An open, uninterrupted space to vent is one of the most necessary forms of emotional catharsis when in your feels. And, newcomer Isabellea is here to let you know that a few “Voicemails” will provide you with this space. Dropping her R&B tinged heartbreak cut, a slowly winding narrative of defiance and betrayal presents itself in the form of the voicemail we have all needed to send to our exs, delivered in an intoxicating tone.
“Heartbreak is something that we’ve all had to suffer with,” acknowledges the artist. “As a young girl, I wanted to create something that loads of other women could relate to. I feel like voicemails in general are underrated, so I chose to make a song as though someone was spilling their heart out through a voicemail. There’s a possibility the other party might delete it altogether, but it doesn’t matter. The voicemail acts as a safe space to vent your frustration.”
Upon the release of the heartbreak anthem, the artist took some time to chat to Wonderland about how her love of literature informs her songwriting, writing tracks for the trash men of the world and a year filled with new releases. Head below to enjoy our interview with Isabellea…
Hey Isabellea, how are you doing?
Barely hanging on. Nah, just kidding. I’m great, thanks.
What have your peaks and pits been of the year so far?
The biggest peak this year has to be my debut release of “Wasted” for my 21st birthday! I’ve also finally finished my English degree, so you can add that on there too. As for pits, I’m blessed to say that I haven’t had any this year, we thank God.
Let’s start at the beginning, how did you first get into music?
I started writing poetry when I was a little girl, and soon that love for poetry transformed into a passion for writing songs. I grew up watching Hannah Montana and The Cheetah Girls, and I remember thinking to myself, ‘I want to write music like that’. So I used to write on random instrumental beats I found on YouTube, and just hid them behind closed doors because I was really shy and didn’t want anyone to judge me. Now that I’m older, I’ve realised that keeping talent a secret is just a wasted gift, so I started to put my stuff out there this year.
And who or what influences you most when songwriting?
Books! I love reading, and I sometimes write stories for fun, and so when I make songs, I try and immerse myself into a different character each time – someone that’s going through heartbreak, or feigning over love, for example, and I get all these characters from books I’ve read. I don’t have one specific artist that I look up to in terms of writing, I would say that I take inspiration from a wide range of people – from Nicki Minaj and Paramore to Hillsong.
Congratulations on the release of “Voicemail”! What was your mindset when writing this track?
Heartbreak is something that we’ve all had to suffer with. As a young girl, I wanted to create something that loads of other women could relate to. I feel like voicemails in general are underrated, so I chose to make a song as though someone was spilling their heart out through a voicemail. There’s a possibility the other party might delete it altogether, but it doesn’t matter. The voicemail acts as a safe space to vent your frustration.
What do you hope people can take from the song?
If you can relate to the song, then that’s perfect! If not, then I hope people are able to feel the hurt and put themselves in someone else’s shoes for 4 minutes. If a man is trash and knows he’s trash, then this song is for him!
What’s next for you? Do you have any plans for the near future?
I have so many songs that I want to get out there! At the moment I’m working on a few projects, so, God willing, I hope to release some very soon.
What’s one interesting fact about yourself that we can’t find on a press release?
Yikes! I have so many, but I’ll share this one with you. When I was about seven, I gulped a mouthful of White Spirits, because I saw bubbles in the bottle and thought it was lemonade. That flammable sign was not big enough to warn me. But you know what, I felt a million dollars after I did it, like, it really changed my life… Just kidding, I puked over my sister’s new skirt and that was the last of it. Never again!