Elisabeth Corrin Maurus (born November 21, 1982),
known as Lissie, is an American singer-songwriter. She released her debut
EP, "Why You Runnin'", in November 2009. Her debut album, ''
Catching a Tiger
''Catching a Tiger'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Lissie, released in the United Kingdom on 21 June 2010 on Columbia Records. It was released in the United States on 17 August 2010 on Fat Possum Records. The album has ...
'', was released in June 2010. Her second studio album, ''
Back to Forever
''Back to Forever'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lissie
Elisabeth Corrin Maurus (born November 21, 1982), known as Lissie, is an American singer-songwriter. She released her debut EP, "Why You Runnin'", in November 2 ...
'', was released in October 2013. Her first record as an independent artist, and third studio album, ''
My Wild West
''My Wild West'' is the third album by American singer-songwriter Lissie, released on February 12, 2016. It is released under her own label, Lionboy, together with Thirty Tigers. In anticipation of the album, a music video for the promotional sin ...
'', was released February 12, 2016 and went on to receive critical acclaim. Her fourth studio album ''
Castles
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
'', was released worldwide on March 23, 2018. Her fifth studio album, ''Carving Canyons'', was released September 16, 2022.
Early life
Lissie was born Elisabeth Corrin Maurus, the youngest of four children and raised in
Rock Island,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...
. Her father is a
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
and her mother, who is of Swedish ancestry, is an
interior design
Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordin ...
er. She was interested in singing and music from an early age.
She played the title role of the musical ''
Annie
Annie may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress
* Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer
The ...
'' at the age of nine.
"In high school it seems like everyone has more drama than any other time in their life. So that was the time in my life where I really leaned on music as a way to stay sane," she said in an interview.
In her senior year of high school, she was expelled over what she described as "something stupid that I did, but it was sort of like the culmination of just a lot of negative things that had happened".
She got her diploma at an alternative outreach center.
She spent two years at
Colorado State University in
Fort Collins
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facer ...
,
during which time she would
open
Open or OPEN may refer to:
Music
* Open (band), Australian pop/rock band
* The Open (band), English indie rock band
* ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969
* ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999
* ''Open'' (Cowboy Junkies album), 2001
* ''Open'' (Y ...
for musicians who visited the city. She collaborated with DJ Harry of
SCI Fidelity Records Formed in 1998, SCI Fidelity Records is an independent record label based in Boulder, Colorado. It is owned and managed by the jam band The String Cheese Incident.
Artists
SCI Fidelity artists include Keller Williams, Umphrey's McGee, The Disco ...
on the song "All My Life", which was featured on television shows ''
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...
'', ''
The O.C.
''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. "O.C." is an initialis ...
'', ''
Veronica Mars
''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...
'' and ''
Wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...
''.
After spending a semester in Paris, she finished her studies to pursue a career in music. In 2007, she produced a four-song EP that received some airplay on
KCRW
KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programm ...
's ''
Morning Becomes Eclectic
''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' (MBE) is a three-hour adult album alternative radio program first aired in 1977 and broadcast live every weekday from KCRW in Santa Monica, California. The show's name is a play on the Eugene O'Neill trilogy of pl ...
''.
Career

In early 2008,
Lenny Kravitz invited her to be the opening act for his
Love Revolution Tour
The Love Revolution Tour is the sixth headlining tour by English recording artist, Will Young. The tour supports his sixth studio album, ''85% Proof''. Beginning in October 2015, the singer will primarily perform within theatres throughout United ...
, after a friend tipped him about her
MySpace page.
Later that year, "The Longest Road", a song she co-wrote with DJ
Morgan Page
Morgan Wolf Page (born May 31, 1981) is an American DJ and music producer. His tracks include "The Longest Road", "Fight for You" and "In the Air". Page has received two Grammy Award nominations; a personal nomination for best remix with Nadia ...
reached No. 4 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''s
Hot Dance Club Songs
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as ...
chart. "We met under that idea that he was going to remix a song of mine ... But we decided to work on a new song together", she told the ''
Quad-City Times
The ''Quad-City Times'' is a daily morning newspaper based in Davenport, Iowa, and circulated throughout the Quad Cities metropolitan area (Davenport, Bettendorf and Scott County in Iowa; and Moline, East Moline, Rock Island and Rock Isl ...
''. The
Deadmau5
Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as Deadmau5 (stylized as deadmau5; pronounced "dead-mouse"), is a Canadian electronic music producer and DJ. He mainly produces progressive house music, though he also produces ...
remix of the track was nominated for a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
in the "Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical" category.
Her EP, ''Why You Runnin, produced by Bill Reynolds of
Band of Horses
Band of Horses is an American rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle, Washington. Led by singer-songwriter Ben Bridwell, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes, the band's current line-up also incl ...
, was released in November 2009 on
Fat Possum
In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.
The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple es ...
.
One of the songs, "Oh Mississippi" was co-written with
Ed Harcourt
Edward Henry Richard Harcourt-Smith (born 14 August 1977) is an English singer-songwriter. To date, he has released six studio albums, two EPs, and thirteen singles. His debut album, ''Here Be Monsters'', was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Priz ...
, whom she met through a mutual friend.
The EP was listed amongst ''
Paste
Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to:
Science and technology
* Adhesive or paste
** Wallpaper paste
** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water
* Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...
'' magazine's "Eight Most Auspicious Musical Debuts of 2009".
In early 2010, she toured various venues in the United Kingdom supporting Ohio-born singer-songwriter
Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin (born June 14, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter. He has recorded nine studio albums, and his songs have been used in a number of films and TV series. His most successful album, '' Simple Times'', was released in 2008.
Beginni ...
.
