In 2018, Lisa Mishra made her singing debut in Bollywood with the song Tareefan in Kareena Kapoor Khan’s film Veere Di Wedding. This year, Lisa debuted as an actor and a music composer in the recently released Amazon Prime Video series, Call Me Bae. In a candid chat, Lisa talks about her experience working on Call Me Bae, releasing her debut album Sorry, I’m Late, and more.

How did you get on board for Call Me Bae on Amazon Prime Video?

Lisa Mishra: Growing up, I've always loved entertaining. So, I started auditioning for acting roles as soon as I moved to Mumbai. Acting has been a dream of mine ever since I got here. Five years on, I was able to land Call Me Bae. My life has been a long journey leading up to big moments. I don't take any of that for granted. Even my music career took off when I was discovered after 11 years of making and posting videos on YouTube. I need to do more and more as an artist all the time, so I think acting was a natural expansion of my creative self.

How was your first day on the sets of Call Me Bae?

Lisa Mishra: The first day was very nerve-wracking. I didn't know what to expect, especially because I was the least experienced person on set. Everyone else had done so many films and shows before. My first shot, opposite Ananya Panday, was 10 minutes long. I was nervous. But Ananya was kind and made me feel completely at ease.

Our director, Colin DCunha, made sure that I had no hesitations and didn't feel like I didn't belong. So, my nervousness went away the minute the camera started rolling. I got less and less conscious with every take. Hopefully, that will come across on screen, too.

Tell us about Harleen Babbar — your character in Call Me Bae— and how you prepared for the role.

Lisa Mishra: I think Harleen is multidimensional. She has depth and is grounded. She's one of the only serious characters in this comedy. She has a lot of responsibilities as a boss and has to be very strict with her employees, but she’s also going through internal dilemmas and stress.

My preparation for the role was just being a woman and playing to what I know. I've worked in a corporate space and had difficult bosses before. I've had responsibilities and immense pressure to perform. And as a woman in a corporate space, you do come across people who are unpleasant and don't value you the same way that they do men. So, it wasn't a great departure from what I know. I just had to remember that life of mine before I moved here six years ago.

What were your takeaways from your first acting experience?

Lisa Mishra: The major takeaway, especially working opposite Ananya was realising that it’s your responsibility to do your best job. We are professionals; it's not just for fun. We have to be on time and have a positive attitude. We have to treat everybody around us well and not have an ego. Since Ananya managed this despite being in the industry for longer, I should certainly have the same level of humility for my work.

Do you want to act more? How do you plan to manage acting and music?

Lisa Mishra: I got lucky that this project incorporated both sides. The music I composed for the show has done very well. So, as long as I keep finding clever ways to add music to the shows and films that I work on, I'll be happy. Of course, I'll keep making my music as usual. In the last 365 days, I acted on Call Me Bae one day, and the next day, I was in the studio working on my album. Then, I filmed The Royals (for Netflix), and immediately after I was done, my album was released. So, in just one year, I did two projects and my music. I don't think it is going to change at all. I can keep doing this forever.

How did you end up composing music for Call Me Bae?

Lisa Mishra: Music was the first thing I came on board for. Composing music for the show was second nature to me. I've been in those spaces pitching songs before, hoping that a production company, a film, a label, will think there's a spark there. In fact, I didn't tell the music team that I was auditioning, and I didn't tell the audition team that I was doing the music because I wanted them to be completely separate.

If I got the role, it’s because I deserved it. When my audition came through, our director, Colin, was surprised because he knew I was doing some of the songs. Luckily, he saw some potential in me as an actor. Only after I signed all the paperwork and was fully on board did I tell the music team that I was in the show.

What can you tell us about The Royals on Netflix?

Lisa Mishra: I can't say much about the show. Just that the world of The Royals is very different from the world of Call Me Bae. It's set within royal spaces all over Rajasthan. It'll be the first time we see something like this in India. It has an incredible cast —Bhumi Pednekar, Ishaan Khatter, Zeenat Aman, Sakshi Tanwar, Nora Fatehi, and for some reason, me [chuckles]. I'm super excited that I got to play another strong and independent woman in that show and you'll see a lot more of me on screen. It was a dream project for sure.

How did your debut album Sorry, I’m Late (2024) happen?

Lisa Mishra: My vision as an artist was to make an album that first year when I came here in 2018. It took me so long. So, it's like an apology to my fans who had expected an album years ago. I'm saying Sorry, I'm late to them, but better late than never is a good follow-up to that sentence. I'm very proud of it. I've produced some of the music. I've composed, written and sung every single song. I even directed two of the music videos — Aadat and Saza. It's been an exciting journey expanding my creative side. I feel like I've squeezed every part of my creative self out, and hopefully, people have enjoyed what they saw and heard.

Do you have any plans of directing or producing films or series?

Lisa Mishra: I have learned that it is a very, very tough job to direct and produce. I probably can't manage anything longer than a four-minute music video. So, I think not for a long time. I should know my limits at some point [chuckles].

You were born in Odisha but moved to the US. What kind of music did you listen to growing up?

Lisa Mishra: When I was six, we moved to Chicago, and I lived there for nearly 20 years. So, I'm very much American, but raised in a desi household. There was always Bollywood music playing — I listened to film songs that came out while I was growing up. My earliest memories are listening to Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Taal, Dil Chahta Hai, and everything that Vishal-Shekhar and Amit Trivedi did.

Of course, I was also exposed to everything going on in America. I had a lot of hip-hop and R&D influences growing up, which is why my writing and singing style is in that space. I don’t think it's a surprise that I blended both elements into my album.

How did you feel when you got your first Bollywood singing break with Tareefan from Veere Di Wedding?

Lisa Mishra: It was surreal landing that song, it felt like a dream. The way that it happened was so larger than life — to have an entire country rooting for this Cinderella story —it was a fairytale. I still can't wrap my head around it. I'm sitting here and talking to you because of that song. So, it'll always be special to me. I know it's my story, but it's a powerful story. For any dreamer, who thinks that they're never going to make it or it's too hard or impossible, I'm a living testament to the fact that dreams come true. Just dream so big that you're unstoppable, and one day, even if it takes a long time, it will work out for you. Keep at it and keep going, and it will happen. For me, it took a very long time, both as a musician and as an actor. But that's part of the journey.