ISHANA’s 'The Answers So Far' Is a Roadmap to Self-Discovery

Montreal’s ISHANA is proving that indie-pop can still pack both heart and teeth. Her new self-produced EP, The Answers So Far, feels like an intimate journal cracked wide open, wrapped in shimmering pop textures and raw, vulnerable storytelling. Across its five tracks, ISHANA asks the question we are all haunted by: how do we actually find happiness? She then sketches out possible answers through a mix of self-reflection, empowerment, and wide-eyed wonder.

The record opens with “Change the State,” a track ISHANA wrote as a teenager but polished into a fully realized indie-pop anthem. It is a song about refusing to let toxicity dictate your inner world, anchored in the idea of neuroplasticity and the power of reshaping your mindset. Punchy guitar lines and her sharp vocal timbre make it a standout reminder that healing often comes from choosing a different perspective.

Next comes “Answers in the Dark,” arguably the emotional centerpiece of the EP. Written on guitar with notebook in hand, the song has a lullaby quality that quickly grows into something universal. It is about breaking free from emotional numbness, reconnecting with your purpose, and finding comfort in vulnerability. Its stripped-down beginnings shine through even in the fuller production, making it the kind of track you will send to a friend who needs to hear, “you are not alone.”

“Lebanon, Tn” brings a surprising sweetness to the tracklist, born from an unexpected rap beat that transformed into an acoustic pop gem. It is one of ISHANA’s softest creations, leaning into her instinct for melody while showing her playful side as a songwriter.

With “American Bubble,” ISHANA shifts gears, celebrating freedom, road trips, and her fascination with U.S. culture. The track touches on the beauty of American landscapes and the thrill of crossing borders, both literal and metaphorical. It is buoyant and bright, with subtle commentary on cultural bubbles and the longing to belong within them.

The closing track, “Good Enough,” circles back to her time in Nashville, where validation from peers gave her the courage to stop doubting her worth. The song explores childhood feelings of invisibility, ultimately landing on the liberating realization that she already has everything she needs within herself. It is tender, uplifting, and the perfect finale to the EP’s arc.

What makes The Answers So Far especially powerful is its DIY ethos. ISHANA produced the project herself, infusing it with an authenticity that cannot be faked. Slide guitars, banjo flourishes, and self-recorded bass lines give the songs a textured, organic quality while her voice cuts straight through with conviction. For fans of indie-pop with substance, this EP is not just an introduction. It is a statement of identity. ISHANA is no longer experimenting. She has arrived.

You have said this EP reflects your “true style” more than past projects. What changed in your approach this time around?

A few things changed in my approach for this project. Finding the bravery to try and record real instruments again. Acceptance of myself. And getting inspired by tracks that really move me. Not letting fear of technical limitations define me. I stopped trying to be “cool” by making edgy electronic beats. I do love that style, and it helps express a fire that I have inside, but before ever gravitating toward that, I was a soft acoustic girlie.

I lacked the technical skills and producer instincts to properly record and adjust real instruments to sound good and full. So this time I tried again, and I think after working on my previous project (Coconut Cowboy), which was almost all computerized instruments minus a few, I gained some confidence in my abilities. And also in knowing the software (I use Logic!).

With that confidence, I also researched tricks to produce the sounds that I wanted with the tools that I had. I wanted to dress up this new batch of songs with gut-wrenching guitar slides similar in sound to pedal steel, with banjos, and add guitar licks and a real bass sound. I don’t have a bass. I borrowed a guitar from my friend, thinking I needed to use a different instrument to get the specific tone I wanted. I woke up one morning with the sudden urge to get a banjo and learn it, and I impulsively wanted to buy one as soon as possible.

