Analisa Marie: Balancing Day Jobs And Music Dreams

Remember the days when you had to move to Nashville if you wanted to make a record? Remember the days when if your song was on the  determined whether or not you could play a decent sized room? Those days have changed and continue to change in this new age. Case and Point, TicTok sensation Cooper Alan is set to play The District Friday night, April 25th. Alan has exploded on the music scene with the help of technology and he'll back it up at The District so make sure to check it out.

Opening for Alan is another example of an artist, a local artist looking to make her mark on the Country Music industry. Her name is Analisa Marie.

Analisa Marie, is an office worker by day, but you might also find her, guitar in hand, on stage, opening national touring artists including, Casey Donahew, Tyler Farr, Granger Smith, Tucker Beathard, Lucas Hoge, Trace Adkins, Larry Fleet, Kip Moore, Drake White, Priscilla Block, Little Texas, Pam Tillis and Sammy Kershaw.

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When you ask what people do, if they say they write and sing country music, you may be skeptical at first. Then, you might take a minute to actually listen and be pleasantly surprise.

According to her website analisamarie.com;

Analisa Marie was born and raised in Bagley, a small town in northern Minnesota. [Resides now in Sioux Falls] Her musical interest began at a young age with listening to and memorizing every lyric from Country artists 

 

So, what does she sound like? Here is a sample.

I caught up with Analisa and asked a few questions. She was kind enough to respond.

• See Cooper Alan at The District in Sioux Falls.

Like so many, you started off young. Who were some of the early influences in your life that got you thinking you might want to give this a try?

My most early influences were all the women of 90s country. I remember listening to the radio and CDs in my parents’ minivan with my family and it was always Shania Twain, JoDee Messina, Faith Hill, Dixie Chicks, etc. I read all the CD inserts so I could memorize lyrics starting at a really young age and was always just interested in the stories of the songs. Then of course, Taylor Swift made me want to write my own songs. I was 12 or 13 the first time I heard her song “Tim McGraw” and immediately wanted to learn how to sing and play it on guitar.

Have you had any formal training? Guitar lessons, or singing instruction?

My first guitar lessons were in 5th and 6th grade. Then I got my own guitar as a 6th grader. I took lessons for a few months, then I started teaching myself from chord sheets printed off the internet and later on, YouTube. I wasn’t in choir growing up and I’ve never had formal vocal training.

Many musicians tell of diaries full of ideas, or notebooks. What's your process like from the initial idea to turning it into a song?

I usually have inspiration hit at random times, so I keep a running list of ideas in my phone that I come back to whenever I do find the time to sit down with my guitar to write. For example, my latest song “Boy Mom’s Heart” was mostly written in my phone at 3am after both boys had been up in the night. It started with my thinking to myself, “If it’s not one, it’s his brother” and the song came to life from there!

It's one thing to sing to yourself, but tell me about actually singing in front of a crowd.

When I was young I never let anyone hear me practice singing because I was so shy, not even my family. I finally had enough courage when I was 15 to sing in front of my family, and then the high school talent shows and county fair competitions. I think after that is when I was hooked. I love watching the crowd from the stage, and seeing them take in the songs I wrote, or sing along to my favorite cover songs. I can’t explain the feeling after a show – it’s just such a high. It's the feeling every time I get to be on stage doing what I dreamed about since I was a little girl. I’m SO lucky I have the opportunity to do this in my own backyard.

Judging by your catalog of music, It looks like family, and real life are front and center when you write.

I tend to lean into nostalgia when I write. I want to remember these big moments in life forever, and what better way than to write a song. Now I can capture the feeling of getting engaged or having small children and have it documented forever in music form.

Now that you know a little bit more about Analisa Marie, check out her website, where you can download her music for your collection. And check out Analisa, opening for Cooper Alan at The District in Sioux Falls Friday, April 25TH.