BiB: Isabella Kensington - How TikTok Turned Her Bedroom Covers Into a Million Fans

0:00 What is going on? It is Adam. Welcome back to Bringing It Backwards, a podcast where both legendary and rising artists tell their own personal stories of how they achieve stardom. On this episode we had a chance to hang out with Isabella Kensington over Zoom Video. Isabella was raised in London in the UK and talks about how she got into music. She said she was singing before or when she started speaking, so she's been singing all of her life. She was also really into dance, so her parents put her into dance classes at a very early age. She started to play guitar around 8 years old, piano around 8 years old and also did the flute. Played the flute all through fifth through the end of high school. But Isabella was also really involved in the chorus in choir. She was a part of a very famous choir in London where she actually had a chance to perform with Paul McCartney and she talks about that story.

0:58 She has a very fascinating story about being accepted to ucla. She was going to attend UCLA for neuroscience. She thought about it and decided she's going to take a gap year and ended up not going to UCLA because she wanted to have a shot at music. She starts going all in our music. She starts posting all the time to Instagram and YouTube and tick tock. Her Tick Tock blows up. She has over a million followers now there, hundreds of thousands on Instagram and over a hundred thousand subscribers on YouTube. So her covers and her original songs started to really blow up on social media. She talks about that.

1:40 We hear about the first EP she released. She tells us about getting into the Clive Davis Institute in New York, moving to New York and all about her brand new EP which is coming out as well as the most recent release which is her song called In Another Life. You can watch our interview with Isabella on our Facebook page and YouTube channel at bringing It Backwards. It'd be amazing if you subscribe to our channel like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Tick Tock at Bringing Back Pod. And if you're listening to this on Spotify, Apple Music, Google podcasts, it would be amazing if you follow us there as well and hook us up with a five star review. We'd appreciate your support. If you follow and subscribe to our podcasts. Wherever you listen to podcasts, we're Bringing. It Backwards with Isabella Kensington.

2:39 Bring it backwards. Bring it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Hello. Hi Isabel, how are you? Good. How are you doing? I am fantastic. Thank you so much for doing this. Thank you for having me. It's lovely to be here. Awesome. Well, I'm super excited to get to know your story and talk about the ep. I think you have a record. Your song's coming out tomorrow too, right? Yeah, it's out in Australia already, actually. Very. Oh, it is, wow. Are you in Australia? No, no, no, no. Okay. It's local release, so it's coming out at midnight in every country, so it's already. So I'm waiting for the US Now. That is awesome. So cool. Yeah, I've heard the.

3:33 Heard the record. I had your team sent it over to me. It's awesome song. Thank you. But, yeah, I didn't see it. I was like, what? Really? I was looking on your Spotify, but I guess maybe it. They're smart enough to know that I don't live in Australia, so. But very, very nice to meet you. This is about you and your journey in music and we'll talk about the. The song coming out and everything else, I think you have an ep, I believe, as well. I do, yes. In September. Awesome. Very soon. Cool. Sorry, go ahead. No, no, I just said very exciting girl. Good. Brad.

4:13 So first off, where were you born and raised? I was born and raised in London. My parents are both American, so I've got the American accent. But they came over to London right before I was born, and I lived there pretty much my whole life until I was about 19. Really? And you never picked up the accent? Well, I. When I was in, like, primary school, I was at a British school and I did a lot of dance and acting outside of school, so I was very much immersed in British accents. So what I would do is I would speak in a British accent at school and then I'd come home and flip to the American accent. So I would just. It was. Yeah, it was very silly. And then when we'd have birthday parties, we'd have my parents and my friends present. So I was like in this weird transatlantic accent moment. But it was. It was funny growing up with both accents just because it happened kind of naturally and, like, subconsciously.

5:11 Yeah. So you weren't trying to go home and not speak with the accent. It just happened because you're around your parents who didn't have the accent, just adapted. That's wild. Interesting. Yeah. One of my really good friends growing up, his brother is, like four years older and he had. He was born in Brussels, and then my buddy was born in Singapore, of all places, which is random. But then they moved to the US and he doesn't have the accident at all, but both of his parents and his brother Do I love that? It's so wild. Yeah. Yeah. It's so cool how that works. It's all surroundings that's so interesting. So, okay, so you grew up really in London. Are you in London now?

