Colorado native Elise Lieberth has been singing her whole life. From the time she could talk, she would line her stuffed animals up as if they were her audience. While entering extremely dark years during her childhood, she would retreat to her room and turn the music up as loud as possible to drown out the pain, hurt, and screaming that often echoed throughout the house. She began putting her feelings into songs at age eight and has been writing ever since as a way to cope with the pain.
From the time she was ten years old until high school, she was kidnapped by her father for several weeks, she was severely bullied, her parents divorced, her father battled extreme, untreated bipolar disorder and alcoholism, she endured sexual assault, she contemplated suicide, and was exposed to many heartbreaking experiences that she hopes no other human, let alone a child, has to experience.
Elise has always had a strong faith in God and credits Him, her mother, and music for giving her strength during the tough times.
Things were turning around for her in high school: she was selected to be in the top choir, had wonderful Christian friends and mentors, and had big dreams of moving to Nashville to live in a box--if that’s what it took for her to follow her musical endeavors and dreams. She fell in love with a fellow musician, he completely stole her heart, and before she knew it, she was pregnant at the ripe age of 17, changing the course of her dreams and life forever.
She was married at nineteen, had her second child at twenty, quickly was divorced, and was left a single mom of two kids at age twenty-one. She was determined not to let her past define her, ruin her, or stop her from dreaming. With two small kids looking up to their mom, she continued to pursue music. She was in several bands, including a disco band, but wasn’t successful until 2009, when she reached out to local musician Tyler Ward to collaborate on several songs she had written and, to her surprise, found he was an incredible producer. She began writing and recording with Tyler and released a seven-song EP, Letters From Elise, in May 2010. She grew a nice fan base and YouTube following and credits the start of her YouTube following to a random idea she had to do a cover of “We Are The World”, since it was being remade at the time. Tyler loved the idea, gathered several talented local artists for the project, and to their surprise, the song went viral and changed her musical career in the best way possible.
Her song, ”You’re Gonna Pay” was written the day after she was raped; the lyrics just poured out of her through tears, embarrassment, and pain in a matter of minutes, and it was not meant to be released, but after realizing her story had the chance to help others who suffered the same pain, she knew she had to release it, and the feedback was truly tremendous. It was painful to hear others’ experiences, but it gave hope to her and others that she was not alone, that this is a real thing that happens, and something needs to be done in our society, because this can’t be a social norm.
Elise is a romantic at heart, and waited for her prince, if you will. She normally fell in love hard and fast, and that often left her heartbroken. Finally, she met a man who swept her off her feet and reminded her what true love really means. During that time, she also released her self-titled, full-length album in December 2012. She was married in March 2013, and they welcomed their third child in October 2013. She decided to put music on the back burner as she focused her time on her family.
In 2014, she lost her dad in a tragic incident where, ultimately, his mental illness took his life. Elise took on a lot of the blame and became very depressed and felt hopeless. She had her fourth child in 2015, suffered from postpartum depression, and was later diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety disorder. After several years of battling depression, she sought the help she needed, went to therapy, and discovered that she had lost a little of what made her ‘Elise’. The two things she was missing the most were music, the best therapy she has ever known, and Jesus, where her true worth and redemption was found.
In January 2018, she reached out to local musician/singer/songwriter/actress Rachel James. In Elise’s words, she is, “the most talented human I have ever met, with the most beautiful, genuine, and kind heart.” They began collaborating; bouncing ideas, lyrics and melodies off of each other; and eventually recorded the eight songs that make up her upcoming third album, titled Invincible. The expected release date is May 2019.
Elise owns several businesses: She owns an in-home dog boarding business, and she is an independent consultant and owner of her own virtual skincare business with Rodan + Fields. She is dreaming bigger than ever, has been through years of therapy, and she is a work in progress but chooses to continue to work on self-development. She has found a home church and is not letting her past define her--letting it inspire her and, hopefully, others, instead.
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