December 9, 2024 • 20 mins
ENISA joined us for the first time on America’s Dance 30 to celebrate her first #1 on the U.S. charts! She shared how “Tears Don’t Fall” was born w Kaskade, the true meaning behind the song, why she held onto it for so long, and the surprisingly first time she heard Kaskade’s production on it!!
We also got to know ENISA better w #FinkysFirsts!
Find out about:
Follow: @AmericasDance30 on all socials!
Count down the biggest dance songs in the country every week with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30; listen on stations around the world!
We also got to know ENISA better w #FinkysFirsts!
Find out about:
- if music was the first thing she wanted to get into growing up
- the first dance song that made her fall in love w EDM
- her first time performing for a crowd
- the first kind of movie she would want to be cast in
- the first thing that makes tears fall for her
Follow: @AmericasDance30 on all socials!
Count down the biggest dance songs in the country every week with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30; listen on stations around the world!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, Anissa, I hope I am not jinxing this chat,
but I already know that we are going to get
along very well for two reasons.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
One, you're a fellow pisces.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Yeah, so much.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
It makes me so happy when I find my people.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Happy early birthday becas I'm probably not going to remember
in March, and you welcome, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
And Two, I saw a video that you posted where
you were promoting one of your songs and you were
jumping into a pool and you held your nose.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I hold my nose too when I jump into the pool.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Dude, I mean, isn't it the like logical thing to do.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I don't want water up my nose exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I don't know why I do it, besides that I
have this core memory and it's totally not true, but
I have this core memory for some reason of telling
people that the reason I hold my nose when I'm
swimming is because when I was younger, I smashed into
the wall. It's totally not true, but for some reason
it's up here.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I don't know why.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
It's a similar feeling though, when you crash it into the.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Water, you know what I mean. Sometimes so I understand.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
And Lisa, Welcome to America's Dance thirty for the first time.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I'm so happy to be here.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Dance counting down the biggest dance songs in the country.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
This is America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Congratulations on Tearstone Fall with Cascade going number one.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
That is so amazing.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Did this one for my pisces?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
That's it. It's only for the pisces in the world.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
So thank you so much. This has been such an
amazing piece of news for me to receive. Like, I
love this song so much, and when I was writing
this song, I could never imagine this happening and being
the number one song at dance radio.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
This is crazy to me, so things like this don't
usually happen to me.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
So it's very it's very exciting, and I'm super super grateful.
So thank you guys for all your support, all the
radio stations playing it like I really really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
That leads me to my next question, because I know
you've had number one in other countries, but is this
your first US number one?
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Yeah, this is my first US number one, And that's
what makes it like extra special because I'm born and
raised in New York City to immigrants Albanian parents, So
you know, they came from their country.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
For us to have and live our dreams out.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
So the fact that they came here, they put in
the work, and I put in the work being here
and now I'm here, it's just it's such an amazing,
incredible experience for all of us, my whole family.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
We feel super grateful and I'm lucky. I feel I
feel so lucky.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Well, congratulations.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I can't wait to talk about how this song was
born with Cascade, especially since I found out that it's
got an incredible meaning behind it. But before we talk
about that, since it's your first time on America's Dance thirty,
let's get to know a Nissa a little better with
Finkey's first Okay, So, I always love finding out the
(03:27):
origin story of artists. I read that you actually got
into performing and singing in elementary school, right.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Yes, I did the talent shows, I did all the plays,
and I always wanted to be like the main act,
the main character and all the things.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
I was that kid.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
And then I was in a rock band in middle
school where I was a lead singer and we performed
all over Brooklyn.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
So It's kind of always been in my blood.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
That's incredible that you went from rock to what you're
doing now.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
It's so crazy, right, I mean, listen, she's.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
An artist of all and that's a good thing to be.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Now.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
When you were growing up, was there anything else you
wanted to get into when you were growing up or
was music always the first thing you wanted to do?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (04:10):
No, I always knew straight from when I was a
little kid that music was what I wanted to be.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
I mean, I always wanted to be a singer. I
just never knew how I would be.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
I was the kid that, like I would take the
Barney tapes that we had on, like the VHS tapes,
and then like I would re record Britney Spears VMA
performance on it. I just watch that over and over again.