5:56 I'm. Right now I'm in the States because my family's kind of half back and forth and I'm at school at NYU right now, so I'm still kind of planted in the States at the moment. But I do love London and I go back all the time, so that's awesome. So you're currently at nyu? You go to school there? Yeah. Wow. Congratulations. That's huge. Do you go to the. The music school? Yeah. Clive Davis. Yes, the Clive Davis Institute. And I love it. It's really awesome. Majoring in recorded music and getting to do everything that I want to do outside of school, inside school grounds, and that's the dream. That's amazing.

6:37 Yeah. So how do you get into music? I mean, it sounds like you're into acting and all of that as a young child anyway, but do you come from a musical family? Creative household, all? No, my. Well, creative to an extent, but not musical. My dad's side of the family can't find a beat to save their life. My mom's side of the family, they're more creative. My uncle's an artist. My mom did a bit of dance when she was younger, but I. Music really came out of nowhere for me and something I was interested in. I was always surrounded by music, though. My parents were always playing music. My mom would play stuff in the car on the radio, and my dad would introduce me to, like, Rod Stewart and Sheryl Crow and, like, all these random different people, like, on the ipod. And my mom was burning Disney CDs and, like, you know, it was very much a musical environment, but no one was kind of there as, like, a mentor figure. But I was pretty much singing from the moment I could talk. Okay.

7:40 And I would just. I entertained myself. I would just sing on my own and, like, I would fall asleep and I would just be sitting and singing in my room. My mom would come and knock on my door and be like, okay, go to bed. So it's just something that I naturally wanted to do. And then they put me in dance classes when I was, like, straight out of potty training, like, two years old. Wow. I, like, was surrounded by classical music and dance and just, you know, enjoying music from that perspective. I think also just really filled my life with that genre in a way that I think slightly influences things now, but. Yeah, I grew up dancing and listening to music, and it just kind of naturally happened that way. And thank God everyone's supportive of it. And. Yeah, right. I was gonna say that's amazing that your parents support it. Right. And then put you in dance at a young age. They put you. Did you do chorus or vocal lessons or anything like that when you're young as well? A lot of choir I was part of. I did a lot of vocal lessons before I joined choir, but I was in this really cool choir in London called Capitol Children's Choir, and we just got to do the most incredible things. I mean, part of it is the fact that you're in London, but it was run by this amazing choir director who just. She got us in the co. We got to sing with Paul McCartney.

9:04 We got to record on, like, soundtracks. We got, like. It was just unbelievable, like, amazing experiences and all of that. It was very technical vocally, and everyone was just excited to be a part of a group of people singing. It's the most amazing feeling when you're all perfectly in sync singing. Sure. That. Yeah. I grew up kind of doing that kind of stuff, and that's all thanks to my parents. 100. Wow. Okay. See, I'm curious about the singing with Paul McCartney, but do you have to, like, audition to get into this? I would imagine get into this thing. Right? Yeah, I, like, I remember sending in a few. I mean, you could. Anyone could join.

9:47 But then when you actually have to do the performances and stuff, you send in your auditions. And we did so many different things, and there were different opportunities for solo artists and for, you know, harmonies and, you know, just all these different pieces. There were kids that were, you know, seven, and there were kids that were 18, and everyone there just was really excited to do their part, and that was kind of the. The whole purpose of the choir. But the Paul McCartney thing was unbelievable. It was at the O2. Wow. Do you know the song Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time? Oh, yeah, I do. So there's a little. That's my favorite Christmas song. And a lot of people.

10:27 Yeah. And I totally see it differently now, too. I just love it. It's my favorite. But there's, like, a little part with the little choir singing, like, the ding dong, Ding dong. Oh, yeah. That was us. And so we would just kind of. We all walked on wearing our little pomcarney T shirts, and we, like, sang our little vid and then walked back off and it's so funny. It's so. No way. Oh, my gosh. Wow. Did you get to meet him after or anything. Yeah. Before on the sound check before. The sweetest man ever I heard. I. I've had a couple people on this podcast that went to his school in Liverpool. He is like a music school there. Yeah. And I think, like, you audition or there's a class where if you get to a certain point, like, you get to present your song to Paul McCartney. He's like, sitting there and then he like, we'll give you some notes or something on your song. I couldn't even imagine. It's. It's unbelievable now. So cool. Like, we were. We came out to the sound check and he's just playing his bass and he's talking to the kids, and he shook every single one of our hands like it was. It was really special. How old are you when you got opportunity to do that? I want to say I was older. I was like 15. I want to say 15 or 16. I was on the older end. I was getting ready to leave older 15, but. Oh, man, my dad would like, have a heart attack. Do your parents get to meet him?

