| Lisa Lavie | |
|---|---|
 Lisa Lavie in January 2009[1]
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| Background information | |
| Born | May 6, 1983 |
| Origin | LaSalle, Montréal, Québec, Canada |
| Genres | R&B, soul, pop |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 2004-present |
| Labels | unsigned |
| Website | youtube.com/lisalavie1 youtube.com/lisalavie |
Lisa Lavie is a Canadian-born singer and songwriter who is known for using the Internet to independently promote her own music and concerts, and for having been discovered by and having worked with producer Ben Margulies. Lavie's vocals have appeared on soundtracks of major motion pictures, and her independently produced debut album Everything or Nothing was released on iTunes worldwide in 2008.
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Lisa Lavie[2] discovered her musical talent at age 10, and toured Canada as a backup singer at age 16 with hip hop group Dubmatique.
At age 16, Lavie began promoting her own music career by producing a demo vocal CD that five years later reached Ben Margulies--a co-writer and co-producer of the first album of Lavie's childhood idol, Mariah Carey. Lavie, then 21, accepted Margulies' invitation to travel from Montréal to Santa Barbara, California to work with him. By 2006, Lavie's vocals had landed on soundtracks of major motion pictures, but a career breakthrough remained elusive.
In 2007, Lavie began posting music videos on video sharing website YouTube. When a video of Lavie performing one of her original songs was featured on YouTube's front page, viewer response attracted media recognition within weeks. Entertainment Tonight Canada nationally televised her moniker, "the next Mariah Carey". The following month, CTV's eTalk featured how "music stars" like Lavie, notably without backing or promotion of a record label, would "get to the top on their own terms".
In 2008, Lavie's debut album, the independently produced Everything or Nothing, was released on iTunes. Featured in "What's Hot" on the iTunes front page, the album reached the #20 spot on the iTunes pop chart. Her featured video was a finalist among all music videos in the 2007 YouTube Awards, and Lavie performed by invitation at "YouTube Events." Still an independent artist, Lavie headlined her first major concert before an audience estimated at 20,000.
The year 2008 roughly tripled Lavie's YouTube subscriber base (35,000+) and video views (almost 13,000,000) as she continued to post videos of original and cover songs. Calendar year 2009 saw Lavie's subscriber base grow to 112,000, and video views to 30,000,000.
Without affiliation with a record label, and (beginning in September 2009) independent of Ben Margulies, Lavie continues to promote her music and concerts online, and writes songs for future albums.
As of the 1st of March 2010, Lavie's YouTube channel had over 131,000 subscribers.
Lavie's first musical accomplishment was to win a singing part in a school variety show at age 10.[3] Lavie's older brothers Michael, a hip hop dancer, and Danny, a disk jockey known around Montréal as DJ Devious,[4][5] were her family musical inspirations. She said[6] she listened devotedly to Mariah Carey.
By age 16 she toured Canada as a backup singer with the French-Canadian hip hop group Dubmatique, performing before thousands.[4] Also at age 16, Lavie had her own demo CD recorded, paid for by $5,000 saved from working as a cashier.[7] For years the demo CD passed from hand to hand in the music industry. Meanwhile, Lavie worked on the fringes of the music industry, including co-owning and managing Harmony Karaoke in Montréal starting at age 19.[5]
In 2004 her demo CD reached songwriter-producer Ben Margulies, a co-producer of Mariah Carey's first album. Margulies was struck by what he called[4] a "one in a million" voice: "It was like the first time I heard Mariah."[8] Lavie initially thought[4] Margulies' attempts to contact her were friends' hoaxes, playing on her childhood devotion to Carey.
After three months, Margulies and Lavie connected. After Lavie sang her original "Guys Are All the Same" to Margulies over a cellphone from a Montréal shopping mall, Margulies responded:[9] "I heard something really special in her voice... I said, fly out here right away." Lavie later wrote[10][11] "I couldn't believe that Mariah Carey's producer had discovered me. From the age of 10 to 17, I don't think I even listened to anybody else. Her voice and melodies captured me." A planned three-day visit to Santa Barbara, California in July, 2004 evolved into a permanent move for the 21 year old Lavie. Margulies founded Boundary Entertainment LLC to launch Lavie's career.