So I was that kid, and it just makes sense
that I am who I am now because I've just
always been obsessed with music and pop music and dance music.
(04:44):
I still remember, I don't know if you were going
to ask me my first dance song, but I still
remember the first dance song that I listened to.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yes, well that was going to be another one.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
But first this, this is going to be really awkward
because I actually have Barney in the green room waiting
to come in, and he is upset, that knows. So
let's jump ahead. Even though you're screwing up my entire n.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
It's totally cool interviewing myself.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I'll just step out of the room.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
You could just chat with yourself, Anissa.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
It's a thing to do, you know.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So, what was the first dance song that made you
fall in.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Love with d M?
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Well, you want to know what's crazy?
Speaker 4 (05:26):
The crazy thing is that the first dance song that
I recall vividly listening to that I just found on
a random CD in my house and I don't know
where the CD came from still to this day, none
of us know.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
And it was Dead Mouse. I remember in Cascade.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
I remember wow, literally the first song, and I was like,
that's what got me into like Cascade, you know what
I'm saying. And Dead Mouse I think they were the
most like amazing duo and I will never forget listening
to that song and I'm like hypnotized, and then it's
just crazy, like how many years later circling back and
(06:03):
now like my first number one at radio dance radio
is with Cascade, Like, how crazy?
Speaker 1 (06:08):
What a full circle moment? And that is such an
amazing song. Did you tell Ryan that?
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I did, I did?
Speaker 3 (06:17):
He was he was.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
He's honestly, he's like the nicest person ever, and he's
so humble and he's so cool. And to be honest,
like looking at him, you wouldn't even think he's been
doing music.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
For that long because like he.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Looks really young, you know, and he truly is like
one of those artists that's so nice that you question it.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
I'm just like, yeah, we clicked right away too, and
he's just yeah, he's super cool and I don't know,
he just and he has such like a just like
a young vibe spirit, like he's hungry, Like he's just as.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Hungry now as he probably was when he first started too.
So it's really cool. I feel like we connected on that.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
That's so awesome. Yeah, everything about him is great.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Now.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Of course you are performed all over the world, but
do you remember your first time ever performing for a crowd?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I mean that was in elementary school, Like I was
singing Rihanna.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
At like at the talent show. I remember it was
sos by Rihanna specifically, and then The next year after that,
I was in middle school and it was my first
ever performance, was like a school performance with my rock
band that we had created, and it was like Crazy
Trained by Black Sabbath.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Wow. That was the second song that I sang with
my rock band. The first one was actually a seven
nation Army.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Man all of them.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah, I know, I know.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
So that was like my first experience. I was like,
I want to be a rock star.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
And were you always comfortable on stage?
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Yeah? I mean people were surprised because I still have
really long hair. But I also had a really long
hair back then, and I was whipping it back and
forth on and everyone was just like wow, like this
kid got Chris. I was a little tiny, skinny and
I was like, oh, Like I was like going crazy.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
I still have the videos somewhere.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Oh, I've got to see those videos.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
You save that for the Jimmy Fallon shows.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
That is awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Well, speaking of performing back then, did I see that
you performed in the Wizard of Oz in fourth grade?
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Oh my gosh, how did you know that?
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Wow?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Okay, you did your research.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Of course I did my research.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
That's crazy.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Well, yes I did it, and like I said, I said,
I was only gonna do it if I got the
lead and I was Dorothy, And that was like in
the fourth or fifth grade, and then in the eighth
grade I was Dorothy again for the Whiz.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Well, now that everything is Wicked madness right now, if
you could be any character and cast in the movie,
which would be the first character you would choose to be?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Oh my gosh, that's an amazing question.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I would to be honest, I would love to be
in an action movie.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Hold on, So if they call you and say you
have been hired to being Wicked, You're like, nah, nah,
I'm good.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I pass. I'll be Gladiator.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I love the musical stuff.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
And like, listen, if anybody want to cast me as Dorothy,
I will take that.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
You just lost her opportunity.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Waits and Dorothy Cosmi as Dorothy.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
So I gather you haven't seen Wicked yet.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
No, I haven't seen it yet, but I heard that
I haven't seen clips of it because I was actually
a way overseas, so I didn't get a chance to
see it at theaters yet.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
But oh my god, they sound amazing.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Ariana Grande, It's just I mean, both of them, they're
just like their voices aren't saying like they were meant.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
That's they were meant for those roles.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Yeah, and Arianna is amazing in the role, like acting wise,
not even just her voice, acting wise, she is perfect
as Glinda.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
I honestly I could tell from watching her when I
would watch Victorious as a kid, like, I knew she
was so special, So I that was destined for for sure.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Finally, in Finkey's first in Honor of Tears Don't Fall,
going number one, what is the first thing that makes
tears fall for you?
