Let’s all be real for a minute here: These days, finding someone who can write their own songs, play their own music and — most importantly — sing without autotune is hard.
It’s actually seemingly impossible, and when you do find someone who can write songs, play an instrument and sing it’s like hitting the jackpot with a sort of holy trinity.
You’ve got the well-known, well-established singer-songwriters — Ed Sheeran, James Bay and Taylor Swift, to name a few — but don’t forget to keep an eye on the newcomers.
Cue up-and-coming singer-songwriter Liz Bissonette.
The 19-year-old hails from Lansing, Michigan, and brings all three talents to the table. With just more than 2,000 YouTube subscribers, almost 5,000 Twitter followers and myriad original songs and covers under her belt, Bissonette is gaining traction in the world of singer-songwriters. She is also verified on Spotify and charted on the iTunes singer-songwriter chart with her song “Here’s The Song You Asked For.”
She’s been singing for quite some time now, but it didn’t really get serious until middle school when she began doing musicals. She auditioned for the middle-school musical and the program director immediately recruited her.
Shortly after, she received a scholarship for voice lessons and took them for a few months, but most of the singing she does is raw natural talent. And after her best friend taught her four basic chords on the guitar, she taught herself and was hooked.
“The role for music in my life is that no matter what, it’s always a constant in my life,” Bissonette said. “In everyone’s lives, things come and go, but music is the one thing that’s always been constant.”
Songwriting seems to come naturally, as well: She has four original songs on iTunes and more than 20 others she can say she’s truly proud of.
“It’s easiest for me to write about what I go through,” she said. “The main topic is boys because that’s the easiest thing for me to write about. Sometimes I get little epiphanies and get dreams and write songs about them.”
But when she first started writing, she kept her songs to herself, afraid of what people at school would think. Early on in high school, she put two of them on YouTube and hoped no one would find them. Eventually, “This Time Around” became her first original song that she tweeted out and shared publicly. “Nice To Meet You,” which was written after meeting and singing for Alessia Cara, was her first on iTunes.
Her covers have gotten some serious attention, too. Pulling inspiration from her own “holy trinity” — Kelsea Ballerini, Taylor Swift and Charlie Puth — as well as from other popular artists and songs, they’re pretty popular amongst her fan following.
And it’s paid off big-time, too: Kelsea Ballerini saw Bissonette’s cover of “Yeah Boy,” which eventually led to a spontaneous opportunity for Bissonette to perform the song on stage with Ballerini at her show in Grand Rapids.
“It was very surreal because I’d never performed in front of that many people before, ever,” Bissonette said. “The fact that I got to do it next to one of the people I look up to the most is insane. The fact I got to be a part of that is such a blessing.”
Gigs are picking up slowly but surely, and her next performance is set to be at the Fenner Nature Center’s Apple Butter Festival Oct. 8, from noon to 1 p.m.
Keep up with Bissonette and her music by following her on Twitter at @lizbissonette and @lizbissmusic, by subscribing to her YouTube channel, and by purchasing her music on iTunes and streaming it on Spotify.