12:02 No way. That's crazy. They didn't even get to see you sing. Then they just drop you off like, sorry. I found videos and stuff online, so that was all good. I'm sure you can find them. Do a deep dive. I'm going to after this. This is crazy. My younger brother was also in it. He was like. I want to say like 10. And they didn't even. Yeah. Send either of your parents, like, with two kids? No, but we did get our little moment on the billboard, so in the videos, you can kind of see us up behind. So they got to. They got to see it a little bit. That's awesome. Wow. Wow. So your brother's a musician as well then, or. He. He. I mean, he was in the choir when he was younger. He's very. He's gonna be totally embarrassed if he sees this, but he sings really well. He can find a harmony really well.

12:54 It's very impressive. And he did a bit of dance growing up and stuff, but he. His passions in soccer, so he's. He's done with that. He's over the music. Very talented. Yeah. So you are in this choir and you're. You're doing in like 15, 16 at that point. Were you also in, like, the school choir? Did you do the band or did you play an instrument or anything like that as well? Did I played flute in the band? I haven't talked about this ever. I played flute in the band for like eight Years. Wow. And I'm not that good. I'm like not good enough for eight years. Like, I shouldn't be saying that. I should be be saying like two years. But whenever somebody says that they're not good, they're probably like, you're not good. It's like, oh, I'm not that good. Like just. No, no, no, no.

13:44 I'll take singing, but I can't, I can't take food. But it's not like Lizzo just going to bust it out. No. Maybe someday, maybe I'll practice more. But I haven't played in years. But I, I really loved playing in the band again. There's something so special about that group of people just together and everything just like feels great when you get it right and everyone's like working together as a team. It's just such an amazing feeling. And so flute. I like, I loved doing that. I did that every other day in school for eight years, since fifth grade, all the way through senior year. Nothing to show for it though. Did you also, like, I know you, you have a massive social media presence, but aside from that, I mean like, were you going and doing like cover songs or writing your own music at, in high school or around that time as well or. No, I, Yeah, I grew up like writing songs as silly as they probably sounded when I was a kid. And as much as I definitely ripped off High School Musical, I like, yeah, I was writing from like a young age, but 10 years old was kind of when I decided to really start writing properly about like things about myself. And you know, that autobiographical approach to songwriting really started then at 10. That's so young. And well, I have an eight year old son and I'm. I'm just trying to wrap my head around like two years him

15:16 autobiography, thinking like inside and then writing about it. It's like, what? No, no, no. Well, it's kind of like it was a way to kind of deal with feelings and you know, going into middle school, there's so many feelings. Middle school is the worst. Oh yeah. Middle school and like early high school, not, not where it's at. And I'm trying not to forget that because, you know, I want to be able to hold on to that for the rest of my life and remember that. So when I talk to teenagers when I'm 30 years old, I'm not like, oh, it's fine, it's fine. You could just tell them how much it sucked. When you're in mid. Understand you're in. The worst years of your life. Kids.

15:59 Oh my goodness. But yeah, I. So I. I went to see a Taylor Swift concert when I was nine, turning ten. And it just. Gillette Stadium, the Red Tour. Okay. And I just. We were like in nosebleeds. We weren't close to the stage. And I just remember looking and thinking, that's what I want to do. Like, this is what I want to do with my life. And so I went home and I wrote my first song and that was like first real song. And that was where it kind of all started in terms of writing my own music. And I was always covering other people's music. And I learned to play guitar when I was like 8ish. So I was able to kind of do that between guitar and piano, but then flute. So you played guitar, piano and the flute? Oh my God. Yeah, yeah. Enough to like get by. Like, I'm not a piano player nor am I like capable of anything classical on the guitar, but like enough like chords and cover. Yeah, exactly. Which really came in handy. And I also like, I wanted to be able to record it too. So when I was round 12, download a GarageBand or I found. I think it's pre downloaded. Yeah. And I whipped out. This is horrible. I whipped out my like, you know the Apple earbuds that they give you when you buy a product? Yeah. With a little microphone on it. That's mic that I was using to record.

