When Raw Honesty Meets Intentional Growth: Lisa Heller's Story

Lisa Heller sat down with me for Compass Backstage, and watching her talk about her transformation, from where she was a year ago to where she is now, gave me chills.

Lisa's an alt-rock artist whose confessional songs burn with chaos and clarity. She's racked up over 3 million streams, gone viral on TikTok, played shows alongside Echo Smith, COIN, and Neon Trees. But that's not where her story starts.

The Gap Between Knowing and Believing

When Lisa came to Compass, she knew from her own research and connections: “okay, I know how to put out an EP, I know how to do the steps.” But she was asking herself: Am I doing it right? How do I believe in myself so it's not just thrown out there, but something I'm proud of that feels similar to the level of artists I look up to?

Without the major label budget for huge music videos or the biggest team in the world, she really wanted to do Compass and hone in on who she is as an artist so that with the budget she does have and the energy and vision, she could bring that to life.

I love the clarity with which she started the program. That awareness of here's what I have, here's what I want, here's my constraints: how do I nail this? That gap between knowing the mechanics and truly believing in your vision? That's where so many artists get stuck.

The Sound Charts Changed Everything

The transformation started with sound charts, mapping out every musical inspiration throughout your life. Lisa said it originally started with the sonic direction, focusing on every music inspiration she's ever had and honing in on different inspirations throughout her life, sonically. That really made an impact because there are lots of different parts of her, but it's about honing in on what she wants to get across overall as an artist and per song and per EP to make that story and experience consistent.

It started with the music, and as it should, but it also went into other areas: how do I want to get this across visually to match the sonic element? She feels like people hear visually, so it's a mix of both.

For me, it all starts with the voice. As a vocal coach for thirty-five years, I'm here to empower someone to free up their voice and express their truth. Compass is the extension of that; how do we share that same voice visually in your sound, in your content? How do we get the same freedom, message, and expression everywhere?

When I listen to her new music, I hear that clarity. I feel like she's made a choice. She's more laser focused, more honed in, more specific, and just more uniquely her. When I told her that, she said that was her goal. That means a lot to me. That makes me really happy.

Learning to Listen to Yourself

Lisa's a self-described people pleaser; she literally has a song called "People Pleaser." It's been part of her since she was little. She's always wanted other people to be happy and has really taken other people's opinions to heart. While that makes her empathetic, it can also be hindering because it's focusing so much on what other people think instead of what she actually thinks.

But in this Compass program, it was amazing that we were able to really just think for ourselves without anyone else telling us what to do or what to think, really honing in on what we think and what we believe and our own personal work.

The entire program is me asking you to look at yourself and go explore. That process was Lisa really just having the opportunity to hear herself and listen to herself. How do I feel comes first.

A lot of us are taught, and certainly females are often taught, not to put yourself first. It can be a learned habit and then we have to practice and learn how to listen to yourself. Not without compassion and empathy for others, but in general.

She realized it's not just what you want to get across or what visually you think is cool. It has to come from a place of what is the most you. What is at the core of what you do and why you do it. There's a lot of people talking about how you have to be the next this, the next that. You have to change your entire personality or your look or your sound to fit into boxes. But the most important thing is to be the most you because there's no one else that's you.

When the Sad Girl Grows Up

Lisa came into Compass torn between her "sad girl pop" roots and the alternative rock energy that was really connecting live. She felt like she had two directions and had to choose one, and there's no other option, and I'm stuck.

I remember talking to her about this at the beginning of Compass: which way do I go? I'm torn. And I told her: “a sad girl grows up and either you stay a sad girl for forty years or you grow. You evolve as a person, you evolve as an artist, and your music and art needs to evolve with you. Sad girl Lisa won't be gone from your sixth album—it just might be 20% instead of 100%, or the shade of pink has changed. You're always you, but by your fifth and sixth project, other things may be stronger elements.”

