Published July 12, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
| Updated July 12, 2023 at 12:02 p.m.
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Courtesy Of Juan Petino
Lisa Loeb
No musician wants to be part of a "Where are they now?" conversation. When artists are fortunate to score a big hit or two but don't push on and drop a bunch of classic albums and stay in the charts, there's a rather unfair perception that their careers are less than a success.
Just ask Lisa Loeb. The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter hit the scene in 1994 with her breakout hit "Stay (I Missed You)." She made history when the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first unsigned pop artist to top the chart. Two more top-20 singles from her followed: "Do You Sleep?" in 1995 and "I Do" in 1997.
Loeb's music has appeared in the films Reality Bites, Twister and Legally Blonde. She's shown up on multiple TV shows, most notably "Fuller House," "Gossip Girl" and (my personal favorite) as the lead singer of fictitious band Natalie Is Freezing on Season 6 of "Community."
"I was so excited when I found out I was going to be on 'Oprah,'" Loeb told me by phone from her home in California, ahead of her Tuesday, July 18, performance at the Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington. "They wanted to talk about my new album; they came to my house and lit it so beautifully."
But then, she continued, "I found out the segment was called 'Where Are They Now?' and I immediately thought it sounded like a Spinal Tap moment that I really didn't want to involve myself with."
Loeb ultimately decided it was better to go on the show and use it to promote her new album. And the experience ended up giving her inspiration that she would use to great effect once she started hosting her own SiriusXM show. "Stay With Lisa Loeb," part of the station's "90s on 9" program, features the singer-songwriter interviewing other musicians from the era.
"I was so busy back then, I didn't really get to check a lot of these artists out," Loeb explained. "But it's been so fun to meet or just reconnect with some of those artists, whether it was 'Weird' Al or LeAnn Rimes or the Goo Goo Dolls. It's great to see how these people are still making cool things! People need to know we're all out here, still creating vital work."
Loeb suggested that it's become easier to interact with a broad range of musicians than it was in the '90s, when genre borders were more rigid and confining. Without such stratification, she believes, it's easier for younger listeners to become fans of her music. Moreover, she thinks it's also easier to become a musician.
"The music business was sort of overinflated in the '70s, '80s and '90s," she said. "Now, with that side regressing a bit, young musicians have figured out a lot of stuff we maybe didn't know when we were their age. They can record and release a song all in one day, without a label. And they've realized that they can have a day job and still be a musician — that stigma is gone. Artists have gotten a lot more savvy and practical."
An artist who found stardom without a record label long before it was the norm, Loeb has her own eyewear collection, 10 solo records and a side hustle as a successful kids' music writer, through which she's released another six albums. All that makes her a fitting role model for a new generation of songwriters.
"It behooves an artist to maintain a level of independence, no matter who they're working with," she said. "I started that way, and I'm still striving for that."
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Bio:
Music editor Chris Farnsworth has written countless albums reviews and features on Vermont's best musicians, and has seen more shows than is medically advisable. He's played in multiple bands over decades in the local scene and is a recording artist in his own right. He can often be found searching for the perfect soft pretzel or listening to a podcast about the X-Men.
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