A bassist, vocalist, producer and now lyricist, ISHA has carved her sound through collaboration with names like Alfie Neale, MAX RAD and Franc Moody, and sharpened her voice through live performance, from solo loop sets to full-band shows. Her latest EP What You’re Seeing marks a turning point, not just creatively but personally, as she reconnects with her voice and steps into songwriting with more honesty and freedom than ever before. As she gears up to release her debut album, we caught up with ISHA to talk creative evolution, family, FX plugins and why FKJ is top of her dream collab list. NMR // Thank you for this interview, ISHA. Let’s get stuck in. How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard your music before? // ISHA: Jazz-Funk Electronica NMR // You’ve already played festivals such as the London Jazz Festival, Corona Sunset and Sounds From Other City. What’s been your favourite festival experience so far — both as a performer and as a fan? // ISHA: Great question. One of my favourite festival experiences was probably playing Isle of Light in the Dominican Republic with Franc Moody as their bassist. It was my first transatlantic tour and they’ve been my favourite band since I was 15, so that was really special. As a fan, probably my first ever festival: Lowlands in the Netherlands. I saw Loyle Carner on a relatively small stage, and I remember being completely blown away by him and his band. That experience really stuck with me. NMR // You’ve collaborated with a lot of great artists like Alfie Neale, Jack Howard, and MAX RAD. Can you tell us a bit about your writing and collaboration process? How much do you feel you grow creatively when working with others? // ISHA: So much! Especially during the writing process for my last EP, I came into the studio empty handed, so it became all about building from that initial spark, being honest and trusting myself to take the lead. I grew a lot as a writer and artist through that process. NMR // Tell us about your latest EP What You’re Seeing. I believe you added your own vocals on this project — what inspired that shift? // ISHA: This actually ties into the previous question, it was MAX RAD who encouraged me to start singing again. I used to sing when I was younger, but doing it in this playful, low-pressure way with him helped me reconnect with my voice. I realised it didn’t need to be perfect. It’s just another way of expressing myself. NMR // What instruments do you play, and are there any sounds or bits of production gear you’re currently obsessed with? // ISHA: My main instrument is bass, but I also play a bit of keys and sing now too! I’ve been quite into Springs from AudioThing lately. I’ve been using it on my vocals a lot. Really fun to play with the different textures. NMR // When working on a track, do you usually write the lyrics yourself, or is that something you pass to your collaborators? // ISHA: I actually only started writing lyrics during my last EP. Before that, I mostly stuck to production. But for my upcoming album, I’ve been writing everything myself and I’m loving it! It’s completely changed how I work; sometimes I start with a story now, and let that evolve into a song. NMR // I haven’t seen you live yet. How do your tracks translate to a live setting? Do you perform solo or bring guest vocalists or a full band? // ISHA: I toured solo for the past two years, looping in my instruments live. But recently I expanded my live setup with drummer Maxie Cheer and it’s been so fun to jam out sections together and interact with the audience in a more dynamic way. NMR // Who would your dream collaboration be, and why? // ISHA: Oof, probably FKJ. I’d love to learn more about his live setup, and honestly, just geek out with him on Ableton stuff. His musicality and freedom in performing are super inspiring to me. NMR // Where do you draw your musical and lyrical inspiration from? Who are the artists or movements that have influenced you most? // ISHA: Meeting Jordan Rakei last October was a big moment. Hearing him talk about constantly evolving and using restriction as a creative tool really shifted something in me. That definitely kicked off my songwriting journey. Musically, it’s always been a mix of what my parents played like Sly & The Family Stone, Jamiroquai, Snoop Dogg combined with electronic artists who blur genres, like Pomo. I’ve always loved that fusion. NMR // You remixed Miranda Joan’s Butterflies — is remixing something you’d like to do more of? Does it feel more playful or less pressured compared to writing original material? // ISHA: Yes it’s really fun to dive into someone else’s world and try to colour it in differently. There’s a lot of freedom in that. I love to reimagine it in a totally different way. NMR // Have you ever written something that scared you to share? // ISHA: For my upcoming project I’ve been writing a lot about family dynamics, something I hadn’t really spoken about with my family before. Funnily enough, writing those songs actually gave me the tools to express myself more clearly. So in a way, the music helped me open up and start those conversations. It definitely felt scary at first, but also really liberating. NMR // How do you personally balance the creative side of music with the business side? // ISHA: I think the business side is such a vital part of being an artist nowadays, so I try to treat it with the same focus as the creative side. I plan specific days in the week to do admin, send out emails, or write my own press releases for new releases. I’ve come to really enjoy learning about all the different aspects of music and I love getting to tag along to networking events and meet people behind the scenes. NMR // What’s next for ISHA? Anything that you’d like to shout about? // ISHA: Yes! I’m currently working on my first album, which is set to release next year, but you can expect one or two singles before the end of this year. I might even sneak a few of the new tracks into my live set, so come check it out if you’re around and wanna hear what’s coming!