We’re looking forward to introducing you to Lisa LaRue. Check out our conversation below.
Lisa, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
Not acting impulsively has been one of the hardest lessons I’ve learned in life. It takes restraint, discipline, and most importantly, experience/maturity/time. My elders used to tell me, “If it’s meant to be, it will be.” I was too impatient and inexperienced to know what that meant. But the older I’ve gotten, the more experiences I’ve gone through and now I can look at so many things in retrospect and see what it actually meant. If things would have gone the way I wanted them to go, it would have been bad. So for the last ten years, I took this attitude with my music. I took that time to focus on other things that were important to me, and low and behold, I’ve now just released a new album, ‘forged from fire’ on Melodic Revolution Records, am working on a new one, and just signed an imprint agreement with MRR for my own imprint, Wadulisi Recordings, which will focus on Native American music. With this imprint, I am hoping to dispel stereotypes, and to get more Native American musicians in front of the more mainstream audiences.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and am a progressive rock keyboardist and composer whose work spans over three decades. I launched my recording career with a work called “Dreamscapes”, which included a collaboration with “Gong’s” Gilli Smyth, released by Voiceprint US Records.
I was the first female Native American artist signed to Sound of America Records’ Natural Visions label, with my album “Beloved Tribal Women”, a groundbreaking CD that incorporated a full fine art book featuring 14 paintings by Muscogee Creek artist Joan Hill, the most awarded female Native American artist.
In 2009, I founded Lisa LaRue Project 2K9, one of the first bands to embrace internet-based collaboration, working with musicians across the globe to produce the album “World Class”. This pioneering approach later evolved into the band Lisa LaRue 2KX.
I also had an album called “Transformation 2012″ that featured the track “Save Me,” which led to a significant collaboration with John Payne of the band Asia whom I continued to work with for several years. I also worked with Michael Sadler of the band Saga on the track “Recurring Dream” which was on my album “Fast and Blue”. I’ve done guest appearances on albums by Esquire (Nikki Squire), United Progressive Fraternity, and David Mark Pearce, among others, and have co-released works with Muscogee Creek flutist John Timothy and Italian prog composer/keyboardist Federico Fantacone.
One of my most proud moments is being mentioned in the Houghton-Mifflin Encyclopedia of Women’s History as one of the pioneering female Native American musicians.
I was nominated for a Native American Music Award and a Hollywood Music Award, named Native American Artist of the Year by the Oklahoma Music Awards. In 2024, and was honored as Northeast Kansas’ “Remarkable Woman of the Year”.
All of my work is focused on honoring my elders, and in teaching about the history and culture of Native Americans and attempting to dispel the numerous stereotypes that exist.
Recently, I announced the creation of my record label, Wadulisi Recordings, an imprint of Melodic Revolution Records, which is a lifelong dream! I am looking forward to the two planned debut releases – the first being an album with my project band ‘Lisa LaRue & RematriNation’ called “The Red Dress”, and an album by Native American flute player and NS Stick/tapping artist Juan R. Leõn.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I think my relationship with my step-grandmother/’mama’ (who raised me) most shaped how I see myself. I was exceptionally fortunate to have had her in my life. As a pre-schooler, I spent every day with Maye LaRue, who taught me not only how to read, write, draw, sew, create, laugh, and dance, but gave me the opportunity to do everything and anything I wanted to try. She provided afternoons where we would create our own clothing and write our own plays, rehearsing them until our major performance, which was for our cat Maynard – and ourselves. I would then play music to introduce and end the performance on my little toy organ. I would draw the posters and she would type up the handbill. We would make popcorn and have a concession stand. By the time I was 8, I was recording my own music on her tape recorder and designing my own album covers. She allowed me to be who I truly was naturally. Then as an adult, I was serving as a graphic designer, musician, up-cycling and creating clothing, writing books, and teaching children how to make art. She truly influenced me by allowing me to be me and encouraging me to ALWAYS be me.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Not everybody will believe in you or agree with you, but ‘I’ do! (Believing in yourself is the most important thing.)
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I think my public persona is the real me, yes, but not always the public ‘perception’. Not everybody sees, or interprets things the same. Maybe they only see something they are familiar with, or what other people have said, etc. I’ve had people say I am too focused on being ‘famous’, and that is not it AT ALL. I am focused on educating and sharing with as many people as possible. I have no qualms in standing up for the underdog, or representing my culture, even though those things might not be popular. I try to be transparent, and admit I am not perfect and even share as much as possible about my lifelong health battles. Again, to educate others and encourage them to be the best version of themselves as they can, to take good care of themselves, and to teach others as well.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I think we all do that to some extent, in everything we do. You can give your all to a project with a certain intention and then get praised for it for a completely different reason. At first that can be disappointing, but then you have to remind yourself that the important thing was to reach somebody and that doesn’t always mean that they understand why it was important to YOU, but that they got some message and inspiration out of it. Something in it was important to THEM. That’s all that matters.
When I teach Cherokee basketry to children, I always find great joy when there is a student that I can praise, instead of them praising me! If they do praise me, I just remind them that I’ve been doing this for a very long time, and never compare your basket with anybody else’s.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lisalaruemusic.com
Image Credits
photos courtesy Lisa LaRue
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