Lissie is a solo artist who originates from America's Midwest. Her music combines folk and rock influences. She has a large fan base in the UK and Ireland. One of Lissie's big breaks came in 2008 when she was chosen to open for Lenny Kravitz on the US leg of his Love Revolution tour. Since then she has toured extensively, particularly in the UK and Europe, both with other artists and in her own right. Her 2014 tour saw her play a number of dates in the UK, including London and Cambridge.
Her first major release was the 2009 EP, Why You Runnin'. This was followed in 2010 by her debut album, Catching a Tiger. Her second album, Back to Forever, was released in 2013. Both albums reached the Top 20 in the UK and featured in the Top 100 in Ireland. In 2011, she released a live recording of a concert at Shepherd's Bush Empire. Her first EP, Lissie, was re-released in 2013. She also recorded the EPs Covered up with Flowers and Love in the City, which were released in 2011 and 2013 respectively.
Lissie's music has been featured on a number of top television shows, such as The OC, House and Veronica Mars. She has also recorded covers of some big songs. Her version of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance won Paste Magazine's award for Cover of the Year in 2010. She has also covered Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac, which featured in the film Safe Haven, and the Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi. Throughout her career, Lissie has collaborated with a number of other acts, including Robbie Williams and Snow Patrol. She worked with Snow Patrol on their album, Fallen Empires, in 2011 and featured on a selection of the tracks. She features on the 2012 track Losers by Robbie Williams, which was included on his Take the Crown album. Lissie has also appeared on tracks by DJ Harry, Andy Clockwise, George Stanford and Bigbang.
In 2010, Lissie was awarded the title of Best New Solo Artist by Paste Magazine. The remix by deadmau5 of her track The Longest Road, written alongside DJ Morgan Page, received a Grammy nomination for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical. Her single, When I'm Alone, was awarded the iTunes UK Song of the Year in 2010. She was also nominated in the same year for Best Breakthrough Artist at the Q Awards.