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Oh? I mean being a pisces. It doesn't take a lot.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Truest statement you could ever make.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
Literally, I'm a piscey, so literally like look at me
the wrong way and I'm you know.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
But to be honest, I'm also.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
Like an emotional person when it comes to like movies. Okay,
the last thing that I remember crying to, Oh my gosh,
it was the movie with Jennifer Aniston and the dog
Marley and me.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
I think that was what the Oh so I haven't
seen it, but that's where the dog dies, right classic.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
I was watching it on my plane back home coming
to New York like two days ago, and the dog
dying At the end, I'm like literally there sobbing.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Everyone around me is probably like what the hell? And
I was just like emotional wreck, So yeah, it'll be
something like that.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Isn't it crazy how I could watch people dying, not
in real life, but like people dying all day, but
the second like it's a dog or a cat, I'm
i am, oh my god, Niagara falls.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
It's something about like the connection that these pets have
with like their owners and stuff. It's just like I
feel like pets just care more about humans than then
humans care about humans.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
So true, so true.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
But I also think that it's as a fur parent,
like I've had three cats in my lifetime and so
it kind of hits home. And I've also dealt with
the death of my child, so it's it's definitely, oh
my god, it's brutal going through that with an animal.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
But let's talk about happier stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Come on, Anissa, do you really want me to just
leave and you just have this chat by yourself.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
The song is called.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Tears Don't Fall, so we're not having any tears fall
during this interview.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Let's talk about this number one because I was really
surprised to see that it had a meaning of mental
health behind it, which is incredible.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
How was this song born with Cascade?
Speaker 4 (12:33):
Yeah, I mean it's not really a topic that you
want to like that you would expect to dance song
to have, but it's Spicyson me as we're we've you
know claimed in this interview, But no, that song.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Actually, I was in a kind of.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
A weird state when I was writing that song. I
was in kind of in a place where like I
felt like I was being let down by everybody, and
being in the music industry it is tough, Like you
get let.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Down way more times than.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
You know you expect coming into this, and I've been
doing this for so many years, and I kind of
like was at the point where I was just like,
nothing that happens to me anymore can make me cry
because I'm so numb.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
The tears will not fall. Usually the tears fall for
things like this when this happens and that happens.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
But like I've become so strong from like just standing
and being here after everything that has come my way,
that tears don't fall anymore. So I was like, you
know what, this is a topic that like is not
like is not brought up in dance music culture.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
So I was like, let's let's do it.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Let's you know, let's make a song that talks about
mental health and then the strength and like having you know,
those moments and making it into a song that you
could just go crazy to and you know, at a
festival or at the club, and a song that like
when you listen to it'll strike your heart and.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
You'll relate to it.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
So that's that was what my goal was writing the song,
and I always had I actually wrote the song and
like bright in London actually, which is like so random, right,
like out of all places in the world, and I
would never have expected that it would kind of like
fall into the hands of Cascade, but that's what I
(14:20):
originally had hope, Like that's what I was hoping for.
