Straight out of one of the hotbeds for hip-hop innovation in the United States, izye started her career in the East Bay Area of San Francisco. With a vibrant history to tap into, izye has added her distinctive spin on the classic genre. The raw grit and soul, alongside some of the physicality within the East Bay (hard to avoid in such a cramp-packed area), has informed her work.
From humble origins, she released her debut single, “24 hours (feat. Will Grey & Sam Trenton),” in September 2019. Produced in her childhood bedroom alongside her good friend/co-writer Will Kouch, the debut set the stage for her signature style moving forward. Speaking of moving, she quickly relocated to Los Angeles to start a music school. A year later, she left school to go to Hollywood to pursue her dream full-time. In yet another case of her warm, welcoming persona, she met her producer KundoCrankin’, at the restaurant she worked at. After that, she managed to carve out a space she could call her own.
The mixture of R&B and hip-hop brings to mind some of the greats of this hybrid of genres, from the excellence of SZA to the tenderness of Ariana Grande and the sheer freedom that JoJo displays with ease. For all these influences, however, izye does create something truly distinctive.
