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| On Ian Isaiah: KTZ, Umit Benan, Alexandre Plokhov |
From bedroom jams to club-ready bangers, Ian Isiah's productions have one thing in common: soul. Rhythm runs in the man’s family. His grandmother was a singer, his father plays the steel pan, and Isiah spent his youth honing his chops singing in church. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Isiah is a creative consultant for Hood by Air and a member of NYC’s GHE20 G0TH1K crew. His debut effort, L O V E C H A M P I O N, dropped last week on UNO NYC - home of Mykki Blanco.
SZA
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| On SZA: Simone Rocha, Dion Lee, Christopher Kane. |
Ella Fitzgerald and Björk might sound like unlikely role models for an artist whose iTunes genre is “glitter trap.” But one listen to SZA’s extraordinary voice and it makes sense. That voice earned the New Jersey native a spot as the first R&B artist (and female) on Kendrick Lamar’s Top Dawg Entertainment label – a signing SZA claims happened organically. She brings the same unpretentious attitude to her music: candid lyrics, heartfelt vocals, and beats that do, in fact, sparkle.
JESSY LANZA
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| On Jessy Lanza: J.W. Anderson, Yang Li, Arielle de Pinto. |
You might recognize Hamilton, Ontario’s Jessy Lanza from her recent collaboration with Ikonika: her melismatic vocals appear on "Beach Mode." But don’t pigeonhole her as just a singer. Despite classical training in jazz piano, Lanza prefers to be known as both a songwriter and producer – titles she earned fair and square on her debut album Pull My Hair Back, produced in tandem with Junior Boys' Jeremy Greenspan. Hear her take on club-ready R&B in the mix she edited for us this week.
Think of it as your guide to the best new talent in music and fashion. Showcasing looks from the Fall collections of our favorite directional designers, Fast Forward features five young artists on the rise: songwriter/producer and Hyperdub-signee Jessy Lanza, Top Dawg songstress SZA, synthpop duo Prince Innocence, UNO NYC R&B crooner Ian Isiah, and Republic Records' Until The Ribbon Breaks.
As for the fashion, the spread includes looks from Yang Li, Dion Lee, Simone Rocha, Jonathan Saunders, Cy Choi, Umit Benan, and Tim Coppens. Fast Forward is accompanied by a selection of tracks from each artist, including two exclusive releases from Ian Isiah. Jessy Lanza also provides this week's installment in our mix series.
