Who's your audience? My songs, my music, I think, are geared to the 35-and-older crowd, but I've done performances and I started to see such an insurgence of younger people coming in to hear my music and to come up and ask me how old I was when I started singing. Young girls... 13, 14, 15 years old ask me to sign their shirts, their hats. And it's so refreshing to see that because I have [teenage children] and obviously, this isn't the music that they list to, but they do listen to my music and they love it. They sing along with it and their friends enjoy it. And I like the fact that even though I was targeting an older demographic --women around my age who have gone through the experience of life that I try to sing through my songs -- I notice younger people who enjoy it just as well, and it's inspriational for me to know that I must be doing something right.
Can you tell my readers about your song "Me Time?" How did that come about?
That song was rpesented to me by a longtime friend, Joey Sikes. We go back since high school days and he's an incredible songwriter and musician. He wrote that song with a woman named Angie Broberg, also from Nashville. One day, Joey called me up and said, "What've you been doing?" and I said, "I'm singing as usual." I was fronting a band for 20 years and singing other people's music, but I had been writing and trying to get into other areas of music. "I'm really loving country music and where it's going today," I said and Joey said, "Let me send you some songs," and he sent me "Me Time." I fell in love with this song [because it's the story of my life.]
So we decided to record it here in Cove City Studios in Glen Cove. Joey is really the one who got that fire going again because, l it's like I have a flame burning inside of me that never died, from back in the 80s, and I've wanted to do this recording career again and see where it takes me.
Did you stop singing while your children were growing up?
I never stopped singing. I did stop pursuing the recording career aspect, but I did continue to sing. I performed every weekend with a band and I also recorded commercials and voice-overs.
Here in my household, we're a very musical family. My husband plays the drums, my son is an incredible drummer, and my daughter sings. We have a rehearsal studio here. And my kids love the fact that I am actually doing what I love to do on my terms now. They are so supportive of me and that's the great part about the whole journey.
Thank you for the interview, Lisa!
Hear Lisa's clips on her website, www.lisamatassa.com or on YouTube.com. You can purchase Lisa's CDs from iTunes, CD Baby, ReverbNation, Amazon.com, Music Choice or on her website, www.lisamatassa.com.
