The Lisa McClendon Exclusive:Raw and Uncut

Soulful singing star, Lisa McClendon,opens up to EEW Magazine about her painful past, poor self image, and her newfound freedom in
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Lisa McClendon Raw & Uncut (Continued)

“I can remember being in the cafeteria and just feeling so alone,” Lisa says. “I just started writing poems about how alone I felt… and
eventually those poems became songs.” Lisa penned very personal lyrics about love, pain, and issues with her identity. As she wrote those
poems, they seemed to somehow alleviate her feelings of loneliness.

Unknown to her, at the time, she had a true gift for writing—one that would prove cathartic and healing, not just for her, but also for the
masses of people who would come to know and love her music over time.

Today, Lisa McClendon is known for her uncompromisingly genuine portrayal of life through the lyrical content of her songs, which have
garnered critical acclaim, and high praise from musical lovers around the world. With multiple Stellar and Dove Award nominations under
her belt, Lisa has made an undeniable mark on the music industry landscape.

Her true-to-life lyrics touch the soul and tell her story.

The dark side about being on a major label for me, I would say, was that, I had a lot more creative freedom on an independent label. So,
now here I am at this bigger label and everybody has somebody to answer to, so they’re only doing their job. So, you do a song that you think
is wonderful and great and they go ‘oh well that’s too soulful…that’s too real… that’s too transparent… the church is not gonna get that…that
might be offensive.’

And you’re going, well that’s who you signed. I’m not doing anything different than I did on my first album. So, it got to the point that I had to
start over-thinking every song that I did. And it just took the love away. I was having to think too much. I felt like the Lord, He still used me, but
the style of every album after that just became less and less of who I really was, as far as that really soulful sound. The words are me, the
lyrics are me of course, and the sound, but I had to start compromising the style just to please the label and I just got tired of doing that.

EEW: Many people know you as a writer, singer, producer, but they don’t know you’re a business woman. How did that come about?

Lisa: (With a country twang) Boss Lady, Boss Lady, that’s my name! (Laughing) The way it came about actually was, my first producer, Mo
Henderson, on the second album, Soul Music—he came to me. He said, ‘You’re going to produce on this album.’ And I said I can’t do that!
And he sat me down and he just spoke into my life and said ‘I watched you. You keep me on my toes; you keep your game face on. You’re
always on us about stuff. He was like you can do this. And it really started making me think, I’m not just a singer. There’s more to this than
just singing. You know some people are content just being a singer and making everybody rich, but that’s not my thing. That’s not what I do. I
want to make sure people are handling my business right. I want to make sure I’m handling my business right. I always say, when I used to
own a salon, your customers are happy when your employees are happy. If you have upset employees, you’re going to have upset
customers. They treat the customers the way you treat them. So, my thing is, the band members, the background singers, the road
managers… to me, those are the most important people. Anytime management comes in, I’m like, look here; you can come and go,
because they were here before you, so I need you to treat them as if I was standing right here with you. And that’s my mentality as a good
boss lady. A good boss takes care of their people, because if you take care of your people they’re gonna take care of you. So, towards the
end of last year, I got connected with some very good people, and they were just letting me know, get your business right. Make sure your
foundation is right. Make sure your paperwork is right, you know, just make sure stuff is in order…”

EEW: At one point, you had to get rid of your management. Talk about that.

Lisa: Oh yes...I had to get rid of management at a couple of points! All I can say, without making anybody look bad is that, I haven’t had the
greatest experience with management… at all. I have had managers that have been passionate about what I do, but they didn’t really know
what to do, and they had the heart to help me… and that’s great to have but you’ve got to have both sides: The heart and the know-how. And
then I’ve had managers who had the know-how, but they had other agendas. The balance as far as management is, just being boss lady,
just staying on everybody. Right now, the management that I’m really working with is my road manager. She’s my right hand. I just acquired
another partner, so, I have two partners who work with me, but not really managers or business managers just yet. I mainly depend on my
attorneys and my accountant, until I can get somebody I can really trust to operate in integrity.

EEW: At one point you and your husband separated for a little over a year. What happened and how did you rebound? (*Note: At the time of
the interview, Lisa had not disclosed the news of her recent divorce to the general public, so she broke the news to Dianna Hobbs during
the interview.)

