Re-tracing Lisa Conta’s musical genealogy
Images by Zaineb Abelque
Lisa wears dress STUDIO NICHOLSON, sequin leggings NENSI DOJAKA , shoes CONVERSE
Words by Shayma Bakht
It’s the 2000s in Stockholm, Sweden. A young Lisa Conta sits hunched over her eggplant-purple Converse with a paintbrush, as the beating rhythm of the Kora, a Gambian drum, ripples through her family home. Afro-Manding melodies sung by her father, Eddie Conta, flow out in a euphoric overlay from the speakers, while Lisa paints her own made-up lyrics on the tips of her sneakers. “I still constantly vandalise Converse, like I paint all over them,” the now 22-year-old tells AZEEMA as she dons their latest Run Star legacy hightops on her feet. “I write my song lyrics on them - and it's great because it's one of the few brands that allows you and encourages you to do that … It’s just another way to express myself.”
Years on from mornings of basketball and chorus-singing in Sweden, following a 1900km move to London, Lisa has forged a formidable career in modelling (with her chiselled cheekbones and hypnotic brown bambi-eyes gracing the pages of British Vogue and Elle). She has clocked up a following of almost 150,000 on TikTok, and recently made the decision to reconnect to her musical roots.
From releasing mellow R&B rhythms to funky house jams, the past two years in London have included working with British musical pioneers including DJ Ironik and Wiley. Now, as part of Converse’s “All Stars” creative community - an international network of 2500+ emerging creatives supported by the brand, the Gambian-Swedish artist plans to also emulate the multifaceted sounds passed down through generations of the Conta family. “Growing up, my dad only played his own music… of course,” Lisa chuckles. “That was what we constantly heard.”
“Living in Sweden, it's a big dance and pop ceiling, but he was [creating] reggae stuff,” She explained to AZEEMA. “I always looked up to him: the way he uses his voice, he can sound like three different people in three different songs - it’s a sort of acting and character-playing in his music. I remember thinking I want to do the same thing.” Her father, who sang in Mandinka, a tribal language widely spoken in Gambia, was known for his funky fusion hits that combined his two homes in Europe and West Africa. The Conta family’s musical genealogy can be traced back to her grandfather, Demba Conta, who was a luminary for the Gambian reggae scene, and one of the country’s most successful musical artists in the West. Speaking fondly of her father’s melodies, Lisa says tongue-in-cheek: “Every hook that he has, it always gets stuck in people’s heads. You know those irritating songs that you can’t get out of people’s minds… I want to terrorise people with my music in the same way.”
Lisa wears (left to right): dress STUDIO NICHOLSON, jumper COS, sequin leggings NENSI DOJAKA , shoes CONVERSE / Trousers, shirt & tabard STUDIO NICHOLSON, coat COS, bag WANDLER, shoes CONVERSE / Dress & scarf BITE STUDIO, trousers STUDIO NICHOLSON, jumper COS / Full look DALA, shoes CONVERSE
Lisa tells AZEEMA that the topic of her and her Gambian family growing up in Stockholm is “a heavy one.” It was reported that her grandfather Demba, who started his career in the ‘70s and was also based in Sweden, would hide while singing in his early performances. Lisa said she shared his shyness as a child. “I grew up in a very white area, so I was automatically different and I was very, very shy as a kid. You don't want to stand out. Kids can be mean. I think I learned around age 10 that no matter what I wear [or] what I do to my hair, I'm always going to be different, so I might as well do it right.”
Lisa recalls one rebellious outfit she pulled together aged nine: she threw on her first pair of purple Converse with yellow jeans and layered a green tank-top over an orange shirt, hoping to stand out. “I’ve never wanted to be put in a box,” she adds. The 22-year-old says she also rejects the idea of being labelled as a singer or a model as she continues to venture into different creative mediums. Recently, Lisa joined a drama school to explore more avenues on-screen, and she continues to work in more collaborative capacities with fashion brands, including - of course - her latest pursuit supporting the launch of the newest silhouette of Run Star Legacy with Converse.
“It’s honestly a dream come true,” she says about working with the brand. “I always said to my mum, if I could work with one brand it would be Converse. It’s always been my go-to shoe, especially as I used to play basketball.” She shows off the black pair of Run Star Legacy on her feet - “They’re comfortable, modern, edgy, sharp… and I love anything that can make me taller!” She adds, drawing our attention to the chunky white platform soles.
“You know what I love is a big shoe with any sort of outfit. If you wear something that's quiet, it will suddenly look dramatic, and with something more baggy it’s going to also fit.” She explains that, as someone who experienced feeling like an outsider as a child, she felt relief joining Converse's inclusive creative network: “Being a part of the All-Star community is amazing. I have [had] almost daily contact with all sorts of other creative people in the network, and they've become like family. Lisa reflects on her journey to self-acceptance, standing tall in her platformed Run Stars, and glowing with confidence: “I spent my first few years on this planet apologising for being different.”
She tells AZEEMA she would like to make a message clear to other creatives of ethnic backgrounds: “You're going to be in rooms where people are going to look at you and make you feel like you need to apologise or you don’t deserve to be there. “But, in every and in any room you step into - no matter what your race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, is - it doesn't matter. Be you and don't apologise for it. I did, but now I know I shouldn’t have.”
Images by Zaineb Abelque.
Lisa wears trousers, shirt & tabard STUDIO NICHOLSON, coat COS, bag WANDLER, shoes CONVERSE
Discover more from Lisa here
CREDITS:
@azeemaagency
Photographer - Zaineb Abelque @zainebzeeee
Creative Director - Jameela Elfaki @jameelaelfaki
Creative Producer - Sunayah Arshad @sunayah._
Art Director - Evar Hussayni @evarhussayni
Production Coordinator - Dalia Al-Dujaili @dalia.aldu
Stylist - Naomi Barling @naomialannabarling
Makeup - Laila Zakaria @laicreates
Hair - Danielle Igor @danielleigor
Words - Shayma Bakht @shaymabakht