Ahead of Battle of the Bands 2014 we caught up with last year’s winner Lisa Warinto (aka ‘Hot Lisa’) from Mindshare, to chat about some of the highlights of performing at MAD Week and what it was like to sing into a $10,000 microphone as part of her winning recording deal with Sony.

What was it like to perform in front of 150+ people at Battle of the Bands last year?

Well I actually didn’t enter myself into the competition, a co-worker did. I had no idea, so getting the email saying I’d made it through to the final round was a little scary. I seldom sing in public, so it was a pretty big deal for me to get up on stage in front of all those people. For someone like me who doesn’t sing in front of crowds, it was a great experience. It was also great to get the opportunity to sing in front of my co-workers and have them in the audience as support. It was a really fun night, the atmosphere was great. I loved it.

Tell us about your stage name ‘Hot Lisa’ – how did the name come about?

When my colleague entered me in Battle of the Bands, he entered me as ‘Hot Lisa.’  I actually emailed the MAD week team asking not to be called up on stage with that name, because it’s not my stage name – but on the night I was listed in the brochure and called up on stage as ‘Hot Lisa.’ Apparently they saw my video and thought the name suited me better so decided to stick with it. Since the event I’ve actually had a lot of clients and colleagues calling me ‘Hot Lisa’ so I guess the name stuck!

What does winning MAD Week Battle of the Bands mean to you?

I don’t get on stage very often so it was a pretty big deal for me. My family even came to watch me sing which was great.  It was a lot of fun and it was a big confidence booster.

As part of the prize you won a studio recording session from Sony – how did the recording go? What were the highlights?

It was really cool. Hercules studio had just been built a few months after the event, so we were actually the first people to go and record in the new studio which was really exciting. It was a lot of fun. I was also really nervous! But I at least had my friends in there with me for moral support – they’re in a band and have a bit more experience in the recording field so it was great to have them in there helping me out. The highlight of my recording session was the fact I was singing into a 10,000 dollar microphone!

What value do you think MAD Week Battle of the Bands provides to the media industry?

In media you have a lot of creative people and here at Mindshare we term them ‘slashes.’ For example in the day you’re a media person but on the side you could be a photographer or DJ – so you have a ‘slashed’ job description. Battle of the Bands allows these types of people to get up and shine. I think having Battle of the Bands for the media industry is a great way to open up and keep the creativity alive in the industry and just have fun.

Any advice for those out there looking to enter MAD Week Battle of the Bands this year?

One: be yourself. Two: be prepared and enter with some original material. I think that was a major contributing factor as to why I won because I was the only one that sung original songs.

What’s next for you in the future?

At the moment I’m still junior in the world of media. I’m in the agency side at Mindshare but I’d like to explore the sales side. When it comes to music I would love to continue writing, singing and exploring other options in terms of song writing and producing music.

What are the MADDEST words you’ve ever heard?

The MADDEST words I’ve ever heard come from a book called The Power of One. It’s about a kid who is a boxer in South Africa and basically his boxing guru says “first with the head and then with the heart.”

If you’d like to enter MAD Week Battle of the Bands this year (or nominate one of your colleague’s to enter) click here.