Canadian singer-songwriter, Izabelle, draws influence from a variety of genres, and her unique style combines them perfectly. She pulls from genres such as alternative, rock, soul, blues, and experimental/electronic, but Izabelle’s vocal style ties it all together. Having recorded her debut EP at Soho Sonic Studios in the UK, she is now back residing in British Columbia and ready to showcase her single, “Sunrise”!
With a rasp like Janis Joplin and an attitude similar to Amy Whinehouse, Izabelle’s voice will not fail to give you goosebumps in her song, “Sunrise.” As the title track off of her EP, this sets the tone for the vibe she creates from song to song. The meaning behind these lyrics reveals a path of obstaclesIzabelle’s had to face in the past. Despite experiencing internal conflicts, Izabelle managed to piece together this song that you’ll regret to miss. The vocal reverb and low-fi drum tones accentuate the feelings in the verse, but the chorus hits the spot. With electric guitars and a groove that sits so well inside the structure, Izabelle had our attention locked from beginning to end. We loved every moment of Izabelle’s song, “Sunrise.”
Listen to “Sunrise” here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic Izabelle! We were uplifted and motivated by your desire to feel the incredible aspects of nature. Can you tell us about the message behind your lyrics? "Sunrise" was the first song I had ever written which was during a very difficult time in my life. I had been struggling with depression since childhood and it started to reach its peak. The desire to feel something; see the sunrise, feel the breeze, see the birds fly and the plea to break free from the grip of whatever it was that was making it so difficult for me to feel anything inspired me to write this song. The lyrics and melody came to me all at once as if some creative floodgates had suddenly opened. As I sang "get me out of here" I had this incredible realization that the grip I was under was my repetitive thoughts and that I had to truly want to get out by not succumbing to the negative thinking patterns that controlled me. "Sunrise" became the beginning of my new healing journey. You are from Canada, but spent time in London, England to record your new EP “Sunrise.” Can you tell us about your time in London, and the creative process of the song? I visited my family in France for the summer a few years ago and I found myself continuing my journey in London shortly after. I ended up living there for what turned out to be one of the most intense years of my life. As we all know, London is insanely expensive and has consistently gloomy weather. For someone who is not a city person, it was definitely a challenge but it quickly became clear to me that I was meant to be there. I was in a city with a plethora of studios, producers, and musicians and I was determined to find the right people to work with. London's music scene was like no other; open mics every night packed with amazing talent, clubs, and pubs playing music I had never heard before and sold-out concerts of artists that I didn't know. I was yearning for this exposure. I was inspired to work with people whose musical influences were nothing like mine but who could connect with my vision and that's exactly what I found at Soho Sonic Studios. We began working on my EP by going through the list of songs I had written and selected which ones fit together best. As we were making our way through the list and jammed out each song, it was evident that "Sunrise" would be the single. "Sunrise" had originally been written as a slower, sad song and was completely flipped on its head. Natan Sternfeld and Niall Kearney (Soho Sonic London producers) had the idea of making the music uplifting and faster than the tempo it had originally been written in while maintaining the inner turmoil in the songwriting and vocals. It ended up being a mix of different genres; completely different than what I had imagined but, I was really happy to be pushed out of my comfort zone and loved their take on it! You told us that your vocal style has been inspired by the famous artists Najwa Karem, Oum Kalthoom, Janis Joplin, and Amy Winehouse. Can you elaborate on how these artists have influenced your style? Being Lebanese Canadian, I was very influenced by the music my parents exposed me to as a child. I feel a deep connection to my culture and feel especially drawn to Middle eastern instruments accompanied by powerful, raspy vocals such as those of Oum Kalthoom and Najwa Karem. The cathartic journey that ensued by listening to their soulful vocals, experimental sounds and poetic lyrics and the exposure to artists with similar styles in English music like Janis Joplin, Lauryn Hill, and Amy Winehouse gradually influenced the development of my own musical style. “Sunrise” is a song from your new EP which is also called “Sunrise.” Can you tell us what we can expect from the rest of the EP, and how the songs compare to “Sunrise?” Each song in the EP is similar to "Sunrise" in the sense that the lyrics are introspective and are accompanied by powerful vocals. Each song has its own "musical flavor" in that the references used in production were completely different from each other. I pulled from many different genres and experimented with different sounds to achieve a distinct vibe for each song while tying them together through similar melodic elements. What can we expect to see from you throughout 2020? 2020 has been an interesting year to say the least. I plan to continue working with my band in arranging the music to a few unfinished songs that I have written and gone on a festival tour once things get back to normal. In the meantime, I will be collaborating with Deep House DJs/Producers, local Artists, and Rappers. We hope to release our collabs and music videos in the coming months...stay tuned!