Back with a stirring alt-pop single is rising star IZZA with “Made Up My Mind”. With tingling guitar strings and vocal refrains, the singer propels us into the heart of a breakup and peels back the layers of regret and conflicting emotions. As the London-hailed singer comes to terms with the end of the relationship, she enters an organic pop soundscape with echoing tonal textures and inner soul searching.

Reassuring herself throughout the song, the singer got candid on the release saying, “The song that was inspired by a past relationship turned into so much more for me, as it also reflects my experience in the music industry. ‘Made Up My Mind’ is about learning that you don’t have to cave into the outside pressures of pretending everything is fine and trying to please others. It will never make you happy. Instead, listen to your gut instinct – it will help you make the right decisions!” 

Accompanied by a moving video, IZZA removes her feelings and thoughts after a night out, shutting out her inner emotions and switching off from the relationship. With her next project on the way, we caught up with singer talking her creative process, her distinctive sound and what she’s got planned for us in the new year.

Check out the single below…

Heya Izza, how’s lockdown been and how would you sum up this year for you?
Hey! 2020 has been an emotional rollercoaster for me, like for most people I guess. I usually gig every week, write and record music in the studio, collaborate with people, go to events, and live and breathe London’s busy life. Suddenly all of that has been put on hold and shifted to this weird online world, where you only meet people on Zoom. It feels like part of my personality has also been put on hold and recently I just want nothing more than to hug all my friends and family and have a great time together. It does make me sad that I can’t do that. But at the same time it has been such an exciting year in music for me, as I finally released new music that is so important to me with a team that I am so grateful for. I just wish I could have a release party with everyone to celebrate it all. But I am hopeful that something positive will come out of this, that we take care of each other more and we value the things that we have more instead of taking them for granted. Bring on 2021!

Your sound is quite distinctive and you pull from various different genres, how did you settle on this sound and who inspired you?
Ah thank you so much! I’ve been making music since I was a kid and I love so many different genres. I think after writing many different songs on my journey, this where I arrived and what felt like me. I want to show vulnerability, not only in the lyrics but also in the vocals, but I also love a catchy hook that people can’t get out of their heads, so I try to combine the dark and vulnerable side with the bright and positive one.

Congrats on your new single “Made Up My Mind”, what was the writing process like?
Thank you! It’s really nice to have this song out. I wrote it a while ago together with Luis Issermann and Pierre-Laurent Faure. I think the guitar riff came first and the melody was flowing quite quickly after that. At that time I had just come out of a relationship and I was still processing everything. So that song ended up being an important one for me, a reminder to trust in myself and my decisions and listen to my gut. It’s gonna be alright you know. The song ended up having a much broader meaning for me though, as it also reflects my experience not only in the music industry, but in society in general, where we are often too worried about pretending everything is okay, when it’s not, and trying to please other people, until we sacrifice our own happiness.

The song was inspired by a past relationship, do you find it difficult to turn real-life situations into songs?
No, it’s the opposite actually. I feel like music is my default setting to express myself. I find the more emotional and passionate I am about something, the easier it is for me to write a song about it. When I write about something really personal that happened to me or to someone close to me, lyrics and melody flow. It’s more like a stream of feelings, like a therapy session or chatting to your best friend without really thinking about it.

And the music video is stunning! What was your favourite part of filming?
Thank you! Yes the whole team did an incredible job: Sam Rockman and James Stittle from Daisy Chain Video, Laurence Benbow and MUA Rebecca Wheeler. We wanted to add a twist to this video. A glamorous video but with an unexpected reality check. Because it’s not always glamorous behind closed doors. One of my favourite parts about the filming has to be that we got to shoot it at The Mandrake Hotel at night. It’s an amazing location and worked so perfectly with the concept for the video, so huge thanks to Rami Fustok and Chris for their support. I’d probably also say having a hot bath while everyone around you is working is pretty fun haha!

What do you want people to take away from this tune?
I’d love for people who listen to the song and watch the video to start thinking about their own lives and realising that they don’t have to cave into outside pressures. There is so much going on in the world around us. Even more now than before, we stare at our phones, compare ourselves to others, we are constantly confronted with the expectations that others and society have on what we should do and what the right decisions in life are. At the end of the day it’s not about them. Trying to please others and pretending everything is fine will never make you happy. Instead, trust in yourself and listen to your gut instinct. That will help you make the right decisions.

You’re set to drop an EP next year, what has it been like creating it during a pandemic?
Yes! It’s not been easy of course because of Covid, but we have to adapt. And I am really excited to share new music with you in the new year!

What are your goals for next future, and what are you most looking forward to?
I am looking forward to gigs. Hot venues, a great atmosphere, and singing to people in the room not behind a screen. I can’t wait to get back to that. Add festivals and BBC Live Lounge to that, and I’m happy!