Early on, producer Ben Margulies expressed[9] his estimation of Lavie's potential: "Lisa has an undeniably brilliant tone and a vocal quality that is beyond my ability to quantify. ... I've worked with a lot of great singers, and she's got that something extra, something special... everything it takes to be a superstar."[11] "Every video she put up is of her just singing live, from the heart, with that incredible built in sense of believability and credibility."[12] Lavie developed her songwriting ability, her lyrics said[13] to be based on her own life experiences. Lavie is listed[14] as songwriter/composer on all songs of what was to become her first album, including solo songwriter/composer on three tracks.
Early professional recognition was limited but distinguished, with Lavie landing songs on the soundtracks of the 2006 motion pictures Stick It starring Jeff Bridges (Lavie's original song "If I Only Knew") and The Guardian starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher (Lavie's version of "Mockingbird").[15]
In August, 2006, Lavie signed as a songwriter/publisher with the performing rights organization Broadcast Music, Incorporated (BMI), formalizing her entry into the profession.[16] She was featured in the "Hitmakers" section of BMI MusicWorld Magazine in spring of 2007.[17] She has regularly attended invitation-only events in the industry, including the BMI Pop Awards[18] beginning in 2006,[19] as well as the October 2008 "City of Hope, Spirit of Life" gala.[20][21]
Even after the movie soundtrack vocals, a career breakthrough remained elusive, relying on personal contacts and networking in media and record labels. Lavie later characterized[22] praises from industry executives as enthusiastic but non-committal, leading Lavie and Margulies to pursue independent production of a first album.
In March, 2007, Lavie opened an account on the video sharing website YouTube, loosely mirrored by her MySpace page. She said[3] she did not anticipate that her do-it-yourself video performances would advance her career. Posting videos of herself singing her own original songs—including two videos[23][24] of her singing inside a car—Lavie steadily gained YouTube subscribers in her first six months, vowing at that time[25] to try to respond personally to all viewer comments.
Lavie's responses to viewers backfired on September 11, 2007. YouTube software interpreted her many replies to viewer comments as computer bot-generated spam, and automatically suspended her account. Her YouTube fans initiated an online petition campaign,[26] and Lavie's YouTube account was reinstated two days after suspension.[27] Lavie portrayed her suspension ordeal—including a wrist brace required to treat carpal tunnel syndrome caused by her hours of typing—in a self-created humorous YouTube video[28] that was to be viewed over 150,000 times in its first year.
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Within three weeks of her channel's reinstatement, Lavie's video performance of her original song "Angel"[29] was featured on YouTube's front page. The video attracted over one million views in five days.[27][4][30] For days surrounding October 3, 2007—when the "Angel" video achieved its 1,000,000th view—Lavie continued to interact with viewers in an online chatroom-like marathon, cementing her reputation as an artist who connects with her fans.[3][31] An informal collection of YouTube subscribers formed, unofficially dubbed "Team Lavie."[32] Tribute channels and fansites sprung up on YouTube and on the web in general.[33] But past were the days in which she could attempt to respond to every viewer comment: the "Angel" video alone had registered 9,839 viewer comments when it crossed the 1,000,000 view threshold.[34]
The YouTube front page feature proved to be a watershed event, garnering attention beyond the website itself. Within the month, Entertainment Tonight (ET) Canada dubbed Lavie an "Internet singing sensation" and "Internet phenomenon",[35] quoting her new designation, "the next Mariah Carey". The following month, CTV's eTalk featured how "music stars" like Lavie would "get to the top on their own terms."[36] In that televised phone interview, Lavie explained how in today's music business, to earn the confidence of skittish record labels, artists themselves have to create their own buzz.
