Jessica Lisette is a singer and songwriter who sings and composes in both English and Spanish. Her music is a fusion of various styles, which include pop, rock, and Latin. As a performer, she is recognized for her passion and charisma on stage. As a songwriter, she is known for her ability to go from one language to the other while achieving a similar message and meter in her compositions.
Jessica Lisette was born and raised in the United States and is of Cuban descent. She started to learn how to fine-tune and strengthen her voice at the age of seven when she enrolled in classical vocal training. After years of rigorous practice, she would go on to develop a four-octave vocal range. At eleven years old, she was accepted into the UNLV Children’s Choir program, where she sang as a soprano. Later, she decided to branch out of classical music to study other more contemporary methods of vocal performance. Inspired by Latin artists and composers such as Luis Miguel, Armando Manzanero, and Juan Gabriel, she began to write her own music, which emulated the bolero style of romantic melodies and poetic lyrics. In a few years, she had compiled an abundance of original songs written in English as well as in Spanish.
I came across Jessica through her sisters podcast bits and pieces on Instagram, and then Mark (one of the editors here) was enthused over her Sherlock Holmes single “Elementary.” Put those parts together and we headed off to get an interview for you all! And here it is!
We enjoyed the song “Kuhkon;” which was a duet with her sister and it has a cool car on the cover. Was that your car? A bit of envy over here if it was!
Jessica: We wanted a Maserati because one of the lyrics in “Kuhkon” mentioned being as sleek as a Maserati. It’s a beautiful car that was fun to drive. We rented it from a nice older man in Las Vegas. While we were driving the car on the freeway, one of the wheels popped and left us stranded on the side of the freeway. Then the owner had to tow us out! So while it was exciting to drive around and film in a Maserati, apparently, it’s high maintenance to own!
And, you do a few duets with your sister, which are more often rap style (“Bend the Knee,” for example). These seem different to your solo material. Do you come toward music from different directions?
Jessica: I do approach writing songs differently when I collaborate with my sister, Captain Jen_E. “Kuhkon” was based on a funny poem Jenny had written while she was live streaming. It turned into a meme in our community so I asked her if she’d be willing to sing if I turned it into a song so that’s what we did and that’s the first single we did together.
“The Other Side” I liked a lot, more my kind of thing as I’m not a big rap fan—this is a good rhythmic pop track, a dance number. This is the type of song that should get radio play; do you perform it live and what are your feelings about it as a track?
Jessica: I appreciate that. Thank you for your kind words. I perform “The Other Side” live on my music live stream several times a week. I take requests and sing my originals on Twitch, Kick, and TikTok. I multistream there so you can catch me on any of those sites singing and engaging with the community.
I would say the Cuban side of you comes out on the track “Ya.” Does Cuban dress/dance style and music influence your approach to music?
Jessica: Yes, “YA” is a merengue song. Having a Cuban family is a huge influence on my music. When I was little, my grandma, who was a cabaret singer in Havana, exposed me to a lot of Spanish standards and I feel that had a big impact on my writing style. Because of her, I also have a love for vintage Latin-inspired dress and fashion.
One key reason we got in touch was because I stumbled on “Fly Away” and I liked it a lot, feeling it deserved a wider audience. Sometimes we reach out to artists; often they approach us. Did you write that song? Can you tell us a bit about it?
Jessica: I’m so glad you stumbled on “Fly Away”! Yes, I write all of the originals that I release. “Fly Away” is about feeling trapped but hopeful that one day you can break free and rise above dark times. It’s about an experience I had growing up where I felt like I had little agency and was holding on to hope that better times would arrive. I originally wrote it in Spanish as “Volar” but later translated it into English. It actually has a very similar theme to my other song, “Ya,” which is about wanting to move on from the past and wanting to live life to the fullest.
The other reason we said hello is because one of the bosses here, Mark, loves Sherlock Holmes and when I sent your music to him, he likes Sherlock Holmes, and on the song “Elementary,” there you were reading Holmes and the song title has Sherlock connections! So he found that funny and contacted, especially after watching the video on YouTube! (We will put that one at the end of the feature). When you are doing your album covers, are you responsible for the angle they take or do you have a photographer who takes over at that point? And was that excellent video your idea? Well done if it was!
