SM Where were you raised?
LV I was raise in Leominster, Massachusetts. I grew up with my mom and dad, and my little sister Alexis.
SM Who were your inspirations as a child?
LV When I was going up, Kelly Clarkson was really an inspiration to me. I still know most of the words to her older songs! Today, I look to Amy Lee, from Evanescence, as my inspiration for my music. I listen primarily to Panic! At the Disco and really anything else I am in the mood for.
SM Tell me 3 things about yourself that makes you who you are.
LV That is a good question that I’m still trying to figure out the answer to! I feel like everyone changes, any age and at any time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have an idea of who you are at this exact moment in time. At the moment, things that make me who I am are my religion and church, my friends and family, and my music. They all define who I am as Lish in January of 2016.
SM What do you think about the music industry today in general?
LV I think it is different for everyone and it is all based on who you know. Connections are so huge, and always have been, but now it’s as if you could have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t know anybody, you aren’t going anywhere.
SM What made you want to rock out to Evanescence?
LV: My dad and my manager actually suggested it. We started with the music video to “Everybody’s Fool”. It was REALLY hard to understand the music, but I started singing it more and more and I created such a connection with all of the emotion, it’s become a part of me.
SM What is your most personal song that you have sung or wrote?
LV Definitely one hundred percent has to be “Weight of the World” by Evanescence. Every lyric has meaning to me. It talks about how the weight of the world (literally) is tearing you down, and you are held accountable for who you are and who you were, like you can never change, but everyone still comes to you even though they don’t believe in you. That’s at least how I interpret it. And that is why I love music. Someone else could listen to that song and think something totally different to what I believe it means. It kind of shows how everyone’s soul is, and that’s just so beautiful to me.
SM Where would you like to take your music next?
LV I want to make this my full time job. I want to be able to do what I love and make a living for it, and to even think that that is possible for me to do it is crazy. It has always been my dream to wake up and just go to the studio or get ready for a concert, and go to sleep and wake up and do it all over again.
SM Advice for other musicians?
LV Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. They are either jealous that they didn’t do it, or jealous that you are happy and they aren’t. I always follow a quote by Jim Carrey, he says, “You can fail at what you don’t want, so why not take a chance at doing what you love.” Work your butt off and it will pay off!
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