17:28 So I was recording directly into the computer with that microphone, playing guitar and vocals. I think I left the mic. I think I left the metronome in. When I bounced it out like it was really like early stages and. But I really just wanted to be able to do it myself. So I kind of from songwriting, I was like, I want to be able to record it. So then that's whenever I started producing. Wow. And then. So that young you were just trying to figure it out? Yeah, I just wanted to do it and I didn't want to have to wait to learn from other people and stuff like that. I just wanted to kind of hands in and go for it. Did you YouTube at all, like. Like look up? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thankfully GarageBand's pretty easy to figure out. And I'm not like reading directions. I'm a person that just like tries it. And so I would go in and just explore. And when I'd mess something up, that's when I'd go to YouTube or something. Yeah.

18:22 Wow. Eventually moved on from GarageBand, thankfully, which is why. That'S so fascinating. So when did you get your first guitar? Were you 8, 9 years old. I was about 8 or 9. Yeah. I can't remember exactly. It was for Christmas, and it was this pink, pink electric guitar. And it was the happiest day of my life. You still have it? Loved it. I do, yeah. It's awesome. Yeah, I know. The first guitar I had. I'm not good at all. I can play chords. Same thing. But. Yeah, but I still kept the thing for some reason. It's like, if it ever met, you know, for whatever reason, maybe my kid wanted one year, but.

19:04 Yeah, exactly. That's mental. It's sweet. Yeah. Yeah. So you were doing that. Doing the garageband thing, and with that song that you recorded, were you, like, showing your parents, like, oh, my gosh, look what I made. Or. I was. Yeah, I was putting it on SoundCloud. Like, oh, really? You're going on. It's not there anymore. It's not there anymore, thankfully. Pull back up. Why not Bring it back? But, yeah, I was putting it on SoundCloud. And around that time was also when I started social media. So I, like, I was quite late to the Instagram game. I think a lot of kids got it right when Instagram kind of started. I downloaded it a few years later and I was like, I'm going to use it for music. Like, this is what I'm. This is what I'm going to do. And so I created a SoundCloud account, started posting on that, posting on social media. And then that's kind of when the social media journey started, too.

19:58 Of like, once I started getting good feedback and people were saying that they liked it, I was like, wait, there's. There's something in this. I could do this. And so I started doing, like, more covers and stuff like that, just to kind of broaden the audience and try new things. And that was the start of the journey. It all went from there. So it started on Instagram, then That was where you really began. Yeah. And then. Go ahead. I was just gonna say, did you have it. Was it just posting all the time and then eventually people started to follow your page or. Yeah, kind of like a slow, organic thing that you had. Or do you have a moment where you did a cover and it, like, blew up or something? There were a couple moments. So when I was really young and I started, that was kind of the slow burn part. I was using crazy numbers of hashtags and sending it to those, like, singing pages that would feature different people. And, like, you know, most of them you had to pay for. So I was like, not, you Know, I was like, never mind.

20:59 This is. Kind of took a little break after a while, and then Covid hit, and I was like, okay, this is. This is my time. This. I was going nuts. Like, I hadn't gone outside in, like, six weeks. It was crazy in London. And so I just decided to pour my energy into that project. And that's when I started doing these covers. I called them covers for quarantine. Those still are up on YouTube. Yeah, I think I've seen some of those. I didn't know that that's how early it started. Wow. Yeah, and it was just. It was just like, a fun project, and it gave me something to do, and it also gave me, like, a schedule of consistent posting and a bit more accountability. And that's kind of. Instagram went like this. And I started experimenting with, like, different Facebook advertising and stuff like that as well, and trying to, like, hone in on, like, a marketing plan, because at that point, I was also recording music. I had already recorded my own stuff, like, properly in a studio. Oh, you had? Okay. Yeah.

22:02 So I. I was trying to kind of, like, build an audience to put music out. That was always the purpose, and covers were the best way to do that. And then I would also kind of sprinkle in the occasional original. Just do like, hey, I've heard my own music. But I. Tick Tock was really where it kicked off. That. Okay, that was the moment for me. And I was so angry with the app when I. When I start, like, right before it went like this, I was, like, really not doing well. And so it started when I posted the first video, and it got more, like, more views than I was expecting. And I was like, oh, this is totally different than any other app that I've been on. Like, I have zero followers, and I got 600 views. This is amazing. And so this is the first video you sign up for TikTok. This is during the quarantine and all that stuff. 2020 or maybe even 2021 at this point. Are you in high school still at that time or. No, I.

