New Music Friday: Isanna

Written by Tasnim H.

We're back with another #NewMusicFriday! This week we linked up with American-German, London based producer & artist, Isanna as she thrills us with her latest album "Mango".

We caught up at the Stööki studio in London to learn more about Isanna!

Carry on reading to find out about her induction into the music industry, upcoming projects and the collection of tunes in her spotify playlist! 👀

1. Tell us who you are?

Hey!! I’m Isanna. I’m an American-German producer and artist based out of London.

2. Where did it all begin?

It all started with me lurking on my brother’s guitar lessons when I was a kid and secretly teaching myself to play the acoustic guitar. That, and hearing Ellie Goulding’s first album ‘Lights’ inspired me to start writing music as a creative outlet. Later, I started experimenting with Garageband, which eventually led to teaching myself how to produce in Ableton.

3. Tell us about your project? And what's coming next?

Isanna was originally just intended to be a play on my name, Anna, but I later realized it’s a Germanic name that means ‘strong-willed woman’. It’s kind of a wild synchronicity, but it actually sums up the project really well. It’s about being independent and authentic at all costs and doing what intuitively feels right. I produce and write all of my own tracks because I believe it’s essential to the authenticity of the project.

Over the next few months, I’ll be releasing singles that I feel will be really definitive for my sound. That’s gonna lead right up to a debut EP release.

4. Tell us about your personal and creative lockdown experience.

Lockdown was probably one of my most creative moments so far. Personally, it was a deep dark dive into my own psyche, which I think is something a lot of people can relate to. I think because I naturally tend to create alone, isolation wasn’t too much of an adjustment. I felt like the slow pace of life at the time really allowed me to explore and expand my sound without pressure. I really discovered myself artistically through that, and the majority of the tracks I’ll be releasing over these next few months were written during that time.

5. Tell us about your creative process.

Because the whole process is usually just me, from the writing to the production, it’s a pretty chaotic experience. I usually start by finding what I think of as ‘triggers’: sounds or melodies that instinctively spark an emotion in me. If something catches, I try to write a hook based on that feeling, and then fill out the production as I go. I think mainly working solo allows me to be as real as possible. I never hold back in what I’m trying to say because I’m in my own space.

6. How would you describe your music?

I’d say it’s introspective pop with R&B and Singer-Songwriter influences.

7. What's on your playlist right now?

Pretty much everything and anything, my playlists are really dynamic at the moment haha. So much Kanye right now, I’m loving Donda. But I’ve also been listening to a lot of classical and early 90s stuff like Cibo Matto. Sevdaliza’s latest album has also been on repeat pretty much since she released it, her sound is absolutely brilliant.