Interviews Lisa Loeb - Photo by Frances Iacuzzi

Published on November 30th, 2017 | by Darren Paltrowitz

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Lisa Loeb On Her New “Lullaby Girl” Album With Larry Goldings, Working With Amazon, And Recording An Ozzy Classic

The first artist to have a number one single without a record deal, Lisa Loeb initially became known when “Stay (I Missed You)” was placed on 1994’s Reality Bites soundtrack. RIAA certifications, award nominations, and other major soundtrack placements would follow in the coming years. Beyond music, Loeb has also done a lot of television work, starring in two different reality shows — Food Network’s Dweezil & Lisa and E!’s Number One Single — beyond acting in a few movies. Loeb has also achieved success an entrepreneur with Wake Up! Brew coffee and the Lisa Loeb Eyewear Collection.

In recent years, Lisa Loeb has also found success within the children’s market. She first recorded children’s music in 2003, making Catch The Moon with old bandmate Elizabeth Mitchell. Lullaby Girl, as released on October 6th through Amazon and done in collaboration with Larry Goldings, is Loeb’s latest family-friendly full-length title; 2016’s Feel What You Feel was another title distributed by Amazon Music. To learn more about Lullaby Girl — which ties into the Camp Lisa Foundation, Loeb’s acclaimed non-profit organization — I spoke with the singer/songwriter for The Hype Magazine. As Loeb herself noted within our Q&A, more info on Loeb’s future projects can be found at www.lisaloeb.com.

Lullaby Girl is not your first foray into the family music world. What inspired you to start making family-friendly music? Did you have any hesitation?

Lisa Loeb: I wanted to recapture the feeling I had when I used to listen to music as a kid. I hesitated slightly because I didn’t want to simply make music for kids. Rather, we created this as real music with strong production and lyrics and performances. I kept a real eye on making sure everything was top quality.

Lullaby Girl was a collaboration with Larry Goldings. How did you and Larry first meet?

Lisa Loeb: Larry and I first met through our mutual friend and musician Chad Fischer. A few years ago we got together to record a song as a gift for my father’s birthday, “Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries.” I really loved that collaboration and we’d been looking for a way to work together since then. This has been percolating for awhile.

Some of the songs on Lullaby Girl aren’t traditional children’s songs, like “In My Room” and “Dream A Little Dream.” How did you realize that these were family-suitable songs? Did you really think over the lyrics?

Lisa Loeb: We chose the song by delving into some of our favorites from our own childhoods, particularly, “What The World Needs Now” and “Dream A Little Dream.” We also chose songs that we thought would be lyrically interesting for a lullaby-themed record. We really thought through the lyrics to make sure they fit our theme and we’re also family-friendly.

Do you have a favorite song on Lullaby Girl?

Lisa Loeb: Right now, my favorite is the Burt Bacharach song, “What The World Needs Now Is Love.” I’ve always been such a huge fan of that song and it really touches me deeply.

Lullaby Girl is also not your first project with Amazon. How did you first connect with Amazon?

Lisa Loeb: Yes, it’s my third album with Amazon Originals. Amazon came to me with an opportunity to make records with them exclusively. I spend a lot of time on Amazon, and I thought a lot of other like-minded people do too, so I thought I might be able to reach a lot of those people with my music, which seemed like a wonderful thing. Anyone with Amazon Prime or Music Unlimited may stream these songs — and soon videos — for free!

Are there plans for you to record a rock album in the near-future?

Lisa Loeb: I am working on a new grown-up record. It involves a lot of songwriting and I will be able to do more of that when I am home from promoting my other records.

A lot of other prominent artists have dual careers in the family and, well, regular music worlds. They Might Be Giants, Dan Zanes and The Verve Pipe are three examples of that. Do you have plans to do both sorts of shows? Or to keep those careers separate?

Lisa Loeb: I usually keep those two separate when it comes to my concerts, although I do tend to play a couple of grown-up songs in my kids shows and a couple of kids songs in my grown-up shows. People really seem to enjoy both which makes me think there’s no reason to really separate them that much. I’m expressing myself for whatever audience is there.

I remember a cover that you did of “Goodbye To Romance” by Ozzy Osbourne a few years back. How did that come about? Are you an Ozzy fan, or someone just recommended that you record that one?

Lisa Loeb: I was working with Dweezil Zappa a lot at that time and he brought me into the project with Bob Kulick. Although Bob hesitated at first, he realized that it would be interesting to hear the song done, and it’s different way with a different type of vocal but similar guitar playing.

Beyond music, you have had the Lisa Loeb Eyewear Collection, the Camp Lisa Foundation and the Wake Up! Brew coffee line. Are there any new developments related to these or other non-music projects that you can share? Any acting in the works?

Lisa Loeb: I have some acting in the works, you’ll see it on TV next year if you follow me at LisaLoeb.com — and at @LisaLoeb on my social networks. You can find out everything!


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About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."


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