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We’re very happy to be speaking today with acclaimed singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, Isolde Fair; greetings and salutations and welcome to Vents Magazine, Isolde! Before we meander down the musical Q&A pathway, how is 2024 treating you and yours?
Thanks for having me! I am so happy to be apart of this Q&A with you! 2024 has been so surreal! I’m at a point right now in my life where I’ve been focused on staying present in the now and living my best life! Thanks for asking 🙂
Major kudos and accolades on your freshly-minted premiere single STRIP AWAY which has just been released! Starting at the tip-top, can you talk a little about how one of the best new tunes of 2024 came into being? What’s the story behind the creation of this stunner of a track?
The song started out when I was experimenting with different melody ideas. It was 3am and I took out my violin thinking “in someway, I’m going to use the violin in one of my songs”. Then I looped a beat that I created for the majority of that morning. I was completely fixated on the melody. That is the main hook/ chorus of the song.
I was also going through a period in my life where I felt that I didn’t have real friends. And I was also trying to figure myself out as well. These two friends were in my life, and I felt like I was being excluded in the group. Also, I had gotten an injury from playing violin on my right elbow. The Injury was a mix between carpal tunnel and tendinitis.
It was such a blessing in disguise and allowed me to really focus on making music that I wanted to create.
The song itself is about stripping away the negative things in your life and becoming who you are without limitations and saying “GIRL BYE” because who needs to be hurt when you can be happy.
Listening to the indelible musical stylings of STRIP AWAY, it feels as if your soul as an artist really rests in the dual camps of Classical and Pop. Genre-wise, what moniker would you place on your one-of-a-kind music? Is it irrelevant at the end of the day?
I’d say I’m in the genre of cinematic pop. I have more songs coming out in the future that are relevant to that genre.
I personally like that genre because I grew up literally only listening to movie music / classical music. My parents are composers, so I grew up understanding how to create that type of music as well and having a fonder love for it. I always wanted to combine those genres into pop.
Who was your producer on STRIP AWAY and what did the collaboration between artist and producer look like in the studio while working on this gem of a ditty?
I mainly produced it on my own, but I had the help of my friend SummerneverLasts who’s amazing and brilliant. He really helped me bring it to life. It took me a year to produce because i was still finding my sound. I have a studio in my room and so every day I would work for an hour. Then that hour would turn into six hours. Producing for me is like an addiction. I couldn’t stop. Then Summer came into the picture. I met up with some friends at USC, he was one of them, and I shared with them the version of “STRIP AWAY” that I had. He and I really vibed and then we started working on it together.
In your humble opinion, what differentiates STRIP AWAY from the Distinguished Competition on the 2024 music scene?
I do feel that I need to share my purpose in this world. I’ve realized that the purpose is bringing pop, classical and movie music together. I also sing and play the violin at the same time. That was something that I taught myself how to do and I feel that that also makes me stand out as an artist in this day and age.
In addition to the April 12 premiere of STRIP AWAY, you’ve released two videos for the tune: A New York Story (directed by Jade Moscoe) and An L.A. Story (directed by Jarad Schwartz); major congratulations! What inspired this incredibly ambitious dual video approach for STRIP AWAY?
Thank you so much!! At first, I was already had the opportunity to possibly work on a movie in New York. That didn’t happen, but then my incredibly talented friend Jade Moscoe and I wanted to work on a project together for the longest time. I showed her strip away and she loved it. I told her that I wanted to go for a baroque/ renaissance-est theme. I think it ties in really well to the classical aspect that I was trying to convey. we shot at a really cool location in the Bronx, and we also shot on some rooftops in the city. I’m so grateful for the whole team that worked on that shoot. I also really liked Jade‘s aesthetic. it had a digital like feel and felt very edgy and intriguing in the best way. This was the “STRIP AWAY” (A New York Story). For “STRIP AWAY” (A Los Angeles Story), I was sharing with my friend, Jarad Schwartz (who’s the director for this music video) the other vision I had for “STRIP AWAY”. I always felt like the song wouldn’t be complete without two videos. I think it completes the story and shares two different sides of it. He really resonated with everything I was telling him and then we had to shoot. The DP, Robin Vega, had an eye for creating the visuals. and on top of that I brought in the most amazing editor Russell Harnden. I felt so great and blessed to work with this team.
Your stomping grounds are currently in the city of Angels, Los Angeles, California. How do those roots inform you not only as an artist, but also as a person?
LA is the city of Angels. I’ve learned so much about the rich history of LA and where I specifically live. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with it. It’s allowed me to understand how to be myself in a place where there’s so much going on and so many different types of people. It’s always good to be yourself and not trying to fit in.
With the April 12 release of the new single, can fans look forward to even more music from you in 2024, perhaps an EP or LP release?
Yes! There will definitely be an EP on the way!! And I’m so excited to share it with them soon.
What does your touring/performing dance card look like in the coming weeks and months?
Next month! May 31st, I have a concert at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. My goals are to play shows consistently in LA and then start branching out. I’m so very excited for everything happening!
Any final thoughts you might like to share with fans and readers about your upcoming premiere single Strip Away?
Go stream “STRIP AWAY” on Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud. Also the “STRIP AWAY” music videos are on my YouTube page Isolde Fair!!