Her breakthrough came with "Is Anyone Listening", originally released in 2021. After Compass and over the summer, she realized she wanted to still do both. She ended up re-releasing this song, but she was really scared to release the real version with the real lyrics about self-harm because she was scared it would trigger people or she had some shame around that.

But after doing Compass, she decided, you know what? People have been DMing me for three or four years asking me, please put this version out. I want to and I'm going to.

Her producer, Alex, made a new version with the original self-harm related lyrics. Over a million views on TikTok, over a quarter million streams with no playlisting - just organic traction. And it's produced where it gets really big towards the end, more in that alternative space. So she was able to bridge the gap between the two things.

Last week, she performed that version live for the first time, opening for Joe Keery (Steve Harrington from Stranger Things, who also has a really cool music project). There were like 5,000 people in the audience holding up their phone lights to the song. It literally brought tears to her eyes because she'd never imagined she'd be able to openly talk about something this serious and be comfortable and not have shame talking about it.

When you share the truth, when you release the shame, what you get back are 5,000 lights.

People have been sharing their own personal experiences, saying how this song has made them feel less alone and how they've been able to be clean for days or weeks or months or years because of the song. It's so powerful, and it gives her a purpose.

Kill Lisa: The Switch Flipped

Kill Lisa is Lisa's first concept EP. She had this idea a few years ago, but she was nervous to pursue it and didn't really feel like she had the tools to take on something like this. This was her first creative direction role - she made a brand deck, first overall for what she wants to be as an artist, and then specifically for this EP.

She was thinking about how she's fighting with two different versions of herself. The one that society wants her to be, this perfect, hot, plastic surgery, fake, shallow version that society thinks they want her to be. And then there's the actual Lisa that is so much more than that, but is also far from perfect and has a lot of flaws, but is authentic.

She wanted these two versions, the ultra ego perfect version and the real Lisa, to fight it out throughout an EP and see who wins. It's kind of like in the movie The Substance, when the fake perfect version takes over, and then you slowly realize why that's too good to be true. By the end, the authentic real Lisa won over and killed off the other version.

This is just what great art is. You having an imagination and an idea and then fulfilling it and playing it out - creating the art around it in every way.

And here's what I kept hearing Lisa say: from Compass, she had the confidence and the courage to do things she'd been wanting to do.

It was like a switch that went off in her head: why am I holding myself back from what I want to do? She needed to give herself permission to just do it and go for it. It was this push and pull of I want to do it, but I need it to be perfect. That can't keep me from actually doing it. A switch flipped and she was like, I'm effing doing it. Here we go.

The Performance Isn't For You

When I asked Lisa how her stage presence has evolved, she said: something I've realized that works well for me is remembering that the performance isn't for me. It's for everyone watching. I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for you. It kind of takes all the pressure off, makes me get out of my own head. I'm thinking about the experience they're having instead of being so perceived and thinking, what do they think of me, me, me, me, when in reality, it's really for them.

On the first day of Compass, we talk about how the songwriter serves the song, the song serves the artist, and the artist serves the audience. You're there to take them on an emotional journey. They're not there to tell you how you're doing—they're there going, please make me feel something. Your job is to impact them, which is such an honor and a privilege.

She loves being on stage more than anything. It's her favorite part of the day, week, month, year.

What This Is All About

Lisa shows what happens when raw honesty meets intentional growth. From college tours to headlining stages, from uncertainty to releasing her most fearless project yet, she's proof that investing in yourself as an artist can transform not just your music, but your entire career.

Compass has been so insanely helpful, she told me. She can't say how much; she's already recommended it to so many people!

And I told her what I always feel in these moments: Seeing your growth is why I do this. I'm cheering you on, and I'm honored that I could play a small part and have a contribution to you.

She said I've definitely played more than a small part.

Kill Lisa arrived on October 31.For artists wondering how to step into your clarity, Lisa's journey is a reminder that the tools and community you need are here. You just need to say yes.

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With love,
Wendy