Lisa: Well, (Hesitating) I’m not married. We separated a year [ago]… and I would love to share because I think it’ll bless people. This will
bless people. This is new. I think what I have to say to free us as believers is this: What we do when we get married—and my husband and I
talked about it on our exit— was that, we got married based on faith. We didn’t have anything… no really sound counsel… no nothing. And
when we tried to get counseling we were told—we were actually told by the Pastor, we don’t believe in long engagements. You guys gotta
get married now because things will happen. And just being obedient to leadership, because you just really want to be right… we were
really young; we just obeyed. And soon as we got married, we lost everything, because he didn’t have a job yet, and I was a waitress. We
lost our apartment. He got in an accident a week before the wedding and totaled the car. We didn’t have a vehicle. We lost everything and we
went back to counseling and asked for help. And the Pastor actually looked back at my husband and said, ‘Man you actually don’t have no
money and you married this woman?!’ And I think, at that point, I believe that did something to him [her ex-husband]. To me, I don’t think he
was ever the same. I think he felt like a failure, and for the 10 years of our marriage, I believe, he struggled as a failure, because we both
knew we weren’t ready and we were [originally] going to wait.

But we [Christians] hear, ‘It’s better to marry than to burn.’ [This is a biblical reference. Please see 1 Corinthians 7:9] So people get married
so they don’t have to burn; and people get married because they had children, and I might get a whole lot of emails for this… people get
married because they had kids outside of wedlock; they get married because they get married on faith… and [people think] ‘we gone build
things together.’ But we have no wisdom in our decisions. We totally forget about wisdom. When the Bible says that wisdom is the principle
thing… it is one of the most important things.

On my way out of my own marriage I thought, God! (Sighing)…because I didn’t want to fail people that looked up to me. And I stayed for so
long because I didn’t want to fail people, and I’m like what is it Lord? Why do I keep seeing these divorces pop up? And I’m like, that’s not
gonna be me. I’m not gonna be like my parents. And the Lord showed me, it’s because we do things and we don’t use wisdom. We don’t
have patience. We don’t get good counsel.

I went into a marriage trying to change him. And people do that—oh I’m gonna change him. It’ll get better. But I tell people, you’ve got to take
it as it is. If that person was that way before you married them, anticipate them to never, ever, ever, change. They may change, but you have to
honestly say, can I live with this person if they never, ever, ever, ever, change? And if they never, ever, ever, change and you’re okay with that—
then God be with you.

But we go into marriage thinking we’re going to change the person and they never change. I started blaming him… he did this and he did
that… and one day the Lord said to me stop blaming everybody for the decision that you made. You were given advice to marry right then, but
it was your choice. Nobody made you do it. He [her ex-husband] didn’t force you to do it. He was this way before you married him, so you
can’t get mad at him. He was only being who he always was. And from that point on I released him. I don’t hold anything against him. We
were able to leave as friends… like it’s nobody’s fault. We just looked at each other and said it’s not your fault. It’s not my fault. Forgive me
for trying to change you… and that was it.

So if you’re going to try to change somebody, don’t waste your time. Don’t waste 10 years of a person’s life. And we say, just believe God.
But some marriages probably should never have been in the first place. That’s my opinion. So, I just want to encourage people in the Body
of Christ that, we’ve just got to get some really good sound counsel, really use wisdom, and I think the divorce rate would take a total turn,
because we do things in ignorance, and so we look ignorant to the world.

But I’m so free. I feel so free. I feel like I no longer have to hold this man to my expectations, and you know, I won’t go into it, but it was… it
was… a lot of stuff and I’m just so blessed, and doing great. I’ve grown a lot. I really have.

(Lisa pauses and then continues) Towards the end, I got physically sick. I started developing ulcers. Just, I started developing a lot of health
issues. But as artists, we can’t stop. I signed a contract to do a show. I’ve still got to be on that stage. You know, so you’ve got to suck it up.
You’ve got to go on stage and you’re in pain, and then you’ve got to come home back to the same stuff. And now, I feel like, I not only freed
me, but I freed him. And not only has he freed me, but he freed himself. And a lot of people don’t agree, and I understand. That’s cool.
Everybody has different beliefs, but we both know… at first I was like, I wasted 10 years of my life. I felt like I was a failure. I’ve got two
beautiful children, and they love their dad. Now I don’t have to fake it. My kids were beginning to see no communication. Nobody was talking
anymore, and I thought that wasn’t fair to them. You know…it’s just a lot of things. Now my children look happier. They don’t have to see or
feel tension… one of us fighting to keep it together for people… Can I say it again? Fighting, trying to keep it together for people! That’s what
I’m free about. My mom said stop living your life for people. Yes, you are Lisa McClendon, but you are their mother. Stop living your life for
people…I had to do what was best for me and my children.

We (Lisa and her ex) wish each other the best. But now, I feel like I’m able to write with a clear head. I’m able to go on the road with a clear
head, and not just feel like a hypocrite, you know? So, I’m happy.