23:02 Hear. So I was like, mid gap year. And you had graduated already? I had just graduated, yeah. Okay. And then you graduated before COVID Right. On the cusp of COVID I didn't get a graduation. Yeah. No way. You got robbed of that. I did. It was robbed. And I'll circle back to that story because that's a. That's a really great story, too, of just, like, the path that I was on. But I, like, started posting on TikTok. That did really well. All of a sudden, after it was a slow burn to get to a thousand followers. But then one video I posted of me in the mirror and like, I remember it hitting like 2000 views and I was like, what's happening? Like, this is amazing. And then like by the end of the night, it was at like 500,000 views. And I stayed up all night, like, responding to every single comment until it told me I couldn't anymore.

23:57 That was the moment. And then from then on, it's. It's been incredible. Absolutely incredible. Okay, so what was that, that video? Was it a cover song or was. It one that was. Yes, that was by. That was the record player song. Okay. Like a one breath challenge that was going around and I remember scrolling and thinking, I hate this app. I'm not getting any traction. And I found that someone doing that and I was like, that's a cool thing. Maybe I could try it. And I was like sitting on my couch practicing it. Went to the bathroom in the mirror to film it in the mirror because the girl had done that. And I was like, this is an easy thing to do. And I was in my pajamas, didn't have any makeup on. I had put so much effort into the videos before that too. So it was so funny how it works. And like, you're not the first person that have said that.

24:44 Right? Like the one that you're just like, whatever, I'm just gonna throw the paint at the wall and then it works. Yeah, like the last. Like, oh, I'm just gonna try it. And yeah, it just. Ever since then. And thankfully it's. Thanks. Like, you know, I'm very grateful that that was the one that took off because the rest of the videos have been a lot more low maintenance than it would have been had. My. Yeah, you have a full production and you're like, now I gotta do all these things to try to get this next video to look good. Very. Yeah, yeah, but. Yeah, but sir, I'll circle back to that. Yeah. I'm curious about this whole thing. Yes. So I, I always knew I wanted to do music, but I think a lot of. Don't think I'm alone in it, but a lot of people at that age of like applying to college and figuring out what you like want to do and want to focus on in life, you kind of fall into that trap of what's sensible, what am I going to get a job out of?

25:43 Like, what, what should I do? That's going to be a smart path for me that like takes Little risk. And, you know, and I was in a very high. So it's. There's like no guarantees whatsoever and. Exactly. Creative, right, Exactly. It's all subjective. Does anyone care? And. Exactly. It's a big risk. And a lot of it's luck and timing and a lot of it's just perseverance and continuing on the path despite the fact that you're getting little feedback and, you know, and just trusting yourself. So I was very scared of that. And throughout my high school experience, I was in quite a high pressure high school. Like, there was a lot of just external, like you have to make very smart, sensible decisions and, you know, get all A's and get B's, the best scores on all of these standardized testing and like, you know, it was just a very tricky environment to want to do anything creative as a career. It was very much encouraged as a hobby, but not as a career. So I was actually set to go to UCLA for neuroscience. Wow.

26:50 Oh my gosh, that is very different. Are your parents in that field of sort? No, no, no. It's just something that I'm still very interested in. And I'm minoring in nyu. Like, I'm still taking classes. I still love it very much. But I was meant to be going down that path, which was much more sensible. And I requested a gap year from UCLA because partially I just wanted to focus on music for a year and not have to worry about making a sensible career just yet. But also because we were in the. Middle of COVID Okay, so Covid was already in. You were. That had already happened once, like, yeah. So they were probably like, yeah, sure. We don't want you to come over here from another country. We're good. They denied it. Oh, they did. They denied it. So that was where I was like, oh, no, what am I going to do? Well, going to L. A.

27:43 I was. And I was in London. They weren't offering campus housing, if I remember correctly. So I was in London. I was going to be like, you know, eight hours behind. And it was Covid ridden. And I didn't, you know, I just, I really didn't, in my heart, did not want to do that. And so I was kind of faced with that decision of, do you go to school, focus on neuroscience for four plus years? Because I was probably going to end up doing some sort of further education after that and give up music or do I withdraw from the only school that I've committed to. Like, you know, it was the only path that I was set on to. I completely throw that away. It's a very good school too. So it was very nerve wracking.