Lissie signed with
Sony Music UK
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
's
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. Her debut album, ''
Catching a Tiger
''Catching a Tiger'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Lissie, released in the United Kingdom on 21 June 2010 on Columbia Records. It was released in the United States on 17 August 2010 on Fat Possum Records. The album has ...
'', was released on 21 June 2010.
The album was recorded in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
in 2009 and produced by
Jacquire King
Jacquire King (born January 11, 1967) is an American record producer, recording engineer and mixer. King has worked with such notable artists as Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, James Bay, Kaleo, Modest Mouse, Shania Twain, Buddy Guy, Norah Jones, Of ...
.
The first single from the album, "In Sleep", was selected as Track of The Day by ''
Q'' on 13 March 2010.
A second single, "When I'm Alone," was released alongside the album; it would later be chosen by
iTunes UK as their song of the year 2010.
In August 2010, her single "Cuckoo" was voted overwhelmingly to be the Record of the Week by listeners of
expat
An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
radio station Heart FM Spain (www.heartfmspain.com), as a result of listener feedback, Lissie and the album "Catching A Tiger" was featured throughout the week of August 23 to 27. The single was also added to the "A" level playlist on
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content ...
giving it around twenty plays a week on the UK's most popular station. The ''Cuckoo'' EP includes Lissie's live version of "
Bad Romance
"Bad Romance" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), '' The Fame Monster'' (2009)—the reissue of her debut studio album, '' The Fame'' (2008). Gaga wrote and produced the song with RedOne. Following an ill ...
" by
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
, which became popular online before being included on the release.
Lissie is featured on at least 4 tracks on
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, backing vocals), Jonny Quinn (d ...
's album ''
Fallen Empires'', released in November 2011.
Her cover of
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the li ...
's 'Go Your Own Way' found prominence in early 2012, when it was used in a
Twinings
Twinings () is a British marketer of tea and other beverages, including coffee, hot chocolate and malt drinks, based in Andover, Hampshire. The brand is owned by Associated British Foods. It holds the world's oldest continually used company ...
advert and in the film
Safe Haven
Safe haven may refer to:
* Sanctuary
Arts and entertainment
* ''Safe Haven'' (novel), a 2010 American novel by Nicholas Sparks
** ''Safe Haven'' (film), a 2013 American film adapted from the novel
* ''Safe Haven'' (short film), a 2009 American ...
. The song was also used as a theme for the BBC Radio 4 reading of
Iain Banks
Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013) was a Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, adding the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies (). After the success of '' The Wasp Facto ...
's Stonemouth, read by
David Tennant
David John Tennant ('' né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the ...
. The song was also featured in the closing moments of the first-season finale for "Good Behavior" in 2017.
On 4 November 2015, she announced the released date for her new album, ''
My Wild West
''My Wild West'' is the third album by American singer-songwriter Lissie, released on February 12, 2016. It is released under her own label, Lionboy, together with Thirty Tigers. In anticipation of the album, a music video for the promotional sin ...
'', as 12 February 2016.
She performed her song 'Wild West' in Part 14 of the third season of ''
Twin Peaks
''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 fo ...
''.
In season 3 of the TV show ''
Loudermilk'' that was released in 2020, she played a fictional character called Lizzie Poole who used to be a singer-songwriter but gave that career up after a negative review written by the title character, Sam Loudermilk, played by
Ron Livingston
Ronald Joseph Livingston (born June 5, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for playing Peter Gibbons in the 1999 film '' Office Space'' and Captain Lewis Nixon III in the 2001 miniseries '' Band of Brothers.''
Livingston's other roles includ ...
. The songs that character performs in the show are previously released Lissie songs.
Personal life
Lissie lives on a farm in northeast
Iowa
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
, moving there from
Ojai
Ojai ( ; Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is ...
, California, in 2015. She is a fan of
fantasy literature
Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fan ...
, citing ''
His Dark Materials
''His Dark Materials'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of '' Northern Lights'' (1995; published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), ''The Subtle Knife'' (1997), and ''The Amber Spyglass'' (2000). It follows ...
'' and the ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students a ...
'' series as favorites.
Discography
* ''
Catching a Tiger
''Catching a Tiger'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Lissie, released in the United Kingdom on 21 June 2010 on Columbia Records. It was released in the United States on 17 August 2010 on Fat Possum Records. The album has ...
'' (2010)
* ''
Back to Forever
''Back to Forever'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lissie
Elisabeth Corrin Maurus (born November 21, 1982), known as Lissie, is an American singer-songwriter. She released her debut EP, "Why You Runnin'", in November 2 ...
'' (2013)
* ''
My Wild West
''My Wild West'' is the third album by American singer-songwriter Lissie, released on February 12, 2016. It is released under her own label, Lionboy, together with Thirty Tigers. In anticipation of the album, a music video for the promotional sin ...
'' (2016)
* ''
Castles
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
'' (2018)
* ''Carving Canyons'' (2022)
References
External links
Official WebsiteUK Record Label BioBonedo.de
*
ttps://www.npr.org/2011/08/28/140017382/catching-a-tiger-a-midwestern-debut-album Interview with Lissie on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday, 08/28/11
{{authority control
1982 births
Living people
American women country singers
American country singer-songwriters
American women singer-songwriters
American women rock singers
American folk rock musicians
American people of Swedish descent
Columbia Records artists
Singer-songwriters from California
Singer-songwriters from Illinois
People from Ojai, California
People from Rock Island, Illinois
American rock songwriters
Fat Possum Records artists
21st-century American women guitarists
21st-century American guitarists
Guitarists from California
Guitarists from Illinois
21st-century American women singers
Country musicians from California
Country musicians from Illinois
21st-century American singers