- Pop rock singer, guitarist and songwriter born in 1968 in Bethesda Maryland, and raised in Dallas Texas.
- As a child, Loeb learned to play the piano, and then she switched to guitar. In college, she started a duo with her friend Elizabeth Mitchell, calling themselves Liz and Lisa and releasing 2 independent albums in 1989 and 1990. After earning her college degree, Loeb attended a summer semester at Berklee College of Music in 1990, and then dropped out to form a band named Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories, named in homage to the book of the same name by J.D. Salinger. The group performed concerts at folk and rock clubs, and Loeb also frequently performed solo acoustic concerts, primarily in New York City, as well as at music festivals like South by Southwest.
- In 1992, she collaborated with a producer to record a demo tape titled Purple Tape. She sold the tape at concerts, and sent it to prospective record companies. Loeb & Nine Stories also recorded a song during this time that she had written titled Stay (I Missed You), which she intended to provide to Daryl Hall for a solo project, but Hall did not take the song.
- Meanwhile, Loeb developed a friendship with actor Ethan Hawke, who lived across the street from her in New York City. In 1993, Hawke asked Loeb to provide a song for his latest film project, Reality Bites. Hawke brought Stay (I Missed You) to film director Ben Stiller, who agreed to use it in the movie and soundtrack. Still unsigned to a recording contract, the song was released as a single in the spring of 1994. Two months after its release, it reached #1 on the Hot 100 chart – Loeb became the first artist ever to top the chart as an unsigned artist. It ended the year as the #6 song of the year, and it was the #42 song of the entire 90s decade.
- Of course, with the success of Stay (I Missed You), Loeb signed with a major record label later in 1994. The next year, her debut album was released, credited to Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories, Titled Tails, it included Stay (I Missed You), as well as another moderately successful single, Do You Sleep?, which reached #18 on the Hot 100 chart. Her follow-up album, Firecracker, was released in 1997. This album, and all subsequent albums, were attributed to just Lisa Loeb, though she continued to tour with Nine Stories as her touring band. The lead single from the album was I Do – it peaked at #17 on the Hot 100 and at #2 on the Adult Alternative chart. It also was a #1 single in Canada.
- In the 00s, Loeb lost the support of major record companies, so she released albums with independent labels. Cake and Pie was released in 2002, then re-released later that year by a different label, repackaged and renamed Hello Lisa. Loeb took a turn to folk music with her 2004 album The Way It Really Is, and she released EPs in 2007 and 2008. She also remastered her demo Purple album and re-released it in 2008.
- In parallel with her pop music career, Loeb recorded children’s music in the 00s. Reuniting with Elizabeth Mitchell, they released Catch the Moon in 2003, which featured traditional children’s songs performed as folk songs. In 2008, Loeb released her second children’s album, Camp Lisa, and she released 3 more albums during the 10s. Her 2016 children’s album Feel What U Feel, with original songs written by Loeb, won her a Grammy award for Best Children’s Album. She also has authored 2 children’s books.
- Loeb continued to release pop/folk music albums during the 10s, with albums released in 2013 and 2017. Her most recent album, A Simple Trick to Happiness, was released in 2020, and it contains self-reflective simple songs with positive messages.
- Loeb also has been active as an actress in film and television work. Starting in 1999, she has had roles in 5 full length feature films, and she has been involved in 9 television projects, including 2 reality series where her role was herself. She’s also well known for her eyeglasses, and in 2010 she launched her own brand of designer eyeglasses.
- Here is the song that launched her career, as presented on her first ever TV performance on Late Show With David Letterman – Stay (I Missed You). It’s a great tune.