Introducing #125 - Isabelita
Let us introduce you to South London DIY creative Isabelita, who has just dropped her debut track ‘Can’t Complain’ - which is a beautifully, chilled lo-fi tune that she self-produced in her bedroom. She took a moment to talk to us about the creative scene within London at the moment, and how her debut track came together.
Hey there, so you are based in South London, what is your favorite thing about the city?
I think most people would agree when I say the people for sure. I can be quite shy but I really love meeting different people, especially in London as it's so diverse, everyone has a different story to tell. Also the night buses and tubes are a blessing for getting me home at 4am.
Your new track ‘Can’t Complain’ is out now, can you tell us what the track is about?
I wrote 'Can't Complain' a few months after my ex and I broke up. We spent some time together and spoke about what had been going on in our lives, and ultimately about how we had both moved on and started seeing other people. It really hurt knowing that they had moved on, but at the same time, I couldn't really complain about it because I had done the same thing, hence the name of the song. It's a really bittersweet feeling when you know you're not together for the right reasons, but there's still a lot of love there.
Along with music, you make handmade jewellery - tell us a bit more about that?
Yeah! I've been running my Depop shop @Trashchute for just over 2 years. I sell handmade, upcycled jewellery from secondhand chains and charms that I find in charity shops and online, every piece is unique. Ever since I was young I've been into crafts and making things, like pincushions and flower hairclips for my mum out of felt from Hobbycraft. After discovering Depop and using it to sell my old clothes, I realised I could use the platform to sell my creations and really make something of it. I'm really inspired by the 90's and early 00's fashion as it's so nostalgic for me, I was literally born in the y2k, so I love using jewellery charms from brands that were popular back then, like Playboy and Hello Kitty. I'm really proud of my shop, it's come so far from what it was 2 years ago!
You produce your music in your bedroom, do you feel you have a do-it-yourself attitude when it comes to things?
Yeah for sure. Back when I first started taking music seriously, I didn't know anybody else who made music or was into songwriting or production, so I kinda HAD to work by myself. I started properly writing with my guitar in secondary school, and started learning production when I was 16 after starting at music college. Over the years I've built myself a pretty cute basic home studio situation, I used the money I made from Depop to buy most of my setup! I've always been a slight loner anyway so I'm not unfamiliar with being and working alone, I like the freedom that comes with making all the decisions yourself. I'm really inspired by Grimes because she's an artist truly in control of her art, and she is so talented in so many areas. When collabing with other people, I can find it hard to feel confident in my ideas anyway, so going d-i-y just makes sense for me at the moment, I'm working on that confidence though!
Who would you say are your key influences as an artist?
I was actually originally inspired by Catfish and the Bottlemen to start taking music seriously back in 2015. I'd watch interviews of them talking about how they'd play in venue car parks after another band's show, putting CD's on the windows of people's cars, they really worked from the ground up and their passion inspired me so much. Watching them was what made me think, "If they can do this, so can I".
Also like I said before, I really love Grimes. I've been a huge fan of her ever since I heard a Spotify advert for her album 'Art Angels', also back in 2015. I was in the shower when the ad came on and I just had to get out to find out who she was, I was hooked literally from the first snippet I ever heard of her in that advert. I love her music AND her as a person, I look up to her so much and would love to meet her one day.
I think mentioning that I'm also inspired by my friends almost goes without saying. Over the past year I've made friends with some of THE nicest and most talented creatives ever, and I'm so grateful to be part of such an amazing lil musical family.
Since you are based in London, do you like to get involved in the London scene? If so where do you like to go for musical kicks?
I'd say I've been a lot more involved in the past year in the London music scene after making more musical friends! Pop up events with live performances and DJ sets are always so much fun, but honestly I enjoy anything with good company!
Now the single is out there, what next?
I'm always writing and producing and have so many unreleased/unfinished projects and lyrics on my computer. Since the COVID-19 lockdown I've fortunately had a lot of time to work on stuff and develop more ideas, I've actually been learning the ukulele and writing with that too! I have a couple of finished songs in mind that I plan to release soon, but there's nothing set in stone yet! We'll just have to see where the wind takes me!