Meet Lisa Marais

We recently connected with Lisa Marais and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Firstly, I look up to artists who have made it and have prevailed in this music industry. Their stories remind me that persistence and hard work pay off. I also believe that music has the power to heal and connect people. Knowing that my voice can touch someone’s heart gives me strength to keep going.”

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m Lisa Marais, a forward-looking R&B artist mixing trap soul and classic R&B to make music that feels eternal but not stale. I grew up in a musical family in Southern California, where I was surrounded by music from an early age. I grew up singing opera and playing piano from age seven and then shifted toward gospel until discovering R&B. Singing brings me into the soul of R&B; it takes me somewhere else in my heart.

Music has always been my safe haven, my way of expressing myself, my way of connecting with people. I write songs that represent my inner self on a personal level, fun, passionate and uninhibited. It gives my audience that old-school R&B feeling while adding different aspects like modern trap soul elements — and that something old, something new feel is what sets my sound apart.

For me, it’s not just sound; it’s healing. It’s the only thing that’s ever really healed my soul, and I want to make music that heals people the same way.” I wrote my latest single, Something About Us, inspired by Anita Baker — it’s all about giving people a reason to love again.

I’m also super-proud of my latest release, Since You Wanna Know, which is my heartfelt callback to Joe’s I Wanna Know. I wanted to write a song that brings back the way we used to feel like when we listened to 90s music, and show people that real R&B is not dead. So much of today’s music is void of that deep, emotive storytelling that R&B used to have and I want to bring that back. So this song is me reminding you why we fell in love with R&B in the first place.

I truly believe music is universal — it touches people deep inside — and I want to spread love and uplift directly through my art. I’m here to make music that connects, that inspires and that lets people know that they’re not alone. This is only the start of my journey, and I look forward to sharing more of myself through my music.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Reflecting on my journey, I would say the three most influential traits that have made me who I am as an artist are authenticity, persistence, and an understanding of music’s emotional weight.

1. Authenticity – Being true to myself and my sound has been all.” 81% American/Native and Born — Fine, but the trends are easy to get caught up in, and real music comes from the soul. What I’ve discovered is that the more I lean into who I am — my experiences, my emotions, my voice — the more people are drawn to my music. You’re going to have to be like a river and flow wherever you go. The indistry WILL keep evolving, but something original always stands the test of time.

2. Perseverance -It’s not easy to be in the music industry. There are going to be some doubts, failures, and a sense that nobody hears you. But the important thing is to keep going. I have faced obstacles, but every trial has made me more resilient and more determined. If you are just getting started, don’t be dismayed by rejection. Keep writing, keep recording, keep performing — it all matters, every step you take, even when it doesn’t feel that way.

3. Understanding Music’s Emotional Power- What R&B does best is make people feel. I’ve been attracted to music that tells a story and provokes real feeling. That’s why I study the greats — from Anita Baker to Joe — to see how they couple melodies, lyrics and vocal delivery to reach folks’ hearts. If you’re just getting started, immerse yourself in the work that inspires you. Deconstruct it, examine how it resonates with you, and use that insight in your own work. And music here is not simply sound; it’s a whole experience.

At the end of the day, success isn’t merely about talent — it’s about remaining authentic, persevering, and creating music that matters. Be patient, be passionate” and above all “never stop creating”.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The best thing my parents did for me was to expose me to so many different things and music very early on and always supporting my passion. I grew up immersed in music, different types of music, and food, and people and voices, all of these things helped to create me as a person, and a musician, and to connect the life of this child to the creation of my sound, which all comes together to have an appreciation of music.

They taught me to expand my switch ups, starting with opera, then gospel, and then R&B, all of which gave me a great foundation as a vocalist and songwriter. They believed in me — more than that. It’s priceless, especially when you’re a young artist, to have that kind of support.” It gave me courage, encouraged me to take chances and to let myself be vulnerable in my music, and to keep grinding through the rough points in the journey.

It made all the difference that I had parents who nurtured the imagination and never told me that my dreams were too big. That faith in me is a time-stamp I carry every time I walk into a studio or onto a stage.”

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Khalia @kmakontent
Deandre Evans @fromdrewithlove

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