Izzy Mawdesley is a 17 year old upcoming singer-songwriter from Dorset, UK. Since the age of 12, she has been a prolific composer with her music ranging from sweeping piano ballads and delicate pop songs, to colorful cinematic pieces that capture the soul. Following in the footsteps of ‘Bliss’ her debut single, ‘Coal’ is her second track available on Spotify, iTunes and other music platforms.
*JAW DROP* We were not expecting this strong voice from a 17 year old. Not that age matters but her voice sounds as though she’s been here before. We hear the cadence of Sabrina Claudio with the hum and lyricism of SIA. Then the choice of production was spot on. Emphasizing only the piano making this single a duet with Izzy and the piano keys. The second layer of vocals we assume is Izzy as well which shows us her beautiful vocal range. If you close your eyes and listen to this song, it almost feels as though it is a live performance. We can feel her there singing with her heart and soul and you begin to paint a picture of her on stage sitting at the piano with a single spotlight on her. Oh what a amazingly harmonic package in a soul that has only graced this earth for 17 years.
Listen to "Coal" by Izzy Mawdesley here
Hi Izzy! Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hey! I’m a 17 year old student from Dorset, UK, who spends most of her time making music.
Can you give us a brief history of your musical career?
I’ve been playing the piano since I was about 6, so for most of my life I’ve been involved in music. Although I’ve been writing little tunes and stuff since I was about 10, I was 12 when I started writing songs and uploading them to SoundCloud. I’ve been doing various writing projects for a couple of years, ranging from writing music for an advert for a Parkour centre, to lending vocals on EDM tracks.
Do you write your own music? Can you tell us a bit about your writing process and style?
Yes I do! My writing process mostly begins with chords or melody. I just like to sit at the piano and play around, and see what comes out of it, though sometimes I’ll start writing songs in the shower, in the car, or whilst out with friends. I’m still working on developing my style, but I am influenced by a range of music, spanning from film music to pop ballads.
We LOVE your new single "Coal"! Can you tell us a bit about it?
Thanks so much! "Coal" is a piano-driven ballad that I wrote last year. Although it’s not written from my own perspective, it’s a very personal song to me. It took longer to write than some of my other songs, as I became pretty attached to the piano part and so wanted to make sure that the rest of the song complimented it well.
Where did the inspiration behind the song come from?
This song was written in the middle of Autumn, so that definitely inspired a lot of the lyrical imagery. The whole song tells of somebody reminiscing over the past, and wanting something that’s already been and gone - hence the title "Coal"; it is non-renewable, and is used as a metaphor for this person, place or thing that the narrator is missing.
What are three things you’d love your fans to know about you?
When I hear music I automatically see colours and shapes, which definitely helps when writing.
I’m really not a fan of performing my songs because I get bad stage anxiety, but it’s something I’m working on.
Most of my songs are actually inspired by films, books or just stories that I’ve made up. A recent film I’ve written about is ‘The Sixth Sense’ - which is one of my favourite films ever.
What’s next for you in 2019?
School exams, unfortunately! But musically, hopefully an EP of some sort later in the year, with a few collaboration projects with other artists.
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