Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I am from Milton Keynes born and bred. I started off with a passion for dance at a young age, I did ballet for about 2 years. I really loved music! I was surrounded by it growing up and my parents sing and my father plays guitar and bass. I was involved in productions, I did drama and musical theatre as well. It wasn’t until college that I explored all the different areas of dancing, acting and singing on a regular basis. I remember watching an Erykah Badu video of her performing ‘Otherside of the Game’, it was incredible. I realised at that moment I actually wanted to be a singer and focus on honing in that craft.
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: Oooo great question lately I have been listening to Gwen Bunn’s PHASE album. I have been rinsing it, definitely a no skips one. I have also been listening to simon a. I really love his Alt-R&B style, my favourite tracks are ‘Find Peace Anything’ and Badland. Lastly two artist Xavier Omar’s EP b l u r r and Ari Lennox’s album age/sex/location.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences, and why the name ‘The Isle Of CC’?
A: I would say my strongest musical influences are Erykah Badu, Solange and Kelela. They are all different but there are elements that each of them have that I really love. Erykah’s stage present stands out to me a lot how she commands the stage effortlessly and her vocals, her body of work. Solange’s visuals, lyrical content and her bodies of work. Kelela’s vocal ethereal qualities over electronic music is something so special. There is definitely crossovers with what I love about all three but that’s just a small insight as to what stood out to me with them.
The name ‘The Isle Of CC’ comes’ a nickname my Mother gave me, my two middle names both being a ‘C’. ‘The Isle’ part represents me being on my own island and in my own space , my musical space.
Q: You have just released your new EP, ‘Void’. Is there a story behind it?
A: Yeah there is definitely a story be ‘Void’
“At its core, the song is about the fantasy of a relationship, but not truly being in one. I’ve written the lead and backing vocals in such a way that the song ebbs and flows between fantasy and reality. The experiences that led to ‘Little Black Dress’ taught me growth not only as an artist, but as a human being. I felt that ‘Little Black Dress’ should be the single to lead the ‘Void’ EP as it represents the middle of my journey, not quite being happy alone, but also not sure I wanted to be with anyone else. It seems to be the stage that people don’t often sing about, it’s either ‘I’m so lonely’ or ‘fuck everyone I’m fine’
“Friends” isn’t truly about me. While it does deal with the difficulties I’ve faced as a mediator in other people’s arguments, the core hook is sung from those parties’ perspective. It plays on the schoolyard ‘I don’t want to be your friend anymore’ insult,and uses tempo changes to try and explain the chaos of people fighting within a friendship group. From my perspective, this is the song where I felt I came out of my slump, and thought ‘if everyone wants to behave like this, I’m just gonna focus on me’, and that was liberating.
“‘Solitary’ was an extremely difficult track for me to write at the time. It’s a raw account of the personal heartbreak I faced when some of the people I knew had acted poorly and started behaving differently. The over compensation in their behaviour to try and ‘protect me’ from something they thought I didn’t know ended up making me feel I’d just be better
off alone. It was a dark journey, and I think the repetitive, slightly jarring nature of the rhythm section really reflects the low points there, while the crescendoing ‘you over compensate…’ shows off the anger that had been boiling beneath the surface.”
Q: Can we expect an album from you in the near future?
A: I wouldn’t say in the near future I think next I want to start collaborating with a few artists/producers that I am really digging. Possibly one or two more EPs, I reckon after that would be album mode.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: I would say that my music is either personal anecdotes of me ‘feeling all my feelings’. The other side is seeing or creating from a different personal point of view. This can be a story someone has told me or a fictional one in terms of lyrical content. Topics include unrequited love, relationship break-ups, situationships, friend fall outs, being in love, that sort of thing. In terms of my sound I would say it’s a mixture of Neo-Soul, Dark Soul and sometimes elements of electronica. This EP in particular is more on the Neo-Soul side but my newer music steers more Dark soul, so you’ll definitely have to listen out for it.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: I actually feel that maybe I could put in some more if I’m being completely honest. I stopped gigging for quite some time and I think that once I start working on my live sound again. Then gigging more regularing then I feel that I can say I am getting as much fulfilment. I have focused on other areas in the industry which has been amazing and now that I am releasing again I need to start nativagating getting back out there.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: I usually start in my room, one of my favourite places to write my music. Another place I enjoy writing is the train, I’ve always always had a soft spot for long train journeys. Sometimes I will listen to some instrumentals, listen to one of my favourite artists or start poking at the keyboard. I’ll then think of a topic I want to write about like a narrative and then go from there. I do like to experiment and I won’t always start my tracks in the same way. I like to spice things up a bit to make sure things don’t get stale. I do find it a bit easier to write to a skeleton piece of music and allow the track to inspire me to write. I’ll then either take it to my creative partner or a producer and build from there.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: In life I feel like there has been a few things, the main one though will always be loss. Losing a loved one was very difficult for me and you don’t think you are ever going to heal. I call 2016 the year of loss. It was a difficult time for me and my family going through loss and then heartbreak of my first relationship. I also have mild agoraphobia which has been something that has caused stress for me too.
On the music side this might sound crazy and you might not believe me but my main challenge is… My shyness! Being assertive in some scenarios. Honestly I turn into this weirdly giggling thing who laughs at things that aren’t even funny. You could tell the driest joke and I would still laugh because I’m feeling shy or nervous. So trying to make some decisions was not easy. I guess it’s because I have an anxiety disorder and can get real quiet in some social settings and start overthinking. I write well by myself in my room or on a train and definitely feel more confident when I go to a session with a song already pre-written. I actually find writing sessions with people difficult, but I still push myself. I don’t allow those feelings to stop me from trying though I have gotten some real magic from doing those.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: Becoming a director of Wordplay Magazine and having two songs that have been played on Radio 1.
