Elisabeth Corrin Maurus, known mononymously as Lissie, is an American singer-songwriter.
Born in Rock Island, Illinois in 1982, she became interested in music and singing from an early age, starring in a school adaptation of the musical Annie at the age of nine. After experiencing turbulent years in high school, she studied at Colorado State University, and moved to California after completing her studies to pursue a full-time career in music.
After opening for Lenny Kravitz on a 2008 tour, she released her debut EP proper, Why You Runnin', in November 2009. Her debut album Catching a Tiger followed in June the next year, featuring the singles “Cuckoo”, “In Sleep” and “When I’m Alone”. Tracks from her 2012 cover EP, Covered Up With Flowers, secured several sync placements: “Pursuit Of Happiness”, a Kid Cudi cover, was particularly successful.
“Shameless” and “Further Away (Romance Police)” preceded Lissie’s second studio album, Back to Forever, released in October 2013. After much of the team that signed her to Sony left during the album’s production, she struggled to live up to their replacements' expectations, and was subsequently dropped after the release. By late 2015, she returned with the introspective “Hero”, accompanied by the announcement of her third studio album – and first to be released independently – My Wild West. Critics praised it as her best release yet, while it was also considerably successful in Norway and the UK. 2017 saw the release of the singles “Boyfriend” and “Blood & Muscle” as teasers of her fourth studio album. Castles, released on March 23, also features lead single “Best Days”, and sees a shift towards a more pop-oriented sound which critics noted and praised.
In April 2019, Lissie released a compilation of selections from her back catalogue and covers, reinterpreted with just her voice and a piano, played by frequent collaborator Martin Craft. When I’m Alone: The Piano Retrospective was preceded by her take on Fleetwood Mac’s classic “Dreams”; AllMusic noted that the set shows “how [impressively] her songbook coheres” when presented in such a stripped-back fashion.