I was like selfishly thinking if there was one producer
or DJ that I feel like would do the song justice,
I feel like it would be Cascade. And it's just
so crazy how like two years after I wrote that song.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
That that's what ended up happening.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Wow, I know that that song For so long, I
didn't want to just give it to anybody because that
song was so special to me, Like I wrote it
at such a vulnerable time in my life, and so
I was like, this song is something special. So unless it,
you know, falls into hands into the hands of someone
that I feel like can do it justice, I'm just
going to keep the song and hold on to it.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
And so yeah, that happened.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
My teammate, it happen, and Cas he loved the song
and then he he sent me back his like first actually,
I didn't even hear Cascade's production on the song, you
know how.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
I heard that he was like.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Legit working on the song and all that I heard
he was working on the song, but I didn't hear
production yet.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
And I heard it for.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
The first time when he played it at edc shot up.
So I heard rumors that he was going to play
what he'd been working on at EEDC Vegas.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
So I was like, this is crazy.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
So I was like looking up Cascades, you know, performance
times because I hadn't spoken to him yet or anything
like that.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
And so I'm over here like waiting and like, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
He started late or whatever. So I think I woke
up the next morning, I searched on YouTube. I'm like
Cascade edc Las Vegas set in twenty twenty four and
all I'm skipping, skipping.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
I'm like, I don't care, I don't care, I don't care.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
And all of a sudden, I hear him say, guys,
I have some new music, and my heart stopped and
I all of a sudden, I just heard I don't
need a way, and like, I just felt like I
was levitated to the ceiling. It was just the most
incredible feeling. And then hearing his production on it, and
(16:14):
he played it not even finished because we didn't even have.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
A second verse.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
He literally played it finished version at e DC.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
How much he loved it. He loved it that much.
And the next week.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
He's like, and Lisa, we spoke and he was like,
I love this song so much, I need a second verse.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
And I legit recorded the second verse right now.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Now, did you have good because I have goosebumps just
hearing that story.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Did you have goosebumps? When he when he dropped.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
It, I was gonna die, like I was so happy,
and it just his production took the song to a
place like the next next level, and I.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Was like, see, this is what I was waiting for.
I didn't want to just give this song to anybody.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
I wanted to have this feeling with this song, so
it was so perfect and literally everything turn out perfectly.
And then we realized that we have the same lawyer
too true.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
What do you guys are connected in this universe?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (17:11):
I know right, It's crazy and now we're here number
one at American Dance Radio.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
That is so incredible.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Ryan in the chat, who is the only reason you
made the song.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
Exactly?
Speaker 1 (17:29):
That is so incredible. Well, congratulations on all the success
of this song. That is so amazing.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
Yeah, it's been it's been a journey with this song.
And we always loved and we equally believed in this song,
where equally as passionate about it. So it made it
made all the even live performances together even better. It's
just like, truly, this is such a special song. It
always has that place in my heart. So I'm really
happy that I could end the year here and you know,
seeing people like you guys at radio just really.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Believe in the song. It's just it's an amazing feeling.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
You have to do, you have to evacuate.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
This is New York City, this is.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
I just want to make sure I'm not holding you
from being evacuated.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Yo, what they heard I was on this interviews to
They're like all the police came out.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
They're like, yop up.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
That would be the headline.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Radio DJ holds a nissa during interview when she has
to evacuate.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
I literally live right by the highway. So this is
like the usual for me. Like it's so funny because
imagine me having to record the second verse, Like how.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Many times did you have to do it?
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (18:42):
It's so fast.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
I'm so used to it, Like this is like my
I'm born and raised in New York, so this to
me is just like I don't even hear it, so
you hear it, and in my head it's just so
like second nature.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Well back to the amazing song.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
You know, it really is a incredible partnership because your
voice sounds amazing on it, and of course Cascades production
is just so euphoric.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
So it's just such an amazing song.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Thank you so much. Yeah, that's like the perfect word. Actually,
you for it, because that's how that song makes me feel.
I don't know if you've ever seen the meme of
the SpongeBob with the headphones kind of floating, that's you.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
That song makes me. That's what the song makes me feel.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Well, I'm telling you, when you started, just even seeing
the first line, it's like goosebumps because it's just such
an amazing song. Congratulations on your first US number one.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Thank you, thank oh my god, it's so crazy to
hear you say that. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
So what's next for Anisa?
Speaker 3 (19:37):
A lot?