28:26 And do I just put everything into music and I entertained the idea of both for a while, mainly for the sanity of my parents. But I. You're like, well, I'm in la, maybe you could do something. Exactly, you know, Exactly. You're in the middle of nowhere. Exactly. But I ultimately chose not to and to take the gap here. And I'm so grateful I did. I'm so, so grateful I did because I would not have the platform that I do now. I wouldn't have Clive Davis and like, you know, it was just the perfect, the perfect decision and I didn't. I felt it at the time, but I didn't know it was really big risk. And that gap year was just amazing despite Covid. Okay.

29:11 It was really great. Yeah. So you take a gap year and then at that decision it's just. How do you decide then? Okay, I need to go. I'm gonna go all in. And the music was. It just. I gotta post every day on social media. Like I gotta write a bunch of songs. Like. Yeah, I'm definitely. I struggle making my own schedule more than I'd like to admit, just because I really like to have someone to keep me accountable on those things. So it was tricky that year, but I just tried to get in the studio as much as possible and I had this friend of mine, I did this writing camp right before I graduated at Peter Gabriel Studios out in. Outside of Bath, and I met some really incredible producers and engineers there and one of them introduced me to this other guy out in Bath at Graves who I wrote and he produced my entire first ep and that one that's. Coming out next month, my last ep.

30:14 Oh, the last cp, the one that you just. Yeah, okay, sorry, go ahead. That came out a long time ago. It's been a while since story begins. That one. That's the one. Okay. And so he. He co wrote everything with me and produced all of it and we just had such a blast. It was so fun and rewarding and I was going through a really rough breakup, so it was just everything I needed. And so that was kind of how I tried to fill as much of my time as possible with. And then the rest of it was posting every day at multiple times if I could on each platform, really trying to make a plan for live shows and things like that that I couldn't do during COVID and just, you know, trying to write as much as possible on my own as well and trying to make the most of my time with nothing else to do. And it was great. I mean, it was back when TikTok and Instagram and YouTube were all paying pretty well, and TikTok's changed a bit and. But I was able to, like, make a living off of it. And that's where I really realized, okay, like, not a full living, but it was like, I can do this. Like, this. I can make this. This is possible. And then I went to school at nyu, and that was just an extension of everything I'd been doing. It was. It all worked out exactly as I wanted it to.

31:41 So it was just very rewarding. The whole year was very rewarding. That is amazing. So you record that first ep, you had those songs, and you go and work with this producer at Peter Gabriel Studio. And at that point, was it. Were you playing shows or you just. Like, I have these songs. I want to just get them out there and. And you just put them up on Spotify or like. Like what? And you did it all independently, like, kind of. Tell me about, like. Like, what was the, you know, plan there as far as, like, trying, you know, was it like, let's get this out and try to see what happens? Was that. I don't. I'm. Yeah, it was definitely a stepping stone. It was a very much like, let's see where we're at. Let's test the waters.

32:23 Let's put something out there so people have something to listen to. And a few of them had gained a little bit of traction on social media. Nothing major viral, but a few people had kind of picked up on originals coming, and so it felt like there was a place for it. And there was. I held on to the songs for a while, and I released them my sophomore year in college. And when you were going to NYU at this point? At nyu? Yeah. Okay. How do you get into that school? Like, I mean, to be going to UCLA for neuroscience, and then now you're at NYU at Clive Davis, which is another school that's not easy to get into at all. Like, do you. You must have had to go through some audition process that way as well. They do, like, there's. There's like, an application where you do a video and you have to fill out all these different things, do some essays. You have to make, like, a playlist. It was.

33:22 I just reapplied during the gap year, so it was like. I hadn't applied the first year, so it was the first time applying. And I remember. I mean, I was spending so much time in the studio that I didn't have a ton of time to put towards the video and the application itself. And so I remember just kind of trying to put together a video that looked professional and looked good because people. You can find people's ones on YouTube and I was watching, and they all look so professional and just look really cool. And so many of them were advanced in so many different ways that I was just trying to show what I had that was unique. And so a lot of the clips I did were like pieces from the studio and, like clips of originals. And then some were just me talking.

34:12 And there was actually one video I had to do that you had to talk about something you were interested in that wasn't music. So that's when I told my whole neuroscience story. And so I was really just trying to make myself stand out in some sort of way. And thankfully I got it. I'm very, very grateful to be here. You just send the clip of you have with all the viral clip from TikTok. Here's my video submission. Well, at the time when I applied, nothing had gone viral yet. Oh, okay. Nothing. I had nothing to, like, show for my. For my. So I was just. I showed a little bit of the covers for quarantine and I was like, you know, showing like, I've grown my audience from 200 to 2000, but I didn't have over a million. Like, it wasn't it. That wasn't until I was already.

