Singer-songwriter Lissie goes it alone after being dropped by record label

(25 Nov 2016) SINGER-SONGWRITER LISSIE GOES IT ALONE AFTER BEING DROPPED BY RECORD LABEL
Lissie Maurus - or Lissie to her fans - was well on her way to making it big a decade ago.
She had a deal with Columbia Records U.K. and a first album that went gold in the United Kingdom and Norway. The record sold well, but when her second L.P. wasn't a commercial success, she found herself without a record deal and at a crossroads.
What kind of artist did she want to be? Was her pursuit of fame really worth it?
Lissie opted for the uncharted territory of the independent artist - based from an Iowa farm, no less. It is a more viable business model in this age when singers can reach potential fans more easily via music streaming services and online sales. But there certainly are no guarantees.
After Columbia Records U.K. dropped her, Lissie says she felt a little like she'd failed. But she said she also was relieved. Now she could do things her way.
By mid-2015, she took what savings she had and bought the farm she now calls home.
"I think some people were like, 'Well that's weird that you're going to, like, leave southern California and go live on a farm in Iowa, but OK.' You know, but I just knew, this is what I have to do. I have a gut feeling about this," she said.
"I kind of just told everyone, like, 'I need to re-evaluate my life. I'm not going to stop making music. But I need to rethink how I want to go about it.'"
By the time she moved to the farm, Lissie had already written some new songs. So she called producer and bass player Curt and together, they wrote the title track on her latest album, "My Wild West."
The record came out in February and was well reviewed. Lissie also recently released a live acoustic album, recorded at Union Chapel in North London.
Admittedly, she says, the traveling can be brutal. She's been touring in the United States and Europe much of this year. But because her overheads are low, most of what she makes in ticket and merchandise sales is hers. Financially, she says, this could be her best year yet.
"I own all my new music, and I can go out and tour with just an acoustic guitar and sell out shows and, you know, come home and be like, 'OK, now I can put in a wood burning stove in my house,'" she smiled.
Lissie's third album "My Wild West" is available now.

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