Speaker 4 (19:38):
I mean, hopefully next year drop my album and more
dance pop bangers to come, followed by a tour, and yeah,
it's going to be a busy yeer next year, more collaborations, definitely.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
More stuff on the horizon, so you won't be seeing
the last of me.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Well, I can't wait to see all of you in
twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Anissa, thank you so much for your time with us
on America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Thank you so much, Brian, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
America's Dance thirty counting down the biggest dance songs in
the country.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
America's Dance thirty
Now, Anissa, I hope I am not jinxing this chat,
but I already know that we are going to get
along very well for two reasons.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
One, you're a fellow pisces.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Yeah, so much.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
It makes me so happy when I find my people.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Happy early birthday becas I'm probably not going to remember
in March, and you welcome, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
And Two, I saw a video that you posted where
you were promoting one of your songs and you were
jumping into a pool and you held your nose.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I hold my nose too when I jump into the pool.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Dude, I mean, isn't it the like logical thing to do.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I don't want water up my nose exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I don't know why I do it, besides that I
have this core memory and it's totally not true, but
I have this core memory for some reason of telling
people that the reason I hold my nose when I'm
swimming is because when I was younger, I smashed into
the wall. It's totally not true, but for some reason
it's up here.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I don't know why.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
It's a similar feeling though, when you crash it into the.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Water, you know what I mean. Sometimes so I understand.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
And Lisa, Welcome to America's Dance thirty for the first time.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I'm so happy to be here.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Dance counting down the biggest dance songs in the country.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
This is America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Congratulations on Tearstone Fall with Cascade going number one.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
That is so amazing.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Did this one for my pisces?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
That's it. It's only for the pisces in the world.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
So thank you so much. This has been such an
amazing piece of news for me to receive. Like, I
love this song so much, and when I was writing
this song, I could never imagine this happening and being
the number one song at dance radio.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
This is crazy to me, so things like this don't
usually happen to me.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
So it's very it's very exciting, and I'm super super grateful.
So thank you guys for all your support, all the
radio stations playing it like I really really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
That leads me to my next question, because I know
you've had number one in other countries, but is this
your first US number one?
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Yeah, this is my first US number one, And that's
what makes it like extra special because I'm born and
raised in New York City to immigrants Albanian parents, So
you know, they came from their country.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
For us to have and live our dreams out.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
So the fact that they came here, they put in
the work, and I put in the work being here
and now I'm here, it's just it's such an amazing,
incredible experience for all of us, my whole family.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
We feel super grateful and I'm lucky. I feel I
feel so lucky.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Well, congratulations.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I can't wait to talk about how this song was
born with Cascade, especially since I found out that it's
got an incredible meaning behind it. But before we talk
about that, since it's your first time on America's Dance thirty,
let's get to know a Nissa a little better with
Finkey's first Okay, So, I always love finding out the
(03:27):
origin story of artists. I read that you actually got
into performing and singing in elementary school, right.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Yes, I did the talent shows, I did all the plays,
and I always wanted to be like the main act,
the main character and all the things.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
I was that kid.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
And then I was in a rock band in middle
school where I was a lead singer and we performed
all over Brooklyn.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
So It's kind of always been in my blood.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
That's incredible that you went from rock to what you're
doing now.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
It's so crazy, right, I mean, listen, she's.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
An artist of all and that's a good thing to be.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Now.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
When you were growing up, was there anything else you
wanted to get into when you were growing up or
was music always the first thing you wanted to do?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (04:10):
No, I always knew straight from when I was a
little kid that music was what I wanted to be.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
I mean, I always wanted to be a singer. I
just never knew how I would be.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
I was the kid that, like I would take the
Barney tapes that we had on, like the VHS tapes,
and then like I would re record Britney Spears VMA
performance on it. I just watch that over and over again.
So I was that kid, and it just makes sense
that I am who I am now because I've just
always been obsessed with music and pop music and dance music.