35:04 Yeah, okay. So it was very lucky they saw something, and I'm glad they did. Yeah. Wow. I mean, that you. I'm just looking. I love that you have. I mean, you've grown all your social media. I mean, you have a million plus on Tick Tock and hundreds of thousands on Instagram and even, like YouTube, you have the play button. Like, that's so rad. Like, that's the coolest thing ever. Thank you. Yeah. I just think that's so amazing and so going. Was it hard, like, when you started doing the, you know, covers and kind of sprinkling in your own music? And then at what point do you end up just going like, I'm just gonna pretty much just do all originals now? Were you afraid of, like, your. Your fan base not, you know, staying, you know, there? Or maybe they're just like, oh, I love your covers, but okay, you're not doing covers anymore. You're not doing as many.

35:57 So there was definitely that for sure. And I still do covers because as much as I am an artist, I'm also a content creator. And I feel like they followed me, and I'm so grateful that they did that. I should give them things that they want. So I'm trying to kind of keep that up while also saying, here's my music without being too aggressive, without with it. There was definitely a period. There was a big learning curve that happened with that first EP of I was only posting original content and original songs, and I just wasn't gaining the traction that I was with the covers. And it helps to kind of sprinkle them in and keep people excited about the covers as well, just because that's what they signed up for. And I can't ask them to listen to my own music if that's not what they want to do.

36:54 So I try to do covers, and I also do the panning videos where it changes from ear to ear. And so I try to sprinkle in things that, like, I know that they like. And then I also, in terms of, like, a marketing strategy, a lot of the time I'll try to, like, incorporate panning in my originals or I'll sing in the mirror. Like, I'll just sing my song acapella. Like, I do the covers and stuff like that. So I try to kind of blend my content so it feels like one without being, you know, too much. Yeah. It's not like this is just my song and then here, now this is what exactly? Cover. And. Yeah, everything's pretty, like. Yeah, it's got to make sense. Yeah, exactly.

37:38 Yeah. Really, really cool. Well, tell me about the ep, then. So when do you start working on this new one? Yes. I'm so excited. So I've been working on this for the last. Some of the songs have been in the works for, like, three years. Not in the works, but I've been holding on to for, like, three years. So I'm ready to be, you know, received by people and so excited to hear what people think. All the Best was the first single off that album, and I had been waiting to put that one out, knowing that that was one of my favorites off of the EP for so long. Like, I was just so excited for that, to be a part of the world. And it's different than the first ep. It's a little more edgy, it's a little more petty. It's a little more mature in other ways as well.

38:32 And the name of the EP is Not in a Dollhouse Anymore. So I kind of wanted it to be that feeling of we're growing up. I hate the term coming of age, but that's Kind of what it is like this, you know, I'm growing up and I'm not playing in dollhouse anymore. It's also not fully real life just yet. We're still, like, playing house. We're in. We're in between the two. And I think a lot of the songs reflect that in different ways. So each song kind of stands for its own thing as part of that process of growing up. And these songs are kind of based on the last three years of my life. And so it's really. It was really tricky to pick which ones were on it and what to kind of get rid of. It's kind of like killing your babies a little bit. But how many songs told did you have to, like, sift through? Quite a few, I'd imagine.

39:33 I mean, about 50. Wow. It was just. I was in the studio so much, and I was writing so much, and I was feeling so many emotions that I just had so many to kind of sift through. And I have to pick six. It was so hard. Who knows? I'll probably come out with more from that deluxe. The 50. Yeah. I'll bring out more later. But I. All the Best was kind of the first one because it just comes out with a kick. It's different. It's a little funny. It's a little, like, quirky and cute, and it's empowering in other ways. I went into that session and I just felt so horrible. I just gotten this, like, really nasty text from my ex, basically saying that I was posting about him and I shouldn't be posting about him when the songs I was posting weren't about him. So it was just really like, how about you, bro?