I didn’t even end up using my friend’s guitar, and I didn’t end up buying a banjo because, thankfully, I realized I have all the tools I need and can be creative with them. I have two guitars - one acoustic and one electric. And I made all the different guitar sounds, banjo sounds, slides, and bass lines with them, minus one pedal steel loop that I chopped, reversed, and played with the octaves of. One really cool trick I used to find a banjo sound was to mute the strings on my guitar with a cloth. And with a tip that was offered to me, I drenched the slides from my guitar with reverb - I was so surprised that it worked!

I was surprised by the amount of work that was done during the creation process. I was very happy, wide-eyed, and hopeful. Also, seeing a resurgence in popularity of organic instrument productions recently has given me confidence to tell myself, “ok, soft music is acceptable and can be enjoyed by many ears. It’s okay to accept that side of me and the fact that soft expression can be just as impactful as cool, edgy electro beats. So go for it. Be you. All of you.” This collection of songs allows that side to show, and I’m so happy I did it on my own terms, solidifying this part of me.

Lyrically, I felt like I was finally able to access and find the words for more vulnerable emotions, and that was a change from my previous projects, too. This one felt a lot more real because of this, too.

“Change the State” tackles toxic dynamics and mental resilience. How has your relationship to that song evolved since writing it at 19?

My perspective has evolved. It’s an interesting contrast because I love the song so much more now, while, at the same time, I think that today, when I sing the line “change the state of my own mind”, a part of me doesn’t fully agree anymore. Because I don’t just rely on myself anymore when I’m struggling. I also rely on God to help me navigate my internal challenges, and over the past two years or so, I’ve also been learning to ask for help from others (family, friends, colleagues).

There was also a lot of forgiveness over the years, with the relationship described in the lyrics. Since writing the song at 19, I've processed and released a lot of pent-up anger, sometimes in better ways than others. Ultimately, this has allowed me to acknowledge and feel a lot of negative feelings, which has naturally improved the relationship. Today, it’s an overall positive one where trust has been gradually rebuilt. Time and space have also offered perspective, I think, to both parties, especially the person this was about (they are so very kind now!).

Time passes, and you love and lose people, and you see yourself changing. Time keeps flying, and I think that makes people realize things, and in this case, it has made space for a lot of changes. I think that, due to the continuous healing of this relationship and my feelings about it (healing which is not linear, but continues!), Change the State is a lot easier to sing now. It used to feel so heavy. I was also less confident in the melodies and structure of the song. I’ve only revisited it this year after a long time, and I’m rediscovering and learning to love it. I sang it while down in Nashville earlier this year and got positive responses.

I realized that it’s a valuable song, with unique melodies that I can be proud of and appreciate, and let myself sing wholeheartedly. And I’m so glad I expressed my feelings back then into this song. And I’m proud of younger me for saying, “I’m going to acknowledge the truth of the situation, take some distance, and heal from this. I’m going to be happy.” And the result is a much more healed relationship, which is amazing.

“American Bubble” has both lighthearted road trip vibes and deeper cultural reflections. Did you always intend it to carry that dual meaning?

The dual meaning was only the result and wasn’t intentional! I usually only discover the concrete meaning of a song once it starts taking shape. I start the process with a line or melody that conveys an initial feeling I have, then I follow my instinct on where it wants to go.

In the early parts of the writing process, when a line at my bookstore job inspired me in Jennette McCurdy’s autobiography that I was reading (don’t tell my old boss! lol), and thought of the song’s line “you’re in an American bubble”, I intended for American Bubble to point out the impression I get that the US seems, from the outside, like a contained bubble.

I find it ironic how it seems like a contained bubble, somehow isolated from the world, yet in other ways highly interconnected and influential upon the rest of the world. And while being contained within itself, it’s highly interconnected with the different parts of itself.

During my visit to Nashville, I only met one or two people who were truly born and raised there. Everyone else I met was a transplant, mostly from a different state. There is so much interstate travel, which I find so fun! It seems so easy and normalized to travel within the country, which is amazing and often elicits in me some feelings of longing for that same type of freedom, because I would love to do that without the extra hurdles of visas and borders.