(04:44):
I still remember, I don't know if you were going
to ask me my first dance song, but I still
remember the first dance song that I listened to.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yes, well that was going to be another one.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
But first this, this is going to be really awkward
because I actually have Barney in the green room waiting
to come in, and he is upset, that knows. So
let's jump ahead. Even though you're screwing up my entire n.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
It's totally cool interviewing myself.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I'll just step out of the room.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
You could just chat with yourself, Anissa.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
It's a thing to do, you know.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So, what was the first dance song that made you
fall in.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Love with d M?
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Well, you want to know what's crazy?
Speaker 4 (05:26):
The crazy thing is that the first dance song that
I recall vividly listening to that I just found on
a random CD in my house and I don't know
where the CD came from still to this day, none
of us know.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
And it was Dead Mouse. I remember in Cascade.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
I remember wow, literally the first song, and I was like,
that's what got me into like Cascade, you know what
I'm saying. And Dead Mouse I think they were the
most like amazing duo and I will never forget listening
to that song and I'm like hypnotized, and then it's
just crazy, like how many years later circling back and
(06:03):
now like my first number one at radio dance radio
is with Cascade, Like, how crazy?
Speaker 1 (06:08):
What a full circle moment? And that is such an
amazing song. Did you tell Ryan that?
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I did, I did?
Speaker 3 (06:17):
He was he was.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
He's honestly, he's like the nicest person ever, and he's
so humble and he's so cool. And to be honest,
like looking at him, you wouldn't even think he's been
doing music.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
For that long because like he.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Looks really young, you know, and he truly is like
one of those artists that's so nice that you question it.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
I'm just like, yeah, we clicked right away too, and
he's just yeah, he's super cool and I don't know,
he just and he has such like a just like
a young vibe spirit, like he's hungry, Like he's just as.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Hungry now as he probably was when he first started too.
So it's really cool. I feel like we connected on that.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
That's so awesome. Yeah, everything about him is great.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Now.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Of course you are performed all over the world, but
do you remember your first time ever performing for a crowd?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I mean that was in elementary school, Like I was
singing Rihanna.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
At like at the talent show. I remember it was
sos by Rihanna specifically, and then The next year after that,
I was in middle school and it was my first
ever performance, was like a school performance with my rock
band that we had created, and it was like Crazy
Trained by Black Sabbath.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Wow. That was the second song that I sang with
my rock band. The first one was actually a seven
nation Army.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Man all of them.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah, I know, I know.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
So that was like my first experience. I was like,
I want to be a rock star.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
And were you always comfortable on stage?
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Yeah? I mean people were surprised because I still have
really long hair. But I also had a really long
hair back then, and I was whipping it back and
forth on and everyone was just like wow, like this
kid got Chris. I was a little tiny, skinny and
I was like, oh, Like I was like going crazy.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
I still have the videos somewhere.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Oh, I've got to see those videos.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
You save that for the Jimmy Fallon shows.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
That is awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Well, speaking of performing back then, did I see that
you performed in the Wizard of Oz in fourth grade?
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Oh my gosh, how did you know that?
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Wow?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Okay, you did your research.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Of course I did my research.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
That's crazy.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Well, yes I did it, and like I said, I said,
I was only gonna do it if I got the
lead and I was Dorothy, And that was like in
the fourth or fifth grade, and then in the eighth
grade I was Dorothy again for the Whiz.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Well, now that everything is Wicked madness right now, if
you could be any character and cast in the movie,
which would be the first character you would choose to be?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Oh my gosh, that's an amazing question.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I would to be honest, I would love to be
in an action movie.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Hold on, So if they call you and say you
have been hired to being Wicked, You're like, nah, nah,
I'm good.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I pass. I'll be Gladiator.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I love the musical stuff.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
And like, listen, if anybody want to cast me as Dorothy,
I will take that.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
You just lost her opportunity.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Waits and Dorothy Cosmi as Dorothy.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
So I gather you haven't seen Wicked yet.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
No, I haven't seen it yet, but I heard that
I haven't seen clips of it because I was actually
a way overseas, so I didn't get a chance to
see it at theaters yet.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
But oh my god, they sound amazing.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Ariana Grande, It's just I mean, both of them, they're
just like their voices aren't saying like they were meant.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
That's they were meant for those roles.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Yeah, and Arianna is amazing in the role, like acting wise,
not even just her voice, acting wise, she is perfect
as Glinda.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
I honestly I could tell from watching her when I
would watch Victorious as a kid, like, I knew she
was so special, So I that was destined for for sure.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Finally, in Finkey's first in Honor of Tears Don't Fall,
going number one, what is the first thing that makes
tears fall for you?
