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LISA LOEB’S TRICK TO HAPPINESS

The Grammy Awardwinning Hockaday grad has a new album to help you live your best life 

Singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb has an independent streak that has served her well ever since she graduated from Hockaday in 1986. She was the first pop musician to have a No. 1 single while not signed to a recording contract. She followed that hit song, “Stay (I Missed You)” from the film “Reality Bites” in 1994, with six albums, including two that were certified gold. Loeb also created five children’s albums. “Feel What U Feel” won the Grammy for Best Children’s Album in 2018. Her latest release, “A Simple Trick To Happiness,” releases Feb. 28. Known for her cat-eye glasses, the entrepreneurial musician parlayed that passion into Lisa Loeb Eyewear.

What are your memories of Hockaday and Preston Hollow?

I went to Hockaday for 11 years, so I have a lifetime of memories. I used to love performing in the school plays at St. Mark’s, singing in the spring performances in third grade with the class, eating the famous cornbread and the doughnut cakes for our birthdays. I loved going to Write Selection and picking out stickers, the Container Store to pick out supplies and different colored plastic boxes to personalize with dottie letters. I loved buying needlepoint at Stitches and Patches, spending summer days in the library on Walnut Hill near Preston and going to summer camp at St. Mark’s Day Camp and Hockaday tennis camp.

What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career?

I’m proud of writing so many songs and continuing to evolve as a storyteller. I am also proud of my amazing fan base. Knowing they are listening and feeling their support energizes me.

What is the most challenging thing you’ve overcome?

The most challenging thing in my career is the changing music industry. All of the work that a record company used to do now falls to a small team of people and the musician who’s also creating, recording and performing the songs live. I enjoy looking at the creative and the business side of things, but it’s also time consuming and sometimes hard to focus on so many different things at once.

What misconceptions do people have about your industry?

People think that the music industry is always glamorous, and there is that element, but it’s also a grassroots, hands-on business environment in which you have to be very involved to succeed.

Besides work, what are you proud of?

I’m proud of my family — my husband and two wonderful children. They are so kind and interesting, curious, funny, smart and a bunch of other adjectives too. Being able to balance my family with my work is no small feat. It’s always evolving, but I’m proud of the place that we’ve been in for years.

What is the best advice you ever received?

When you’re trying to do something involving others that you really want, don’t let them say “no.” A “maybe” is OK, but don’t let them say “no.”

What is the best gift you ever received?

A jewelry/music box that plays “Rainbow Connection.” My husband and daughter gave it to me on an anniversary.

Who is your greatest influence?

I love writing teacher Natalie Goldberg, author of “Writing Down the Bones.” Growing up, I did well in school, but I wasn’t always encouraged to find my own voice. She has helped me get out of my own way so that I can write without editing my thoughts before they have a chance to be.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to go into your field?

Do the thing you say you want to do. If you want to be a singer, then sing, or a writer, then write. Always keep learning to do what you do better.

Have you experienced gender discrimination?

I’ve experienced some gender discrimination when it comes to radio in the ’90s. Women musicians would often hear that a radio station didn’t want to play your song because they were already playing a song by another woman.

Given $1 million, how would you spend it on our community?

I’d love to spend money on underserved kids and their education. I have a foundation called The Camp Lisa Foundation that sends kids to summer camp who can’t afford to go. Summer camp is a place where kids learn about themselves and how to be members of the community, take chances in a safe space and have fun.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

How did the tornado affect you?

We went to the State Fair that evening with the boys, came home and turned on the Cowboys games. Then the meteorologist said, “There’s a tornado on the ground at Midway and Walnut Hill, going north, northeast at 25 miles an hour.” We grabbed the kids and the dogs and went under the stairs in a closet. My wife said, “You need to go get the lanterns in case the power goes out.” I ran back upstairs to get the lanterns, looked outside our windows and could see debris flying around. Not 30 seconds after I got back under the stairs, the power went out. We could hear the freight train noise, our ears were popping, and then the windows started to break.

Was your house badly damaged?

Yes, we’re out of our home for six months while it’s repaired. There are families that are worse off. Our whole street took a pretty hard hit. As you go down Pemberton and Orchid, there are houses that are leveled. The trees are all gone.

What made you interested in the trees?