Lil Maxine is the project of Austrian-born and Bristol-based vocalist, pianist and songwriter Lise Huber. Her vocal tone and creative voice have drawn comparisons to Joni Mitchell, and yet are unmistakably her own. Solo or with her band, she brings forth an emotive world of jazz-infused songs and tells timeless stories of love, longing and hope. 

Lise’s musical journey began in childhood, as she grew up immersed in the sounds of her parents’ eclectic music collection. Finding herself captivated by Jazz at a young age, she soon started performing and writing her own songs, leading to diverse collaborations with artists in Vienna’s independent scene.

In her twenties, Lise studied Music and Movement Education/Rhythmics at the University for Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. In 2014, she graduated from her Jazz and Contemporary Music studies at the Vienna Music Institute where she worked with Heidi Krenn, Andy Manndorff and Wolfgang Reisinger. During her time there, she met drummer Konstantin Kräutler and bassist Oliver Steger, with whom she recorded her debut album as Lil Maxine: ‘A Little Girl’s Lovesongs’. Released in 2016, this album established her as an up and coming Jazz vocalist, receiving radio play on national shows in Austria and Germany. “This is meticulously structured, superbly performed and improvisation-enriched modern jazz that captivates the ear. It doesn’t just beat familiar stereotypes, but is also suffused with a clever, narrative tranquillity.” jn (Kulturnews Platten)

A year later, Lil Maxine was invited to play at Youth’s Space Mountain Festival, which paved the way for her to perform at London’s Jazz club The Hideaway with London-based bassist Calum Gourlay and drummer Dave Hamblett. In 2018, Lise was granted tour funding by the Foro Cultural de Austria en Madrid to play a series of concerts in Spain, which kicked off her collaboration with bassist Francesco Moreno. Slowly settling in Bristol in 2019, Lise met drummer Charlie Sorensen and began playing with him and Moreno as a trio. New songs emerged and, at the end of 2020, they were introduced to trombonist Jacob Zoob to play a live studio session at Eastone Recordings. Lil Maxine released three songs in this formation in 2022: “On The Other Side”, “Time” and “Changes”. – “There is not one song in this trio of songs which is not able to stand alone, such is their quality, and we should all be looking out for Lil Maxine.” Brian Inglis (Jelly Records).

Through her teaching in Bristol, Lise has become an integrated part of the local music/singers’ community, fostering a growing collective built around the philosophy that music is something to be shared, and creativity is equally inherent to us all. This is reflected in her latest body of work, which extends her quartet formation through collaborations with local and international artists to something new. 

2024 sees the release of three singles and an EP for Lil Maxine, alongside a celebratory release show at The Jam Jar, Bristol on 13 October.