It seems like a majority of people follow their whims and travel from state to state to chase their dreams, whether that be school, love, jobs, or retirement dreams like living the good life and daily surfing in Hawaii. Dreams seem more accessible. Only a 50-minute drive across the border from Montreal, and the attitude is different.

You overhear conversations of people about their interstate travels. You’re in Vermont, and you hear about a waitress’s cousin who is back and forth between North and South Carolina for school. When you go to LA, you hear about so many artists migrating from Nashville and vice versa to pursue their careers. It’s only 50 minutes away from Montreal, yet sometimes it feels so far and separate. Everything seems amplified in the US, the good and the bad. American Bubble focuses on the good.

So when I got home, where I finished the rest of the song, I guess I must have been in a different state of mind because I just wanted to write about the fun road-tripping and travel-freedom aspects of being in the US (or wherever I was, I might have been in my car or in the work bathroom! ahah!).

The variety, both geographically and geologically, the beauty of nature, the dynamic cities, and the peaceful, never-ending roads all contribute to the fun that can be had, showcasing the variety, such as surfing on the ocean. You can also snowboard in the mountains, and you can do “the wave” with your hand out the window while driving through a flat land. The variety and opportunities are so abundant, and I wanted to focus on that positive perspective.

Lastly, I was looking for a chorus. Choruses have never been my strong suit. I realized that the song was missing a personal element to it. It was only mostly descriptive until then. It needed some tension. Something interpersonal and compelling for the heart. So I added the simple chorus line “with me” that just repeats, until the end, where it (very subtly!) repeats “could be with me”. I decided to keep it simple, and I think the simplicity adds to the tension.

So it’s like, at first, the listener might be thinking, “Oh, she’s on a road trip with friends, family, or a partner, or a pet! Or her spirit guides? Who knows! But she’s enjoying it with someone.” And then it changes. I’m talking to my friends down there that I miss.  And about the cultural ecosystem that I really vibe with and am longing for. I think you can feel that around the second pre-chorus.

The longing comes in more clearly now, inter-blended like layers with the lightheartedness and the cultural reflections being described. And at the very end of the song with the “could be with me” line, it’s like a shock realization, saved for the very end, like a cliffhanger. Like, “Oh, but then she’s longing for someone to be with her. How is she feeling on that road trip? Is she happy? Is she lonely?

Was she always feeling like this since the beginning of the song, or did her feelings evolve as her scenery did? Who is she talking to? Is she a temptress seductively inviting someone to join her on the trip? Is she an innocent girl who’s a little scared and intimidated by her lengthy trip in a new environment, despite its beauty, and shyly asking someone to come along?” I think the chorus is simple yet can raise so many questions, making it an interesting story, and I find that really fun!

As a self-producing female artist, what challenges or breakthroughs stood out most while making this EP?

The biggest challenge was probably self-confidence, especially in my technical abilities. I really had specific sounds in mind. I almost collaborated with others on some songs, but I really felt like I wanted to convey the specific ideas that I had in mind, and I wanted to do it myself first to really build that confidence in myself.

I’ve always had these really strong musical ideas, and I’m so glad I trusted myself to follow through with bringing them to life on my own terms, in my own way, and at my own pace. Now, when I collaborate with others, I can be more confident that I can trust my ideas, and it’s not a hit to my ego or anything if my ideas aren’t used or if I have a smaller role in any decisions, because I know I can create beautiful and strong ideas myself independently. And working with others is just an extra now.

Increased self-confidence, self-trust, sense of self, and a feeling of joy and fulfillment from the process must have been the biggest breakthroughs.

What do you hope listeners feel or discover about themselves when they sit with these songs?

I hope that people discover emotional depth. I hope it can be a portal for people to dive deeper into their emotional selves. We often have filters and blocks that prevent us from feeling all our emotions. I know I have mine, and I hope that my music can be a tool for opening the floodgates of raw emotion, while also being something beautiful that people can relax into.