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Oh? I mean being a pisces. It doesn't take a lot.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Truest statement you could ever make.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
Literally, I'm a piscey, so literally like look at me
the wrong way and I'm you know.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
But to be honest, I'm also.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
Like an emotional person when it comes to like movies. Okay,
the last thing that I remember crying to, Oh my gosh,
it was the movie with Jennifer Aniston and the dog
Marley and me.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
I think that was what the Oh so I haven't
seen it, but that's where the dog dies, right classic.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
I was watching it on my plane back home coming
to New York like two days ago, and the dog
dying At the end, I'm like literally there sobbing.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Everyone around me is probably like what the hell? And
I was just like emotional wreck, So yeah, it'll be
something like that.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Isn't it crazy how I could watch people dying, not
in real life, but like people dying all day, but
the second like it's a dog or a cat, I'm
i am, oh my god, Niagara falls.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
It's something about like the connection that these pets have
with like their owners and stuff. It's just like I
feel like pets just care more about humans than then
humans care about humans.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
So true, so true.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
But I also think that it's as a fur parent,
like I've had three cats in my lifetime and so
it kind of hits home. And I've also dealt with
the death of my child, so it's it's definitely, oh
my god, it's brutal going through that with an animal.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
But let's talk about happier stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Come on, Anissa, do you really want me to just
leave and you just have this chat by yourself.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
The song is called.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Tears Don't Fall, so we're not having any tears fall
during this interview.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Let's talk about this number one because I was really
surprised to see that it had a meaning of mental
health behind it, which is incredible.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
How was this song born with Cascade?
Speaker 4 (12:33):
Yeah, I mean it's not really a topic that you
want to like that you would expect to dance song
to have, but it's Spicyson me as we're we've you
know claimed in this interview, But no, that song.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Actually, I was in a kind of.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
A weird state when I was writing that song. I
was in kind of in a place where like I
felt like I was being let down by everybody, and
being in the music industry it is tough, Like you
get let.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Down way more times than.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
You know you expect coming into this, and I've been
doing this for so many years, and I kind of
like was at the point where I was just like,
nothing that happens to me anymore can make me cry
because I'm so numb.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
The tears will not fall. Usually the tears fall for
things like this when this happens and that happens.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
But like I've become so strong from like just standing
and being here after everything that has come my way,
that tears don't fall anymore. So I was like, you
know what, this is a topic that like is not
like is not brought up in dance music culture.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
So I was like, let's let's do it.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Let's you know, let's make a song that talks about
mental health and then the strength and like having you know,
those moments and making it into a song that you
could just go crazy to and you know, at a
festival or at the club, and a song that like
when you listen to it'll strike your heart and.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
You'll relate to it.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
So that's that was what my goal was writing the song,
and I always had I actually wrote the song and
like bright in London actually, which is like so random, right,
like out of all places in the world, and I
would never have expected that it would kind of like
fall into the hands of Cascade, but that's what I
(14:20):
originally had hope, Like that's what I was hoping for.
I was like selfishly thinking if there was one producer
or DJ that I feel like would do the song justice,
I feel like it would be Cascade. And it's just
so crazy how like two years after I wrote that song.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
That that's what ended up happening.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Wow, I know that that song For so long, I
didn't want to just give it to anybody because that
song was so special to me, Like I wrote it
at such a vulnerable time in my life, and so
I was like, this song is something special. So unless it,
you know, falls into hands into the hands of someone
that I feel like can do it justice, I'm just
going to keep the song and hold on to it.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
And so yeah, that happened.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
My teammate, it happen, and Cas he loved the song
and then he he sent me back his like first actually,
I didn't even hear Cascade's production on the song, you
know how.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
I heard that he was like.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Legit working on the song and all that I heard
he was working on the song, but I didn't hear
production yet.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
And I heard it for.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
The first time when he played it at edc shot up.
