Interview of Lisa Chiodo by Freya Bennett // Photos by Sammar @marsarchivals
With its lush production, rich layers of horns and synths, and a vocal performance that’s both clean and commanding, All Night is a track that feels instantly nostalgic yet refreshingly current. Brimming with a big 90s pop energy, it captures that intoxicating blur between friendship and romance, the kind of moment that makes your heart race and your feet move. Behind the song is Lisa Chiodo, whose ability to weave emotional honesty into groove-driven pop makes her one to watch. I chatted with Lisa about the story behind All Night, the collaborative process that brought it to life, and why she loves writing from that playful space of confusion and projection.
All Night has such a big, nostalgic 90s pop sound, was that vibe something you set out to create from the beginning, or did it emerge naturally in the studio?
When I first sat down with Alon to write a new tune, I only had one main goal. To set the song up with a groove that made people move in their seats. Something they couldn’t NOT dance to. Once that had been established the rest of the song flowed fairly quickly.
You’ve described the inspiration behind the track as those nights in NYC where people assumed you and your friend were more than friends. How did you channel that playful confusion into lyrics?
Lyricism for me comes very easily once I have decided what the song is going to be about. I just look into my thoughts and feelings whether they are past or present feelings and use that to guide the melodies and lyrics for every song I’ve written to date.
The base of this collaboration in particular happened so quickly where once we had decided on a groove and some chords, Alon laid them down into Pro Tools and I got to writing lyrics and melodies. By the time he’d finished tracking the keys and synths, I’d finished the melody and lyrics. We were all good to go.
Your vocals on this track are so clean and powerful, how do you approach recording vocals to capture both strength and vulnerability?
Drawing from emotion, the experience linked to the song and being comfortable in the space when recording. Using my home studio to record my vocals and horns always gives me the creative freedom and space to experiment and be playful with how I perform. Each take sounds different depending on what or who I’m thinking about, it was a lot of fun hearing which memories/ emotions brought out different vocal performances, and then picking the right fit for the song itself.
The production is lush, with horns, synths, and harmonies that really fill the space. Can you walk us through how you and your co-producer built that sound?
Starting off simple with keys, midi and some hand claps. Both Alon and I went home and worked on our own sections separately. Alon everything keys and synth related, and myself on everything vocal (lead/ backgrounds) and horns inclusive of our own production for each respective element.
We would work on everything else together,
Percussion, other midi elements etc. It was a lot of individual work playing to our strengths and then combining them to make something super special. This worked the same way with Mark Whitfield and Samson Jatto on the track.
After sharing an early stage demo with my dad, we agreed it needed a few things. The first, live drums. And the second, some guitar.
Having met Samson pre-college at a NAO concert in Boston MA, we’d stayed in touch over socials. His skill set as a drummer is beyond but the passion when he plays is unmatched. I immediately knew I wanted him for this track. Luckily for me he was in town on tour with James Bay and had some time to track for the project. We spent the afternoon at Renaissance Records in NYC and he killed it.
When it came to guitarists, I’ve performed with Mark Whitfield many times at Nublu/ Producer Mondays and spent some time with him at this years NAMM convention in California. When I asked him if he’d want to be on the track he immediately jumped on it. I was so keen to hear how he’d make it his own and knew he’d do it justice.
After some time of sitting with the track and letting it settle into a new headspace with all of the desired elements, Having it mixed (Henry Reinach) was the coconut on the lamington. It eventually just came together so well, everything that needed to be heard can be, and there are so many little Easter egg / ear candy pieces throughout the track.
How does All Night feel compared to your previous releases?
All Night feels special. It feels emotional and fun and exciting but in a completely different way than my previous releases Slightly Sour – EP, and Hot Honey. It feels like each new release is building the story of my artistry, while also tracking my emotions, thoughts, feelings and environment as Lisa Chiodo.
You mentioned writing from an “early perspective of confusion and projection.” What do you love about writing from that space, and what do you think listeners connect to in it?
I love writing from this perspective. It puts me back into a mental state of feeling giddy and having butterflies when you meet someone for the first time that you have a crush on.
I’ve grown to learn that having a crush is so unserious and truly just fun. They come and go quickly (at least for me) but this was something that was built based on the consistent comments and suggestions of others. Something I’d never considered before it was playfully pushed down my throat by so many people haha.
I hope that listeners will be able to connect their own narratives to the track. Think about their own crushes, situation-ships, friends that never turned lovers and lovers that were once friends. They know my story, I’ll never keep it a secret. All they have to do is ask. But their stories are theirs and if my music resonates with them, that’s the goal! To be connected in some way, that way being experiences expressed through music.
If All Night were to soundtrack a scene in a film, what kind of moment would it be?
It belongs in a movie or show where friendship is teetering on the edge of romance, where the audience can clearly see the connection — but one character is still blind to it. The song would highlight that ache of being the right person at the wrong time.