After this media exposure,[37] Lavie continued to use Internet websites such as YouTube (mainly), but also MySpace, Facebook, BlogTV and Twitter, to propagate that buzz. She continued to work, personally, on her own promotion and communication with existing fans. Soon thereafter, in December 2007, Lavie was accepted into the YouTube Partner Program, a revenue sharing arrangement offered to YouTube content producers whose videos have achieved a threshold number of views.[38] In February 2008, Lavie was one of three YouTube musicians invited to perform at the "YouTube Event" in New York. The following month, Lavie's video performance of her original song "Angel" was among six YouTube Awards[39] finalists among all of that website's music videos. On the May 13, 2008 iTunes release date of her debut album Everything or Nothing, YouTube's front page featured another Lavie video—her performance of the album's title track. In November 2008, Lavie performed at the San Francisco YouTube Live event.[40]
Continuing without affiliation with a major record label, Lavie headlined the 2008 "Sparkle Event" Independence Day concert in Santa Barbara before a crowd estimated at 20,000,[41] and performed at the Gibson Showroom in Beverly Hills in December 2008.[42] Lavie also performed for charity events, such as the televised Santa Barbara Christmas Telethon.[43][44]
By the end of 2008, the first full calendar year after the ET and eTalk features, Lavie's YouTube account had[30] over 35,000 subscribers, her YouTube videos collectively having 12.7 million views, 96,000 viewer comments, and having been "favorited"[45] over 52,000 times;[46] plays of Lavie's MySpace tracks numbered approximately 1.2 million. In perspective: during 2008 a Lavie video was viewed, on average, every 3.5 seconds.[47] During calendar year 2009,[30] subscribership grew to over 112,000, views to over 30 million, viewer comments to 186,000, and favorites to over 126,000, while a video was viewed, on average, every 1.8 seconds.
Lavie continues to post video performances of songs from Everything or Nothing, as well as cover songs and creative collaborations.[48][49]
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Four years in the making,[3] Lavie's debut album Everything or Nothing was released on the iTunes music download website on May 13, 2008, being featured in the "What's Hot" section of the iTunes front page.
The album reached as high as #20 on the iTunes pop chart, and #70 on the iTunes overall music chart, on its second day. With no backing or promotion by a record label, sales were likely buoyed by Lavie's YouTube subscribers, then already numbering almost 20,000,[50] and MySpace friends. By the album's first anniversary in May 2009, Lavie's YouTube subscribership had more than tripled, to over 60,000 subscribers.[30]
Lavie is credited[14] as writing or co-writing all of the lyrics and melodies of Everything or Nothing, including solo songwriter/composer on three tracks. Lavie's metaphor: "I've been writing a soundtrack to my life, to my existence, to what I've been going through."[13]
Though most Everything or Nothing songs focus on the pain of romantic relationships, her emotional energy and vocal power project positivity: "Angel" was reviewed as "an angry Anastacia track on which Lavie roars into sadness while keeping the music upbeat, something few artists manage to do."[51]
The album's official iTunes review uniformly praised Lavie's vocals, describing her "mastery over many different flavored tracks," saying she "nails each style with ease." The iTunes review noted the album's "new level of multi-dimensionality" yet characterized the album's very diversity of genres as a potential drawback, commercially. Lavie herself described the album's songs as being "like seasons".[3]
Lavie plans a physical CD release of Everything or Nothing, and continues to work on songs for future albums.[7]
Having always worked independently of major music labels, in September 2009 Lavie further began working independently of her producer of five years, Ben Margulies. In late 2009, Lavie began building her own studio,[52] and the recording site of her YouTube videos switched from Margulies' studio to her own home or studio.
Continuing to post her own music videos, Lavie also expanded her collaborative efforts. In February 2010, Lavie conceived, organized, performed in, and with Iman Crosson, co-edited, the musical collaboration video "We Are The World 25 For Haiti (YouTube Edition)"[53] for charity relief[54] of victims of the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake. Lavie's video, a collaboration of 57 unsigned or independent YouTube musicians, was a cover of the celebrity version, We Are the World 25 for Haiti, released the week before.[55] Lavie's collaboration video received its first 1,000,000 views on YouTube in less than seven and a half days[30] and became the subject of worldwide media attention.[56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65]
In her MySpace blog, February 19, 2008, three months before her iTunes debut, Lavie described the trials and frustrations of trying to be recognized by record labels, and how she proceeded with her career as an independent artist: "I can no longer wait for this 'Major Label' to come along. I need to break the mold of how things were once done and find innovative ways of utilizing the Internet and other sources to get my music heard. ... I need to step up my game."[22] "The labels are all scrambling to stay afloat of this new wave called the Internet. There are so many innovative ways of getting music out."[70] Lavie later explained[71] that her Everything or Nothing album was named in part based on her refusal to compromise her artistic standards, that if a label wanted to sign her it would have to accept her, everything or nothing. Still later, Lavie reaffirmed "Labels have been showing interest but until the right deal comes along and it's the perfect fit, I'm going to keep on doing my thing and creating my own destiny."[72]
Lavie's four-octave voice is known for its power,[7] for its soulfulness, emotional expressiveness, high energy, sincerity,[73] and for her mastery of many genres of music.[51]
Lavie characterizes her style as being R&B[74] or "Pop/R&B".[75] Everything or Nothing was classified in the iTunes pop genre.
