If you follow “American Idol” or “The Voice,” her name is familiar to you. If you do not watch either show, do look her up on YouTube and enjoy her voice and stage presence. If you live in South Florida, the good news is that you can see her live this coming December 21st during Hunters Nightclub’s 10th Anniversary celebration in Wilton Manors.
Born Marissa Pontecorvo in Staten Island, NY in 1987, Marisa Corvo was raised in a lively Italian family and was inspired to get into music by her trumpet-playing dad. As you can imagine, she was exposed to music since a young age, so much so that she performed at Carnegie Hall at 9 and began singing soon after.
Fast forward to 2012 when she made it to “American Idol” Season 11 and in 2020 she was part of “The Voice” Season 19 after a strong performance of Pink’s “Perfect” for her blind audition, turned 3 judges chairs and joined team Kelly. Even though she didn’t win, both shows put her on the map in the music industry.
We recently spoke to Marisa about her career, her coming out at age 21, her battle with depression and anxiety and of course, her show at Hunters.
I will start by saying that your voice is just a.m.a.z.i.n.g… you have gained a new fan! At an early age you gravitated to music, your dad is a musician. What attracted you to music?
I always loved music. There are pics of me touching the piano keys on my tippy toes at 18 months old. I always loved it and was always drawn to it. My dad would sit with me at the piano and play music with me. It’s one of my fondest memories.
I read that at age 19 you got “burnt out with music.” Why was that and what made you come back to music?
My love for music even though I was completely fed up and emotionally exhausted. Going to pre-college at a young age I think would personally burn out anyone… it did for me. But I found a way back to the music through singing and songwriting and my piano playing. I was able to find a new way to fall in love with it again.
Can you elaborate on your relationship with Diane Warren and her influence in your career?
Diana and I met in October 2018. I was asked randomly to sing at a film festival that she was being honored at. When she heard me sing and met me according to her she was blown away by my vocals and my talent. I went to the studio in Hollywood to work with her and to sing some of her songs in the studio. It was an epic experience, and to this day we are still friends. I continue to have a friendship with her as well as working events for her here and there. She’s a wealth of knowledge, and just being in her presence is something that I never will ever take for granted. She is a genius in every right of the word.
I understand your record label dropped you when you came out at 21. The support from your parents wasn’t there, and many of us can relate to that family experience. Did you expect it, have you ever regretted coming out then?
It was a terrible time in my life. A time where I had never felt so alone, so isolated, and so unwanted in my whole life. It put me in such a dark place that I can’t even begin to tell you the struggle that I had to face alone. I remember that at that time I didn’t want to come out, but my body and my soul and my needs in my heart had other plans for me. It was almost something I couldn’t control because I had kept it inside for so long. the more that I got into Songwriting and really being my authentic self the more I realized that I was a lesbian and I had to come to terms with who I really was no matter what the consequences were.
Fast forward to a few months back, if I understand correctly, you are now engaged! Can you share the plans?
Yes! I finally found myself and I am so happy. She is my rock and my fortress. She’s my best friend and I love her more than anything or anyone that I have ever loved before. She completes me in every way. We are getting married October 2024 in Palm Springs.
This question will probably be part of your career for a while. Having been in both “American Idol” and later on “The Voice,” what kind of experience did you gain from them, and which one left the biggest mark as a performer?
Both experiences were once in a lifetime experiences that I will always cherish forever. “The Voice” though had the biggest mark on me as a performer, because I really learned how to hold my shoulders back, feel what I was singing and convey that message to the crowd in a way that only I knew I could.
I must confess I don’t follow “The Voice” as much as I used to after all these years, so I am sorry I missed your performances on the show; not sure how many times I have seen your blind audition (thanks to YouTube). Was going with Kelly as your coach an obvious decision for you? Her comments on your performance were great!
It was a really tough call to be honest with you. I had a three chairs turn; Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, and Kelly all turned around for me. I wish I could’ve picked all three because each of those artists are absolutely incredible and their particular fields and I would’ve learned so much from all three of them, but being with Kelly was a pretty cool experience.
Both shows are a big platform for a true performer like yourself. How do you make that exposure work to your advantage to finally find your spot in the industry and make it big?
What you try to do is capitalize on the moments you had on the show. Have those moments open doors for you in the industry and then with your talent keep those doors open. That is the goal for all of us who have been on shows like this, and who continue to work hard in the business to make a name for ourselves. These shows are a platform for artist like myself that we would’ve never had if we didn’t do them and make it as far as we did.
You have been open about depression and anxiety in your life, thank you. How are you currently dealing with that part of your life or are you no longer struggling with that?
I deal with my mental illness every single day of my life. On March 7 of 2022 my dog Layla Rose was brutally murdered by my ex-girlfriend‘s dog and cold blood. I already had issues before that but after that happened and having to bury my daughter in such a way, I have struggled tremendously since then to recoup, and to regain some of my shattered heart back. I work very closely with my therapist and my team of doctors to maintain a healthy mental status, I’m very fortunate to have my fiancé who supports me 100% with no judgment and have three beautiful dogs who fill that empty hole in my heart somewhat although Layla will never be able to be replaced. I’ve struggled with suicidal thoughts because of what happened to me and I blame myself when I know I shouldn’t blame myself for what happened to Layla . Some days are easier than others, but other days I just crumble, and I just have to have the patience and the grace to allow myself, and to give myself permission to grieve, and to work through the pain.
So sorry you had to go through that and thank you again for being open aout it and potentially help others. Going back to your music, seeing videos of you on stage with a band is just amazing; it is hard not to be mesmerized by your performance. What can our readers expect of your performance at Hunters Wilton Manors for their 10th anniversary?
Aww thank you so much!!! I am so excited to be playing at Hunters Wilton Manors! It’s going to be an epic performance, full of power vocals, glitzy, glam, and high-energy power-driven music. I can’t wait to rock Wilton Manors out and to meet all of you there!
Catch Marisa at Hunters Nightclub on Dec 21st, 7-10pm
2232 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL
Follow Marisa on Instagram @iammarisacorvo
