Q&A: meet Rissa, Sydney’s soul sister

Sydney singer-songwriter RISSA has created a funky slice of soul in her recent release Twisted. The track is full of heart and is exuding with brightness and a soft resonant tone throughout.

The contemporary soul-singer is no stranger to live performance. Although not every musicians favourite thing to do, RISSA thrives under the hot lights, feeling at home on stage and describes her performances as an invitation to her own digs.

The silkiness to her tone is incredibly alluring, it is particularly prominent in her 2019 hit How Do You Feel. Oooft that song is MORE than tasty. She just throws around those lyrics with ease, showing off her huge vocal range. This song is just outright sexy.

The songstress has teased us with the news that she’ll be dropping some new tracks later this year, including some exciting collaborations. We are ready @RISSA.KL for your luscious intimate lyrics and groovy beats.

We had a chat with RISSA about new release Twisted and what’s coming up later in the year for her.

Heres a little snippet of our conversation:

Who is RISSA? For those who don’t know you so well, tell us a little bit about you and your music journey.

I’m a Sydney based musician grown from all things creative. Most people usually assume that I’ve been singing since childhood but I only got into singing when I was 15 years old and once I started, I didn’t stop (poor family and neighbours). After studying music for over 3 years I came out of my degree as a performer and began writing my own music at 21. Since then, I’ve worked with SO many talented people and am constantly inspired by my friends and other creatives around me. Collaborating is easily one of my favourite things to do, so I continue to do it as a session singer, writer and teacher.

Your latest release, ‘Twisted’ is full of so much energy and funk, can you talk us through the song and how it came about?

One day I walked into a house in Newtown where some very cool musicians/producers live (Sumatra Beats) they showed me a track they had made and put a mic in front of my face and said “sing something” (the only kind of peer pressure I will give into). Half the lyrics for Twisted actually came from an IG video I posted about a year prior to this and then the rest of the song was written in the same session with Sumatra. The guys ended up adding some extra hits and tasty bass around what I wrote and then we brought in the horn dream team (Jack Purdon and Ned Olive) to add some extra flavour.

Do you have any music coming through later this year?

I’ve got a fair few tracks dropping throughout the second half of this year with some hot features, super excited for it and honestly can say that I’m proud of the work my team around me have done. Keen for the world to hear!

What’re some of the positives to come out of iso? Have you managed to keep up the creativity?

The positives I’ve discovered in iso have been; the extra amount of communication I’ve had with my friends and family, literally talking to people all day every day and I love it. Being forced to buy my own recording gear so I can continue working from home has been a blessing in disguise. The extra collaborations I’ve had with people interstate has also been another positive as I feel like a whole bunch of creatives are reaching out to each other to stay active and I am here for it!

Can you tell us a bit about the feeling you get when performing live?

Performing live is honestly where I feel the most comfortable, I LOVE being on stage whether its at the front singing my own things or alongside my mates singing with them. The stage is truly my second home and I see the audience as guests in my house so they are my priority always.

We love all your visuals - the hand drawings, the collage and mixture with photography. What inspires you when it comes to visually representing yourself and your music?

I love being a little extra when its comes to visuals, the whole “home” feeling I get on stage, I like to bring that same energy into all parts of my visual representation. The whole scrapbook collage vibe is just an extension of making things personal and cosy, because who I am in my music and online is literally me in real life and that’s my favourite way to be.

If you were a Harry Potter character, who would you be and why?

I’ve never watched Harry Potter, haters don’t @ me please xoxo

If you could only shop for clothing at one store for the rest of your life where would you choose and why?

I’d definitely choose SWOP, I love trading in clothes for new ones and there’s honestly ALWAYS something good to find. The store is a treasure.

What’s at the top of your bucket list?

I don’t necessarily have a bucket list but one of my goals in life is to travel the world playing music with my friends for all types of people. The idea of feeling at home in different countries is amazing and I’d love to experience it!

Although not a fan of Harry Potter we couldn’t love RISSA enough. She has some serious star quality, reminding us of the likes of Jorja Smith and Ama Lou. As soon as gigs start back up, we recommend you pencil in RISSA, her audience is her priority, so you’ll be in for a good one.

Check out RISSA’s song below or head to our Sunday’s R 4 The Soul 🎷playlist to hear more songs like this one.

By Samuel Seedsman.