EEW: It's been 2 years since your House of Blues album. When can we expect the new album to be released?

Lisa: Well, the new project is Reality. It was supposed to be released in February, but we pushed it to April. So reality will be out...we have it
slated for April of this year. And it just took a long time because I just transitioned with another label, my own label, DG Music.So, we just
wanted to take our time and get connected to the right people. I'm working with Herb Middleton, who used to be with Bad Boy; and some
other really good people, just making sure the album was just perfect. When you come back, you've got to come back right. I'm just so
excited, so excited about this project!

To learn more about Lisa McClendon visit: http://www.lisamcclendon.com or visit her on Myspace by clicking here.

EEW: Before moving onto Integrity Gospel, your first musical family was Shabach
Entertainment. Tell me how that all came about.

Lisa: Well, I moved from Jacksonville to Orlando after I got married, and we started
attending Potter’s House, and that’s where Shabach was birthed out of. My children’s
father would take my songbook, and he’d sneak it. I didn’t even know he was grabbing it!
(Laughs) And one day the producer walked up to me and he was like, ‘yeah man, you
know your husband, you know, uh, he brought me your songs. But man, you’re a great
writer.’ And I’m thinking where did you get my book from?!! And he was like, ‘well, we need
a writer. We’re a new label and we just really dig your writing.’ So I came in to write for the
artists, and I think we all meant for me to write for the other artists. What ended up
happening is, all the songs I had written ended up being on my first album. And you
wanna know what’s really funny? Well, a year prior to us moving there, I was in a group
called 3 in 1 and we had driven down to audition for that label and they didn’t sign us. And
the producer, Mo [Maurice Henderson]—(Lisa sends a shout out) Big ups to Mo, shout out
to Mo—he told me later that, the whole time, he was thinking, ‘I am not interested in that
whole group, but I want that girl right there.’(Referring to Lisa) And what’s funny is, I wasn’t
the greatest singer—in my opinion the other girls sang a lot better than I sang. Or maybe I
should say they sang differently, and I thought that maybe they would want them. I was
more laid back... I was just like, thank God for the favor. That’s pretty much how that door
opened.

"Even today I
still struggle
sometimes..."

Sometimes he'd treat Lisa like a queen... and other times, like a peasant.
According to Lisa, one of her most memorable hurts came when her
supposed beau unapologetically began dating one of her girlfriends who
attended the same high school. Ouch!

But Lisa allowed it. As a result, that unhealthy, mentally abusive, on-again-off-
again relationship seemed to confirm for her, what she already believed was
true—that she, in fact, really wasn’t good enough. But a turning point would
eventually come. “God started placing people in my life to reaffirm who I was,”
Lisa shares.

“One of my best friends
would make me stand
in the mirror and say
[to me], I want you to
look at yourself and find
one thing about yourself
that you like. And I
would be like, there is
nothing.

“One of my best friends would
make me stand in the mirror and
say [to me], I want you to look at
yourself and find one thing about
yourself that you like. And I would
be like, there is nothing. And she
was like are you kidding me?! Look
at your smile… I would say my
teeth are too big. Look at your
eyes… [I would say] they’re too big.
Even today I still struggle
sometimes, but I’m nowhere near
the way I was.”

Even before others affirmed her,
Lisa discovered a powerful outlet.
As early as age fifteen, her gift to
write poetry began to manifest. And
that's how she channeled her
pain... through her poetry journal.

EEW: Lisa, many people assume that being signed to a major label is all glitz and
glamour. Tell me about the darker side.

Lisa: (Singing in a Jazzy voice) “Oh get your flash light, get your flashlight!” (Laughing) Well
the dark side of it is if you don’t read your contract, you can become a prisoner. And
anytime you’re a prisoner in doing what you love, you lose the love for what you do. And the
thing about it is this… they’re (Label Executives) only doing their job, you know what I
mean? Some labels—and I won’t say Integrity—can have those shark characteristics. But
it is the artist’s responsibility to get very good legal representation to make sure they’re not
getting in a bind.

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Lisa McClendon Cool Facts

Name of First Album?
My Diary, Your Life. It was released on
February 15, 2005 ... just 3 years ago on an
independent label called Shabach
Entertainment.

According to Lisa...

Favorite Song She's Ever Written?
You Can. The message in the song is
awesome to me.

Favorite Junk Food?
Chocolate

Most embarrassing moment?
Eyelashes came unglued on a national TBN
television broadcast.

Greatest Regret?
Not using wisdom in my marriage. I never
wanted my children to have divorced parents.
I wish I would have waited.

Greatest dream not yet realized?
I eventually want to own a talk show like Tyra