
Can you walk us through your transition from songwriter to a performer?
It's been a back and forth transition for sure. I performed and entertained on stage most of my younger years, leading me to a venue called Soho where I shared the bill with a guy named Ernie Halter who I mentioned previously. After playing the show, Ernie encouraged me to go with him to this place called Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. It changed my life. I met some of the most incredible Independent performers and songwriters. I felt like I found my gonzos. Writers/ Creators like Jason Reeves, Mandy Moore, Rachael Yamagata, Tony Lucca, heck even Shaggy showed up one day... that was interesting. The list is extensive but the memories of that place... woof!!! They're delicious. I loved sitting back and hearing/ watching others create. It is definitely a time locked in my mind.
One day, in 2008, I got a call from one of my songwriting friends Katy Hudson, now Perry. She asked if I'd go with her on Vans Warped Tour. We grew up together and the Warped Tour was like... a dream opportunity!! She asked if I wanted to come along. I said absolutely. 2008 we went on the road, and I decided to take a backseat to the performing side of things.
I didn't do much songwriting on the road that year. My job was to work for Katy, but after leaving the tour, I moved to Nashville. Not to make it in the industry, but just for a change of scenery. I started my songwriting career in 2008 unexpectedly after singing a song at a bonfire with a group of Belmont Students (this story is long so I'll save the details, but basically I sang, they were shocked, and a few of us started writing together). I genuinely did not know that songwriting was a career. I was brought up to think it was a hobby. And here I am from LA, the TV performance platform of the USA, coming to Nashville, the Songwriting Capital of the world. I really had no clue.
There's always a little performance when you're songwriting in Nashville, because you have to play out. Otherwise no one hears the songs you're writing. I quickly dove into the community, creating my own show and revenue with, The Lisa Goe Variety Show in 2012, to try and mimic what I learned from my experience at Hotel Cafe. I focused mainly on supporting artists who were not country, and then eventually had a separate night for country music, as well as started a platform called Popoff Nashville that supports the Pop Music and Culture of Nashville. This introduced me to a lot of the music scene in many genres, and soon I became more of a go to for writing rather than performance. I loved it. I was happy. I was making a living, writing, performing, and connecting people in music. Suddenly, one day towards the end of Summer 2016, it was over. With literally no warning, the venue I was working these events out of, switched owners overnight and I was out of a job. Back to the workforce for me.
Early last year my friend Chris Martignago at Atlantic Records, and I had a sit down. I was kind of feeling low, ready to give up, weak, uncertain, all the things struggling artists go through, and he encouraged me to get back in the ring and continue pursuing a publishing deal. So I did. I made a trip out to LA, and met with a dozen or so people. A few of them encouraged me to write with some of their already signed writers. This led me to The Midnight Kids. We sat down and wrote a song, and I sang on it, and the next thing I knew, they asked if it was ok they keep my voice on the track for their release. A few weeks later, another DJ asked if I’d be ok to be a feature, and it kept escalating a bit after that.
At the time, I also had a side project called, KOYOKE. I mainly used her for sync placements. I would play out a little here and there, but this new opportunity to be more of a featured artist was exciting to me. I had seen my friends Jason Walker, Bonnie McKee and Parson James perform with Kygo as features, and experiencing that family, and that community, really got me excited to perform again. I had gotten so used to being in the background, the idea of performing as part of a team was exciting. The opportunity to be a feature, opened the door for me to release more solo music under my own name. And now, here we are today! Still Independent and working hard to put out more music.
Did you have to make any adjustments once you realized that you weren’t only writing the songs anymore, you were singing them too?
I've always sang the songs I was writing, but yes performing again, should be interesting. The Midnight Kids had set to do a tour this year, and I would have LOVED to perform with them. I hope I still have the opportunity. I'm excited to see and hear people interact with the song regardless.
What’s your remedy for a bad case of writer’s block?
I think the closest I've experienced writers block is when I'm in the midst of tragedy or sadness. Most people say "THAT'S THE BEST TIME TO WRITE!" For me, that's the best time to process. So I don't write. Not because I'm blocked, but because my body doesn't want to. It wants to heal. If I don't heal, how am I going to write the music to help others heal? That's how I work at least. I still write per se, they just aren't songs. I write down what I'm going through even if it's just "blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah". That way I can go back and relive it, then write it once I've had time to unpack it. It’s like photos. You can look at a photo and it takes you right back to that joy or that pain. And shoot, even if I write down Blaaaaa or “..." I can make it into a song. As I'm typing this, I'm literally thinking about how I can make those into a song.