Jessica: I love Sherlock Holmes! Your boss Mark has great taste! I love mysteries and characters who can look at a situation and pick up on details most people would overlook. Then, when explaining how they arrived at that conclusion, you’re left feeling like, “Why didn’t I see that? It was right there all along!” Elementary has a lot of his famous quotes from the book referenced in the lyrics. I really wanted to work in the word “indubitably” somehow!
I think getting indubitably in is very worthy! I keep wanting to slip pusillaminous into my features; who knows, I may manage it one day! Talking about the Elementary video (all 5 of us liked it here), you do some Holmes cosplay, which is a load of fun—you do some cosplay in the films with your sister too (we think you should be Velma from Scooby Doo!). How much input do you have in the cover photographs, etc. that you use?
Jessica: So glad you guys liked the “Elementary” video! It was a huge project for me at the time. One of the most challenging parts was finding locations in Las Vegas that give off an English feel. I ended up directing and editing the video. I actually tried to edit a rough draft on iMovie (I didn’t know what I was doing and the files were too big) and it literally broke my MacBook. The screen went black, and the laptop did not turn on again. I have never seen anything like that since. After that experience, I learned to edit on Final Cut Pro. And, for the cover of my songs, I usually trust the photographer, but I give whoever is taking the photo instructions on the feel that I want. Making your own choices is a part of the indie life! haha
Taking stock of where you are right now, how do you see your music developing over the next year? If you can hit the level of that elementary video and song, we believe absolutely that you deserve a much bigger audience. So how do you see things and what lies on the horizon for 2025?
Jessica: Thank you! That means so much! I’m planning to release the music video for “Bend the Knee” soon. It’s been in production for a couple of years because I also have been editing it. With performing on stream regularly, it can be hard to keep up with a project that size. This one is also British-inspired but is set in the Middle Ages. It has a lot of fantasy elements. I am a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings, so I wanted to incorporate magic effects. Needless to say, it’s been hard on my computer. The rendering time has been unbelievable so it can be a frustrating process for one person. I can’t wait till I release it since I know my viewers and listeners have been patiently waiting. I know it will be something different we’ve not tried before. I’m also hoping to release more music this year. I have many songs I have written but being independent, it can take more time to have the songs mixed and produced (indie life). I’m looking forward to what this year will bring!
Lastly, a fun question: If you were a superhero, what superhero power would you have and how would you dress?
Jessica: That is a great question! I like so many superheroes it’s hard to choose one power and style. I think I’d have a red suit since that’s my favorite color. Being a superhero, I’ll probably need more strength and durability in general to survive the villains. As for powers, I enjoy the idea of flying anywhere or teleporting. Obviously, I’m a big fan of flying away 😂.
And there we are! We love Jessica here and we recommend that you listen to “Elementary” immediately (below) and then head off to stream a few more. She often appears on the podcasts with her sister and a range of ‘guests’ as her sister Captain Jen_E is a talented ventriloquist with her own following. Her channel is here.
And we hope you liked the feature, dear reader! If you did, please check out the other pages of the magazine; we have many great features, merchandise pages, shops, editorials and even a poetry page. Content is free here, but we work hard for you and to support the magazine. Please show your appreciation on the support button below and buy me a coffee!
You can stream music from Jessica here
By Anna-Louise Burgess
I found Jessica’s sister, Jen aka CaptainJen_E, first, on TikTok! Shortly after, Jen said she had a sister, who was a singer & who streams also! When I found their song, “KuhKon” is when I started following Jessica & I am sooo glad I did! I tell her all the time that Disney needs her!! Haha My favorite song of Jess’s is “YA!” I request Jess to sing it on her stream almost every time & I listen to it ALOT in my own time! lol All of the songs are good whether they are by Jess herself or with her sister! Don’t forget Jen’s POF (Person Of Fabric), Gosh Drum, who also had made songs with Jessica! Both ladies have AMAZING talents!! I have been following & watching the sisters for over three & a half years now! Their streams are so much fun & they put in A LOT of work for them as well! I love the most when they collab together, on stream, for special events & holidays, such as New Year’s Eve…They ring in the new year every year with their followers & viewers!! That says alot about them that they would rather stay home & stream with us, rather than go out & party, like most people do on NYE! Everybody should follow Jess & Jen immediately!!