Singer-songwriter Lisa Richards’ upcoming album ‘A Light From The Other Side’ explores the tsunami style ending of her 14 year marriage, drug and alcohol abuse and a difficult childhood. Bursting with emotion, the blend of jazz, Americana, folk and blues forms popular songs for the new era.

 Watch the music video for ‘Frank Sinatra’ here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYn4bT4zhJ4

Richards’ mother was involved in a major car accident when she was a child, sustaining a severe brain stem injuring and forgetting most of her children. Lisa remembers feeling depressed from an early age, getting drunk for the first time at the age of 7, and taking pills even earlier. She sought opportunities to continue drinking through her pre-teen years and she grew up using drugs and drinking regularly. Her early memories of her mother’s piano playing had an impact on her and by the time she moved to Sydney she was determined to become a full time musician. In Sydney she started out singing acapella on the streets of Kings Cross and in the city subways.

She joined her first band in Sydney. After going to New York for a musical research trip with a member of her band, Lisa became intoxicated with the idea of America as a country where anything was possible and dreams could become reality. Once she moved to NYC she taught herself guitar at the age of 30 because she found the song writing process frustrating without being able to play an instrument. Soon after, Richards’ had one of her songs released on a Warner Brothers compilation CD and performed in a number of iconic NYC venues including The Bitter End, The Mercury Lounge, The China Club and Tramps.

In New York City, Lisa fell in love with an Argentinian musician studying at the New School and outstayed her visa. When this relationship ended, Lisa fell into depression, and through a series of events was forced to confront her childhood memories and experiences. Crisis counselling led to a 5 year scholarship for counselling twice a week with a psychologist who specialized treating women with histories of childhood sexual abuse, addiction and eating disorders, all of which Lisa had suffered from. Not long after, she married a close friend after 7 years of living in America without a visa. Although it began with the aim for a green card, after a few months, they fell in love. They were both recovering from drugs, alcohol and unhappy childhoods, but Lisa and Jeff were happy together. The 14 years of marriage came to an end with the increasingly bizarre and secretive behaviour of Jeff and the shocking discovery of his child pornography addiction.

Lisa Richards’ fascinating story is weaved through her songs.  The new album ‘A Light From The Other Side’ is set to be released in the UK later this year. Produced by the internationally known producer, singer and songwriter Greg J Walker, the album is sure to entice many.

Links:
http://www.lisarichardsmusic.com
http://www.twitter.com/mymadmusic
https://soundcloud.com/lisarichardsmusic
http://www.facebook.com/lisarichardssongs
https://www.youtube.com/user/lisamrichards