Lisa Fischer

In the performance of Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour, Fischer and Turner sang "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" together; after Turner left the stage, Fischer completed the song solo.

Fischer sang on Sting's album If on a Winter's Night... as a backing vocalist.

Lisa Melonie Fischer (born December 1, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter.

In 1983, under the stage name "Xēna", Fischer released the b-boy classic "On the Upside".

In 1984, a club track she recorded titled "Only Love (Shadows)" was briefly featured in the motion picture Beat Street and was later released in 1995 as part of the Hot Productions' The Best of Criminal Records compilation.

However, Fischer began her music career supporting other artists providing backing vocals for artists including Melba Moore and Billy Ocean.

She worked with many other famous singers, both as a session vocalist and sideman.

She accompanied Luther Vandross whom she met through the mutual acquaintance of choreographer Bruce Wallace, who asked her to come to his agency for an audition.

Fischer then traveled as a backup singer on his tours and sang on his albums until his death, in addition to other famous musicians, including Chaka Khan, Teddy Pendergrass, and Roberta Flack.

She has been a back-up singer for a number of famous artists, including Sting, Luther Vandross, and Tina Turner, and she toured with The Rolling Stones from 1989 to 2015.

Fischer was born in the Fort Greene neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

Fischer's mother gave birth to her at age 16 and had a total of three children by the time she was 19.

Fischer has fond memories of singing with her mother (a homemaker), her father (a warehouse worker and security officer), and her two younger brothers.

She attended The High School of Music & Art in Manhattan.

When Fischer was 14 her father left the family and when Fischer was 17, her mother died.

In an interview with Christian Wikane of PopMatters, Fischer stated she was influenced by Freda Payne, Marvin Gaye and Melba Moore, and others early in her childhood.

In the years before launching her solo mainstream career, she noted significant influence from the black LGBT community, particularly in developing a stage image with adventure, quality, and beauty.

Fischer maintained her career as a session singer, and has accompanied The Rolling Stones on tour since 1989.

She worked as a backup vocalist during the same period for Luther Vandross for the 22 years prior to his death alongside friend and collaborator Ava Cherry, juggling his concert tours and those of The Rolling Stones, with whom she grew an audience playing the foil to Mick Jagger onstage.

During tours with the Rolling Stones, she shares lead vocals on several songs, including "Monkey Man, and "Gimme Shelter", which showcase her vocal talents.

She found success with her 1991 debut album So Intense, which produced the Grammy Award–winning hit single "How Can I Ease the Pain".

Fischer's solo career peaked with the 1991 release of "How Can I Ease the Pain" from her album So Intense, reaching Number One on the R&B charts, and winning a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1992.

The album spawned three Top 20 R&B hits, and peaked at #5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #100 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Asked about the inspiration for her album, Fischer replied "I wasn't deep in search of a record deal, it was just one of those things...".

In the movie 20 Feet From Stardom, Fischer's Grammy award for her hit single collects dust on a shelf.

Fischer said she "just doesn't know what to do with it".

Although Fischer earned success with her first album, a follow-up solo studio album was not released because an attempt to create a second album failed due to "energy shifts".

Fischer recorded on various projects including providing lead vocals on the power ballad "Colors of Love" featured on the soundtrack for the film Made in America.

Fischer says a contributing factor in her decision to discontinue her solo career following the release of her debut album was her fondness for backing vocalist rather than a solo artist.

During the concert, Fischer sang her 1991 hit "How Can I Ease The Pain", and provided backing vocals for her fellow musicians.

In 1992, Fischer traveled to Japan to perform in the Earth Voice Concert with Lee Ritenour, Phil Perry, Bobby Caldwell, Brenda Russell, James Ingram, Michael McDonald, Anita Baker, and others.

In August 1996, Fischer made her theatre debut in the off-Broadway play Born to Sing! chronicling the life and career of the fictional gospel superstar, Doris Winter.

The final installment of the Mama, I Want to Sing! trilogy featured Fischer in the starring role of Doris Winter, and followed the character as she assembled a company of fellow singers for a global World Peace and Harmony Tour.

Fischer continued to work on music, doing background vocals and writing songs for other artists, including Anane Vega.

Fischer toured with Tina Turner on her Twenty Four Seven Tour.

It was the worldwide top-grossing tour of 2000.

Lisa was featured in an April 14, 2008 issue of Jet Magazine′s "Where Are They Now?"

column.

In 2009, Fischer completed touring with Tina Turner on her Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour, and is featured on Turner's live DVD-CD titled Tina Live.

In a 2013 article, Fischer compared back-up singing to a "tuning fork", and noted she rejected the idea of dissatisfaction and the theory of always aspiring for something more while creating music and supporting other artists.