So I heard rumors that he was going to play
what he'd been working on at EEDC Vegas.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
So I was like, this is crazy.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
So I was like looking up Cascades, you know, performance
times because I hadn't spoken to him yet or anything
like that.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
And so I'm over here like waiting and like, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
He started late or whatever. So I think I woke
up the next morning, I searched on YouTube. I'm like
Cascade edc Las Vegas set in twenty twenty four and
all I'm skipping, skipping.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
I'm like, I don't care, I don't care, I don't care.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
And all of a sudden, I hear him say, guys,
I have some new music, and my heart stopped and
I all of a sudden, I just heard I don't
need a way, and like, I just felt like I
was levitated to the ceiling. It was just the most
incredible feeling. And then hearing his production on it, and
(16:14):
he played it not even finished because we didn't even have.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
A second verse.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
He literally played it finished version at e DC.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
How much he loved it. He loved it that much.
And the next week.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
He's like, and Lisa, we spoke and he was like,
I love this song so much, I need a second verse.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
And I legit recorded the second verse right now.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Now, did you have good because I have goosebumps just
hearing that story.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Did you have goosebumps? When he when he dropped.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
It, I was gonna die, like I was so happy,
and it just his production took the song to a
place like the next next level, and I.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Was like, see, this is what I was waiting for.
I didn't want to just give this song to anybody.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
I wanted to have this feeling with this song, so
it was so perfect and literally everything turn out perfectly.
And then we realized that we have the same lawyer
too true.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
What do you guys are connected in this universe?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (17:11):
I know right, It's crazy and now we're here number
one at American Dance Radio.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
That is so incredible.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Ryan in the chat, who is the only reason you
made the song.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
Exactly?
Speaker 1 (17:29):
That is so incredible. Well, congratulations on all the success
of this song. That is so amazing.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
Yeah, it's been it's been a journey with this song.
And we always loved and we equally believed in this song,
where equally as passionate about it. So it made it
made all the even live performances together even better. It's
just like, truly, this is such a special song. It
always has that place in my heart. So I'm really
happy that I could end the year here and you know,
seeing people like you guys at radio just really.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Believe in the song. It's just it's an amazing feeling.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
You have to do, you have to evacuate.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
This is New York City, this is.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
I just want to make sure I'm not holding you
from being evacuated.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Yo, what they heard I was on this interviews to
They're like all the police came out.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
They're like, yop up.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
That would be the headline.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Radio DJ holds a nissa during interview when she has
to evacuate.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
I literally live right by the highway. So this is
like the usual for me. Like it's so funny because
imagine me having to record the second verse, Like how.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Many times did you have to do it?
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (18:42):
It's so fast.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
I'm so used to it, Like this is like my
I'm born and raised in New York, so this to
me is just like I don't even hear it, so
you hear it, and in my head it's just so
like second nature.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Well back to the amazing song.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
You know, it really is a incredible partnership because your
voice sounds amazing on it, and of course Cascades production
is just so euphoric.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
So it's just such an amazing song.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Thank you so much. Yeah, that's like the perfect word. Actually,
you for it, because that's how that song makes me feel.
I don't know if you've ever seen the meme of
the SpongeBob with the headphones kind of floating, that's you.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
That song makes me. That's what the song makes me feel.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Well, I'm telling you, when you started, just even seeing
the first line, it's like goosebumps because it's just such
an amazing song. Congratulations on your first US number one.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Thank you, thank oh my god, it's so crazy to
hear you say that. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
So what's next for Anisa?
Speaker 3 (19:37):
A lot?
Speaker 4 (19:38):
I mean, hopefully next year drop my album and more
dance pop bangers to come, followed by a tour, and yeah,
it's going to be a busy yeer next year, more collaborations, definitely.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
More stuff on the horizon, so you won't be seeing
the last of me.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Well, I can't wait to see all of you in
twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Anissa, thank you so much for your time with us
on America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Thank you so much, Brian, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
America's Dance thirty counting down the biggest dance songs in
the country.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
America's Dance thirty
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