Hi, I’m Izzy Escobar and it’s lovely to meet you too!
How are you finding London as a city? I know I’ve been here loads and it’s still really daunting to me.
I absolutely love London! It has picked me up in moments when I’ve felt so low, and it’s a huge part of my current project.
I came here for the first time about five months ago, on a trip that I was supposed to be on with my ex, but I’d made the decision to come by myself and I’d never travelled anywhere alone before. I remember sitting in my room, just thinking, “I can either sit here and be miserable or book that flight and try to write a song every day”, so I did, and it really shaped my writing. London made me remember who I was and the person I’d lost in that relationship.
That’s really moving to pick yourself up like that and find a new relationship with a place. I’m glad you got to do that.
Thank you!
Looking at your artist bio, I can see that you like to draw upon your Cuban and Italian heritage in your music? How would you say this comes across?
Yeah, I think my household growing up was inherently very passionate and musical, and artistic, you know. My dad, when he came from Cuba and didn’t have a job, taught himself how to DJ and so I grew up watching him getting ready for gigs and going along with him sometimes. He was playing a bit of everything: live music, top hits, '80s tracks, etc, and then my mum inspired me to get into classical violin, so I was just surrounded by music from a very young age and quickly realised it was what I resonate with. It’s the lens I view life through.
I love that so much, that you got to build yourself up for that musical platform.
Aww thanks!
You mentioned a heavy use of classical instrumentation, mainly violin and piano. Why do you feel drawn towards that, because I know it’s not something we see a lot of in pop these days?
That’s a great question. I think, initially, strings and keys make me feel something. Something deep, something meaningful, something real, and I love that authenticity that I get from them and what it evokes in me.
I’ve also been part of an orchestra my whole life, it’s what I grew up playing. As a child I would just disappear into my bedroom with my sheet music and write lyrics on the page, because I wanted to express how the sounds made me feel through my own words. They’ve always attracted me. Strings and keys are timeless. Putting them together is my favourite part of writing a song. They’re the through line of my new project, in every single track.
Yeah, they don’t date, an instrument like that. All the tech-heavy synth music is wonderful, but it can really age your song and put you in a certain decade.
Yeah I agree. I look back at all my favourite older jazz records, and I love Sarah Vaughan, Carole King, Julie London, Norah Jones. I still really gravitate towards those piano-heavy songs, years later.
That’s so interesting. I’ve also seen that you have a very strong social media presence, with your improv videos, and I love how unique that approach is. However, would you say you feel a pressure to build an online platform like this? You hear so many artists saying their own different opinion on it these days.
Honestly, I just feel grateful that it’s given me exposure to key people that have allowed me to move my dreams forward and connect with others. I think we have to adapt with the times, you know, and your online presence does matter, we can’t just ignore that. It’s the way things are now. Do I wish that it was like back in the day, where you’d just play live shows and hand out CDs? Yeah, that would be sick, I prefer doing things in person!
For such a long time, I was posting three to four videos a day. Following the trends with like “oh I have the song of the summer” and just absolutely failing. I was so miserable, but I was also teaching music lessons to kids in L.A. at the same time, and one day my student didn’t show up.
(Oh no!) So I had a grand piano in a room, and I turned my phone around. I was going through a really bad time, I felt like nothing was moving forward and my dreams were falling through. But that day I posted my first improv video. I’d just recorded myself making music and literally turned my phone off afterwards. The next morning, I woke up to hundreds of thousands of views, which turned into millions. I couldn’t stop riding that momentum. For the first time, I was being authentic and getting a following online. I don’t feel like I’m presenting a different side of me, it’s been very rewarding.
I’m glad you were able to get that balance. I also heard there’s a new single on the cards, and I’d love to hear more about it!
The song is called 'Sunny In London,' I went into a little bit earlier, it’s the title track of my new EP! Basically, I’d moved to New York for love. I’d been in L.A. for six years, but once I got there, I had my heart broken and it was really difficult. I didn’t have many friends there, the support system I thought I’d had was gone and the rug was pulled out from under me. Everything I’d dreamed with that person, all those promises, were gone. Yet I was about two months into recording this EP once I got there and knew I was in a very different place at this point.
Healing from my heartbreak in a foreign city, not knowing anyone, that was the experience that inspired the song. I was crying on the Tube, but then I was making the best music I’d ever written. It’s the contrast, which to me, is what 'Sunny In London' is. How do you find the joy and still move through a heartbreaking time in your life? How do you find that light? You don’t really have any other choice.
You really picked yourself up through that, and honestly, well done.
Thank you. It honestly feels like a movie, because here I am, five months later. Shooting a music video on the same streets I was crying on! It’s a full circle moment, because I was able to get to this place with the help of my family and friends and now I’m here with someone that I love, doing this.
That’s so lovely. Where are you thinking of shooting the video around here?
Yeah, so we shot the video on Wednesday and I wanted it to feel witty and fun and very me, but also like those days in my life five months ago. We were going to Big Ben and Tower Bridge, all the classics, but also the parks too. All that chaotic healing process, having fun with it too.
You can’t really shoot a music video in London and not have Big Ben there. It happens all the time.
Let’s be real, yeah. It was an insane shooting process too, I’m pretty sure everyone in the city has seen me walking around with an umbrella stopping traffic now.
They’ll find it online someday! Then they’ll get it. Now, as you’re probably aware, our magazine is called Music is To Blame, so I want to know, what would you say is to blame for getting you into music?
Great question, I’d say one word…
That’ll make a good title.
Emotions! Music has always been my way of processing and expressing my emotions, it’s my outlet. So I blame my emotions for making me find that, I’m very grateful for music in that way.
Yes, I think it really comes to us all in that way, it’s great. I’d like to hear a little bit more about your influences too, because I’ve heard you mention Amy Winehouse before, and I love her. You can’t go wrong.
Yeah I’m very inspired by a lot of UK artists naturally, but also that that I mentioned before. Carly Simon and Frank Sinatra too. Lady Gaga as well, a bit more modern there.
They all have such definable images too, I think.
When it comes to UK artists as well, what I really admire is their authenticity in their lyricism.
Oh yeah, Amy wasn’t downplaying it.
Yes, and I’m really attracted to that, it’s wonderful. Same with Adele, she’s so poetic and her voice encapsulates so much soul. Growing up on Norah Jones’ albums too, that simple piano-vocal combo.
Well, it’s been lovely to chat today, and I wish you good luck with this new single.
I’m excited for you all to hear it!
Sofia Neal
Image: Nico Ramirez
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