Lavie mentions Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men & Brian McKnight, to whom she listened while growing up, as being "definite influences on (her) music and vocal style."[70] Her YouTube channel through February 2009 further listed Robin Thicke, Lauryn Hill, and India.Arie as influences. Asked with which artists she would most like to collaborate, Lavie cited[76] Alicia Keys (for compatible song-writing styles) and Brian McKnight (as her long-time inspiration).
Lavie actively and personally manages[35][7] her YouTube channels, and her pages on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. She began hosting broadcasts on BlogTV in October 2008.
Lavie has said[77] that she is vegetarian, does not drink alcohol, and avoids violent movies.
In April 2008, Lavie and actor-impressionist Iman Crosson opened a shared YouTube channel AlphaLavie with the stated theme of "relationship advice." The two have also been dating since 2008.
Lavie has said[71] that part of her career motivation is to provide for her parents.
Lavie's Facebook page (2008) says she is involved in environmental preservation causes, and is a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Philanthropic activities: In October 2009, Lavie headlined a concert at the "Women Taking Care of the World" event of the International Association of Moxy Women. To inspire donations for relief of victims of the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake, in February 2010 Lavie conceived, organized, performed in, and co-edited, a musical collaboration video "We Are The World 25 For Haiti (YouTube Edition)"[69] which followed her January 16, 2010 "Altar Call (Haiti)" video for Haiti relief.[78]
Lavie is an accomplished salsa dancer.[79]
Stick It (Original Soundtrack)
(p) Touchstone Pictures (on iTunes April 4, 2006)
7. If I Only Knew
The Guardian (Original Soundtrack)
(p) Hollywood Records (on iTunes September 12, 2006)
5. The Mockingbird
Everything or Nothing
(p) Boundary Entertainment (on iTunes May 13, 2008)
   | " 'Blame It' SPOOF-(BARACK OBAMA)" video - YouTube - Blame It - Jamie Foxx- BARACK OBAMA SPOOF |
| | "Exclusive Interview with Lisa Lavie - YouTube - Exclusive Interview With Lisa LaVie |
| | Team Lavie - YouTube - TeamLavie's Channel |
| | main YouTube channel - YouTube - lisalavie1's Channel |
| | '''Twitter''' page - Lisa Lavie (LisaLavie) on Twitter |
| | Spirit of Life Award Dinner - Lisa Lavie Pictures - Zimbio |
| | ''TheStarScoop'' interview - TheStarScoop.com: Interview With Lisa Lavie |
| | '''BlogTV''' page - lisalavie - LisaLavie Live - blogTV |
| | CTV - CTV.ca | CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television |
| | Review: Lisa Lavie-Everything or Nothing - Review: Lisa Lavie – Everything or Nothing « The Armored Stereo |
| | BMI Pop Awards - BMI.com | Awards |
| | Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) - BMI.com | About |
| | PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The animal rights organization |
| | '''Facebook''' page - Lisa Lavie | Facebook |
| | Native de LaSalle, l'artiste Lisa Lavie fait un malheur sur Internet, Un million de visiteurs sur YouTube en cinq jours - Le Messager LaSalle > Vie culturelle > Native de LaSalle, l'artiste Lisa Lavie fait un malheur sur Internet |
| | '''MySpace''' page - Lisa Lavie "On iTunes Now" on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads |
| | ''Entertainment Tonight Canada'' - ET Canada - GlobalTV.com: Global Television Official Site |
| | main Internet website - Lisa Lavie Official Site - www.lisalavie.com |
| | The Guardian - The Guardian (2006/I) |
| | Soundtrack - Stick It (2006) - Soundtracks |
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