Planetary Group took some time to get to know Lisa Mitchell…
Planetary Group: Share a bit about your musical journey, from when you first started making music until now.
Lisa: Hello, I’m Lisa Mitchell and I’m a singer songwriter from Melbourne or Naarm Australia. Thank you so much for having me!
So I grew up in Yorta Yorta country, which is in northeast Victoria in Australia. It’s right on this beautiful big river called Dungala. And I was super lucky to grow up in a very quiet household. So my mum and dad are both doctors, Western medical doctors, and they just really loved having a quiet home. So we grew up listening to a lot of songwriters: people like Van Morrison, Tracy Chapman, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell… And then a bunch of Australian singer songwriters like Tiffany Eckhardt and Kate [Burke] and Ruth [Hazelton]. The other thing that we did in our childhood was go to folk festivals.
I definitely am noticing that the more my music evolves – and I released my fourth album this year – that the folk and traditional aspects that I grew up with, and that are in my heritage (I’m Scottish and German, so I definitely connect with Celtic melody and instruments) are coming through a lot more as I get a bit older.
PG: Let’s talk about the music that you love. Pick one album for each category below & tell us a bit about it!
- An album you grew up listening to:
Lisa: There was an album called 40 Days by The Wailin’ Jennys who, if you are up with the more trad scene, you’ll know that they are a Canadian folk trio. They’re incredibly talented… just complete goosebumps every time you see them play.
I saw them play once when I was 13 or 14, and I just cried because I knew the album and they were just so gorgeous. It was such a big deal to me to be, I guess, so young and so impressionable and to receive such beautiful, pure, grounded and highly skilled music.
- An album that inspires you as an artist (I’m sure there are many, but pick one of your choosing):
Lisa: I really fell in love with Rachel Sermanni’s last EP, which she released in 2021, called Swallow Me. And why did I love it so much? I mean, I love her. She’s just such a gorgeous soul, and she’s so generous with her songwriting. I loved it because it’s so honest and frank, and I think that the most mysterious thing about people is when they are just themselves and when they’re not trying to be mysterious. I think that’s the hardest thing to do is just to be yourself. So I think she seems to do that really well.
- The album you currently have on repeat:
Lisa: I’m really going with this trad theme at the moment, it’s just inspiring me so much. There’s a Scottish small pipes player called Brìghde Chaimbeul. Her latest album is completely haunting and strange and beautiful. If you know the Irish pipes, the Uilleann pipes (I actually have some Uilleann pipes on my latest album), it’s a similar sound, very droning and strange and very beautiful. It’s an instrumental album and it’s very refreshing.
If you’ve got any Celtic ancestry, you’ll be very bewitched. And even if you don’t, I’m sure you will find it incredibly intriguing.
PG: What do you want people to take away from your music?
Lisa: I really feel like that’s not up to me at all. The relationship between people and what they listen to is just such a private and personal thing that I just can’t even imagine ever wanting to have any control over it. It’s completely up to them.
What’s next up for you?
Lisa: Well, I’m really excited to be going on tour – my Australian tour is coming up in May! And I’m super excited to have the album out. It’s called A Place To Fall Apart, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
