ISHA ft: MAX RAD - Something New (Live Video)
“Something New feat. MAX RAD” is the latest single from Amsterdam/London-based 23-year-old producer, artist, and multi-instrumentalist ISHA. The release follows previous singles “The Plant feat. Joe Hertz” “Wherever You Go feat. Alfie Neale” which saw support from Deb Grant & Tom Ravenscroft - New Music Fix (BBC 6Music), BobaFatt (Soho Radio), Jyoty (Rinse FM), and extensive airplay on FIP Radio France. With influences from the 70s and 80s funk, hip-hop and jazz scenes, melding alongside modern-day acts like SG Lewis, Jungle and FKJ, ISHA strives to create her own blend of broken beat-adjacent jazz-funk.
Paired with producer and Three Sign Records label head MAX RAD fresh from his performance with Faithless at Glastonbury, “Something New” is the first track ISHA has released that features her own vocals; “Max asked if I could do some backings and it was the start of me regaining some confidence in my own singing abilities”. As a result of this reinforcement in self-belief, the track became a breaking point in the formation of ISHA’s upcoming EP “What You’re Seeing”, out 9th August. Developing from a jam session into an instant “WOW” moment, “Something New” shines as a perfect demonstration of developed collaboration, with locked bass, drums, guitar and keys forming a strong rhythmic base.
As demonstrated on this track, the “What You’re Seeing” EP and showcases ISHA’s vision of “musical connection and open collaborations driven by pure joy” and features Joe Hertz, Alfie Neale and Jack Howard. “With every track I felt a little more confident to take the lead and challenge myself by stepping out of my comfort zone, even leading me to experiment with my own vocals,” ISHA adds.
ISHA’s debut EP “Bending Colours”, released on UK imprint JuiceboxFM in 2023, received support from BBC 1Xtra, Jamz Supernova and Foundation FM. With her one-woman solo live set, ISHA started touring the Netherlands and the UK in the same year, playing stages across London Jazz Festival, Bird, Paradiso, Brixton Jamm, 91 Living Room, London’s 100 Club, ADE and Mysteryland Festival. As a developing artist and bass player, she got the opportunity to support Adi Oasis and Miranda Joan and open for Franc Moody in her hometown of Amsterdam, before joining Franc Moody for the duration of their Latin-America tour.
ISHA has hit studios with acts like Blue Lab Beats, Franc Moody, BINA., Emilia Anastazja, and Close Counters amongst others in the last year. Trying to fight the stereotype of being assumed to be a singer-songwriter as a female artist, and fighting the common preconception that a woman on stage is likely not to be a producer or gifted multi-instrumentalist, ISHA has strived to collaborate with male vocalists on her new project. This journey has led to her experimenting with her own vocals, both as backing vocals and taking the lead top line on one of the tracks. Naming her second EP after the song in which she does sing for the first time on a recording, ISHA takes charge of her own journey as a young producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.