How has the industry changed since you first entered it? This kind of drive and built-in resilience has aided me over the last decade of the bands’ career, where I have endured hardships to be where I am today and inspire so many songs I have written. School choirs, vocal groups, musical theatre, I learned to play the guitar at thirteen years old and begun writing my own songs. I searched for every opportunity along my path, where there could be music in my life. Music was my respite and, I would follow wherever it would lead me. That kind of loss demanded resilience and survival from me as I weathered the various growing pains and stages of my life. We lost our mother when I was seven years old, and that kind of loss has had an immense impact on me as a human being. I was born in NZ we were poor and, we were lucky to have a wonderful refugee resettlement volunteer to help my dad fill out forms to apply for jobs, helping raise a household of five children, enrolling us in school, and making sure we were ok. My mother and father were refugees fleeing Laos from the overspill of the Vietnam war. How has your life and upbringing inspired you? The most rewarding thing from talking about my work is how far it has reached and helped someone. That hasn’t always been easy or comfortable. I think I knew when I decided to do this professionally, I resigned myself to the fact that I’d have to publicly deep dive into this kind of vulnerability I’ve built my career from. But I’ve learned when you know more about the people behind the music you treasure and love so much, it tends to stick with you and influence your own process in some way. However, talking about it is something that will never get old. Honesty in my songwriting is a natural knee jerk reflex. I think it’s the band’s most biographical work to date. Recover is an album that is very personal to you, what has it been like sharing your story through music? I will forever remember 2020 as being the year of ‘no new friends.’ What a strange time to be alive. My bandmate is a five-minute drive from my house, so we can still work on the band, stressing the importance and safety of keeping our pod very small. At the same time, I’m also partial to binge-watching Korean dramas and The Sopranos in the evenings! One thing I haven’t embraced is virtual songwriting sessions, I see some of my friends have immersed themselves in this new way of working, and I’m just not there….yet. It’s fortifying to feel like there’s some kind of progression happening in the areas of my life I want to improve on. Our household thrives from having a routine, it keeps us grounded, focused on our goals and tasks at hand without driving each other crazy! Any kind of boredom creeping into my daily routine turns into doing something productive, keeping my house plants alive, reading more, playing guitar more. He and I work from separate rooms, and we can go entire days without speaking to one another. I live with my boyfriend and our dog, Ginger. I have a studio set up in a small room in my home. My life during the pandemic hasn’t really changed too much. What has your life looked like during the pandemic? What was your daily routine like? Keep reading below to read our full interview with Alisa, and see her personally curated playlist at the bottom of this article, as well. We had the chance to speak to Alisa prior to the release of the album, and learned about her experience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, getting into music, and the process of writing the new album. Since their breakout hit “Young Blood” in 2009, the band has come a long way and the industry has changed immensely.
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