I love writing so much, it's literally all I can think about, talk about, and being back in the workforce, working 12hr days, there is always something to write about. If I were to encourage someone with writer's block, I would suggest reading Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. Somewhere in there she writes about writing every day. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be something. That something can lead to your next something. It's like brain physical therapy. If you're a little stiff, walk for 5 minutes, but do it every day. Then one day you'll run a mile and not even realize it. So, if anyone out there feels like they have writers block, that's what I'd best suggest.
How do you think the West Coast and Nashville sides of you blend in your music?
Growing up listening to Mariachi, Musicals, The Beach Boys, Sade, Sublime, Tool, Jack Johnson and Katy (Perry) and then going to Nashville was a TRIP. I listened to Dixie Chicks, and Nickel Creek, and I loved Diamond Rio and Kenny Chesney, and of COURSE Dolly Parton, but it was like as soon as I started observing more and listening and understanding the culture of Country Music, I could tell the difference between good Country, and really not so good country. I could tell when a song was ACTUALLY good, and when it was NOT. I was lucky enough to be schooled on country music by Sturgill Simpson. We used to sing at this wine bar and get paid maybe $25 and a glass of wine. I'd play my more pop songs in stilettos and he would play his songs in overalls. After we would play, we would walk across the street to Station Inn and watch Vince Gill and the Time Jumpers. That's crazy to think now. That experience wouldn't happen so easily nowadays in Nashville. It's not as homegrown as it used to be. And that's where I think experiencing Nashville in its earlier days, and my background of the west coast blends my music. It's the Pop and World Sounds, the odd chords of Jazz, and the art of I can do what I want, mixed with structured thought provoking words and stories. I've written some of my favorite lyrically driven songs in Nashville, but then my favorite production on the West Coast. Now when I travel and write, I kinda marry them all together, and voila! Ya get Lisa Goe!
What was it like collaborating with the Midnight Kids?
AMAZING. I had no idea what to expect. We were scheduled to write a few months prior through Pulse, but for whatever reason our scheduling didn't work out, so when I got back to LA, I hit them back up to see if they were available. Writing in LA is a little bit planned and a little bit random. Usually my sessions can be anywhere between Malibu / Gardena / Downtown / Studio City, etc. It's just all over the place... literally. Turned out our session would be down the street from my grandparents. Aka... I'd be home for dinner!!!! (Huge deal... plus my grandparents are Japanese and have the best food ever. I hate missing dinner with them!)
We got in the room, and made introductions. They were so sweet, and I could tell they had no idea how "young" I was. When they started showing me their tracks, I told them I wanted to hear the craziest thing they had put together but that they really liked. They showed me the track of the song now coined BREAK AWAY and we went straight to work. I was honestly nervous about what they were going to think of my writing. It's always a vulnerable space when you're writing with someone new. It's like dating!! At some point in the session age was brought up and I had to spill the beans that I was in my mid 30's. Their eyes got wide, and they straightened their spines, as to show me more respect and a wee bit shocked with a "no way...no way" at this point we had nearly finished the song, and were all pretty excited about it. It just made me laugh a bit. I'm really happy about how it turned out, and the message it shares.
Who else would you like to collab with?
Dua Lipa, Finneas, Jason Mraz, Ed Sheeran, Lennon Stella, Ben Folds, Halsey, I'd really like to get a song with Rihanna. Miley Cyrus, I just want to write! I appreciate and love these people's crafts, but I could only imagine the undiscovered incredible writers/ artists out there that are working like crazy, and I'd like to write with them too. I really enjoy writing for TV, film, and video games right now, and I'm always open to do more of that.
Where do you want to take your career next?
I've been working with my friend Greg Carrillo, who was previously playing with Country Artist, Brett Eldridge. During this pandemic we have been writing a lot of songs that I am pretty excited about, and I'm looking forward to getting them out. I would like to eventually get back to working full time in music. Whether that be a publishing deal, or a few more TV placements, I'm ready to write, write, write, and then write some more... and if I am able to perform, I will come out full disco ball. (I Love sparkles!)