40:31 It was just. Yeah, it was really, you know, nasty. And I was feeling so sick to my stomach about it. And I went into the session, and they were like, what do you want to write about? And I was like. I got this text and they were like, read it. Read it out to us. So we kind of based it on that text, and he had signed it off saying, wishing you all the best, and that's good. It was so passive. We just kind of took it and ran with it. And I left that room feeling so happy and so just, like, relieved in a way, and just inspired and empowered. And I was so excited about, like, just what we made out of something so horrible. And I feel like each song on this album kind of has a sprinkle of that in the same way. So that's when you're. Yeah. Love loves me Like L. A is the next was the one that you put out prior to the one that's going to be out when this comes out. And yeah. Loves Me Like LA is kind of the first love song I've put out that's about me or that's from my perspective and it's just happy. And I feel like if my younger self heard it, she would just cry of like joy. It's really the music. I feel like all the best was the music that I wanted to make at that time.

41:55 Loves me like LA is the music that like my 12 year old self really wanted to accomplish on that garage band session. So it's healing my inner self. And it was very summery and it just felt right to be the next single. And I was also gonna be in LA when it came out, so it was just all so perfect. It worked together so nicely. And In Another Life is definitely. I love that one. That's the one that you're. I. The one that had the sound called like it too, I think. Yes, Right? Yeah. Yeah. I love the intro. The guitar. It was when Phil started. I wrote it with Phil Cook and Fia Brennan. And when Phil started playing that guitar, I was like, this is what we're doing.

42:36 And I had just read a Taylor Jenkins Reid book called maybe in Another Life. And it was just everything I needed to hear when I was going through the thick of my breakup. And there was. It's basically this story of two parallel love stories that happen as a result of like a single decision made in the first chapter by the main character. And I won't spoil it too much, but she kind of. You watch her go in and out. There's still the same characters around her, but she's having very different lives. And I just remember feeling very at peace when I reached the end of the book. And it wasn't what I was expecting. And I kind of reflected back and thought, you know what?

43:29 Maybe we're just in another life and maybe that's denial, but maybe we're just in another life. And that was. It's not for the space and time and that's fine. And I just walked away feeling much better about everything. And that was kind of what that song is about, is. It's a little sadder than that, but to me there's kind of that glimmer of acceptance. Just that light at the end of the tunnel. And it's more like. It's not like a sad song. I mean, we just do it, right? It's exactly upbeat and poppy. Yeah, exactly. And it's a Little darker and a little more edgy and kind of fun in that way. And it's got kind of that swung tone. So it's just really.

44:12 It's fun. It's very fun. And it was really, really rewarding writing that. And I just love the two of them so much. They were so fun to write with that day. We were just having a blast. And there's this video I just posted on my Instagram of, like, us trying out the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song against our chorus and stuff. We were just having so much fun, so. So that's a special one to me. And it felt right to be the third single before the ep. I love it. And then the EP is the next release after that. Yeah, yeah. And are you doing. Were a lot of these songs written while you were in New York, or was it kind of all over the place? I mean, you mentioned being in LA when Loves Me, like LA came out. Yes. All of the songs that we wrote were written in London. Oh, they are. Okay.

45:03 Yeah. But kind of with, like, trips that I took back to London. Like, I was living in New York at the time. I just really loved the collaborators out there, and I really liked working with certain people over and over and over again. And we just started to make really great music. So I kept going back and I just kept doing trips. But, yeah, the last few songs on the ep, one of them I wrote a long time ago, like three and a half years ago. And the other two are more recent. So I'm excited to kind of see what gets the most positive feedback and just to see what people connect with, because some of the music I feel a lot more connected to now as me just personally, than I did, you know, back then, years ago. Yeah. Really sad. Now I'm really happy. So it's just. It's. I'm excited to see what people connect with the most, and I'm excited for those sad songs to kind of take on a new meaning once people start to listen and relate.

46:04 Awesome. Well, I appreciate your time. Thank you so much for doing this, Isabelle. This has been awesome. Thank you. So lovely to meet you. Yeah, your songs are great. I can't wait to hear the full EP when it comes out in a month or so. And I have one more question. I want to know if you have any advice for aspiring artists. Food. I would say it's a marathon, not a sprint. And I mean that in the sense of you can't just wake up one day and run a marathon. There's months of training that goes into that. There's preparation, there's practice. There's a lot of days where you wake up and you practice and you. You're a little bit worse than the day before, and that's okay. And being a little bit further behind on one day means that maybe someday you can take those extra steps forward and just persevering with that and continuing despite what you hear from other people and just trusting yourself that you can do it and work towards that.

47:21 Bringing it backwards, bringing it backward, bringing it backward, bringing it backward, bring it backward, bring it backwards.