Stay at Camp: Lisa Loeb

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WINSOME, BESPECTACLED LISA LOEB, the force behind the '90s hit "Stay," may be a girly sing-along superhero, but, like the rest of us, she was once a kid. A kid who went to summer camp, learned campfire songs and ate cafeteria food.

With the release of her second collection of children's music, "Camp Lisa," the singer-songwriter switches topics from grown-up love to the love of PB&J sandwiches. She also set up the Camp Lisa Foundation with SCOPE (Summer Camp Opportunities Provide and Edge, Inc.) and will perform songs from "'Camp Lisa" at National Geographic on Saturday.

» EXPRESS: Have you ever made it through an interview without being asked about your glasses?
» LOEB: Actually, I'm working on an eyewear line, coming out next year. People are always asking me about glasses, and others can have the same ones I'm wearing, or ones that may fit their face better.

» EXPRESS: Talk about writing lyrics for your grown-up songs versus writing for children's songs.
» LOEB: I really enjoy writing children's music, and it's not so much different. Grown-up music is more abstract. I write [children's songs] with other people, and we create stories for the songs, stories about inanimate objects, like a disappointing pancake.

» EXPRESS: Guest musician Steve Martin plays on "Disappointing Pancake." » LOEB: If you were to personify yourself as a food, what would that be?
Probably more like a gum ball. Something that's round and rolls pretty fast and has delicious potential.

» EXPRESS: Did you draw upon your own camp experiences for this album?
» LOEB: The inspiration was the actual songs based in camp songs. In camp, we have gross-out songs, and ones like the peanut butter and jelly song. One of the things I loved most about camp is that you're singing all the time. You did sports, and arts and crafts, ate a lot of fun food — you were singing everywhere.

» EXPRESS: Any embarrassing camp memories?
» LOEB: My summer camp pictures are embarrassing. I had a punk-New Age style. I went to an all-girls camp and on Saturday nights we had dances. ... There was so much excitement in getting ready for the dances. Like blow-drying hair and putting on lip gloss.

» EXPRESS: How did Camp Lisa come about?
» LOEB: When we were making the record, we realized it would be good to send kids to summer camp, kids who normally wouldn't be able to afford to go. So we can send them to camps with a good counselor-to-camper ratio, with great role models and a safe atmosphere. Kids can learn a lot about values and how to be in a community.

» National Geographic Society, 1600 M St. NW; Sat. 1 p.m., $15-$20; 202-857-7700. (Farragut North/Farragut West)

Written by Express contributor Robyn Mincher
Photo courtesy Lisa Loeb