EVERYWHERE SHE GOES RETURNING TO THE MIDWEST WITH LISSIE FM: I know you’re originally a Midwesterner hailing from Illinois. We are excited to have you back here in the region in February. Have you ever been to Fargo before? L: I haven't. I have always wanted to go, though. My parents have really good friends there that we’ve actually always talked about visiting. I was supposed to play there, maybe last year, but I ended up not being able to because I had to finish my last album. I ran into a deadline. So I haven’t been there yet.
lisabeth Maurus, more widely known by her stage name Lissie, is an American singer-songwriter originally from Illinois. She stands out from the rest thanks to vocals that demand attention and her dreamy, yet completely down-to-earth catalogue of music. After years of living in California and touring all over the world, she recently returned to the Midwest to live on a farm in eastern Iowa. Here, she has transitioned to working as an independent artist and enjoyed the benefits of not being bound to a major record label. She continues to wow with her dusky, low vocals and rock-'n-roll meets Americana spirit, exploring songwriting at her own pace. We got to speak with her about returning to the Midwest, how her music has evolved over the years and what kind of show she'll put on here. 50 | FEBRUARY 2019 | FARGOMONTHLY.COM
FM: I’d say that’s pretty accurate. So you’re living in Iowa now. What’s been nice to do there versus when you were living in the LA area? L: It’s great. Since I was 18 up until a few years ago, so from about 2001 to 2015, I did not live in the Midwest. I did visit, but I was living in Southern California and touring and traveling quite a bit. But as I got a bit older, any time I would land back in the Midwest, my heart would just kinda slow down a little bit. And I’d be like, "ah this feels right." Something about the air and the smell and the feeling. I just always had a sense that the Midwest was home. I didn’t know that when I was a teenager necessarily, but as I got into my 30s, I kind of knew that I was probably going to move back to the Midwest. That’s where I feel like I belong. So being back has been
INTERVIEW BY Alexandra Martin | PHOTOS COURTESY OF Reybee Inc.
FM: Well, we are excited to finally have you! What do you know about Fargo? I’m sure you know of the movie and whatnot. L: I’ve watched all of the TV seasons of the show and I love it, it’s so good. But I guess my assumption of Fargo is that it probably has kind of that Minneapolis or general Minnesota vibe, to an extent. I’ve spent a lot of time in Minneapolis and a bit of time in Duluth. Now I live up in Eastern Iowa, which is pretty close to the Minnesota border. So I kinda conclude that the Dakotas might somehow fit into that realm of Minnesota vibes.