Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Ysabel
THE RELEASE
With a redesign and her highly awaited debut album, Ysabel, a fascinating vocalist and composer, is prepared to make her mark. Her voice, rooted in Gospel and Soul, conveys a warmth reminiscent of Lianne La Havas and Alicia Keys. Her profound musical traditions, along with current inspirations, have given rise to a distinct genre she has dubbed "Soul Etc." Ysabel's path has led her to collaborate with London-based producer Ben Loveland, resulting in an exciting sound that flawlessly merges Electro-Pop and R&B. Formerly known as "Ysabel Bain," this musician has relaunched across all platforms, embracing her artistic development and learning.
In an exciting collaboration with Electro-Pop singer Megan Lara Mae and producer Ben Loveland, Ysabel teases her future album with the raw and honest track "Trigger." The song, co-written with Megan, demonstrates both artists' lyrical and musical skills. This tune, which serves as a teaser for her upcoming album "anxiety is killing my dreams," dives into the uncharted territory of mental health and emotional depth. Ysabel's personal struggles with melancholy, ADHD, and GAD have impacted her craft, infusing her songs with genuine realism. "Trigger" is a moving investigation of rage and the overpowering need to shut down as a reaction, giving a common viewpoint. Ysabel's passion to opening up talks about mental health inspires her music, which strikes a profound chord with audiences.
THE INTERVIEW
If you had to create a Mount Rushmore of inspiration, what four individuals molded the artist you are today?
Firstly my parents (technically 2 people, but you can't have one without the other), second Jill Scott (I can't think of a more authentic artist), third Kendrick Lamar (for his lyricism and ingenuity), and finally Fred Hammond (a gospel artist who I've been listening to since I was a kid).
What song or moment in time sparked your passion for music?
That's a hard one. I don't know if I can pin it down exactly, but I grew up on a lot of Gospel and Christian music and I think I was always amazed at the diversity in what people viewed as quite limited genres. I always thought "that's something I want to do, be diverse in my music".
How does your creative process work from the moment you develop the idea to the completion of the record?
Anyone who knows me, will know that time and patience play a massive part in my creative process. I'm a pretty focussed person when it comes to writing, but I will never feel like a song is truly finished until I've got it to the studio and (for obvious reasons), that takes a lot of time. My first instrument is my voice and that's where a lot of my ideas come from is me thinking about the vocal arrangement. As I've learnt more that's expanded to other areas of production, so even in the writing, the song won't feel truly finished until I can get the other ideas out. I love throwing out ideas and just seeing what sticks. I have ADHD so giving myself space for my creativity to run wild is such a great feeling. I don't feel like there's a set process, but I will often give myself permission to just wait and see if what I had in mind is what the song wants to be. I want my music to feel natural and real, and I think for that to happen I have to remember to give it space to breath. That doesn't really answer the question, but I think that's the joy of creativity, no one day is the same, and often by the time I've figured out what my process is it's changed.
As for this release, who is the producer and what about the production moved you?
So I met Ben Loveland (my producer) in 2021. We had some mutual friends, so I heard about him in 2020 but I didn't realise how legit he was until way later (look up his roster, it's mad). I had released a track called Harmonics in 2021 and he messaged me on IG and basically said that if I needed any help he'd like to work with me. I of course jumped at the chance, and we've been working together ever since. I can honestly say that Ben has become one of my favourite people to work with, every time we're in the studio something amazing happens.
One of the things I love about Ben is his drive and his commitment to excellence. There were multiple points when we were working on "trigger" that I would think "yeah this is finished" and Ben would say "no, there's still more we can do". On multiple occasions I'd think there's no way that this could sound better than it already does, and Ben would always manage to surprise me. I think that's what moved me, not necessarily a key production thing, but the fact that this music could sound better than I thought it could, that's completely changed my perspective of myself as an artist and lifted my standard.
When it comes to the songwriting on this record, what is the message you want to get across to your listeners?
We all have a trigger. That's the message. Emotions don't discriminate. If you're neurodivergent (like me) or regular-degular the truth of the matter is that at some point you're gonna feel some things you don't wanna feel, and you're probably gonna react in a way that's less than ideal. "trigger" is my outlet, my process of trying to deal with some pretty crappy things that were happening at the time. It's me giving myself permission to relapse, and to deal with stuff in the way that's best for me, and I guess this is my way of giving anyone who listens permission to do the same.
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