• 2000
• Drum & bass vocalist and songwriter Isabella "Issey" Cross was born in the southeastern English county of Kent to two hairdressers. Her music career was sparked when she received a guitar for her 13th birthday.
• During Issey's teenage years, she honed her musical talents, performing gigs in nearby pubs in Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells under the moniker Issey C.
  
  Issey's first gig was in the pub opposite her father's salon. "I was really nervous and started singing a Taylor Swift song on guitar and went to sing one of the high notes and completely f---ed it up!" she recalled to Notion. "I'll always remember that moment because of how embarrassed I was. Me and my sister still laugh about it to this day!"
• When she finished her GCSEs, Cross moved to London to attend music college. After completing college, she met Adam Midgely, who became her manager and signed her his Cult Behaviour label. He suggested that her voice would work well on more R&B-oriented sounds and helped her develop her sound.
  
  "He put me in sessions with different people and different ideas and I really enjoyed it," she recalled. "It just made me come out of my shell a bit more and say what I wanted to say in a song."
• Cross released her debut EP, Mirrors Don't Lie, via Cult Behaviour on March 26, 2021.
• Following successful collaborations with Luude ("Oh My"), Wilkinson ("Used To This") and Nathan Dawe & Bru-C ("Oh Baby"), Issey was established as an in-demand songwriter. She signed to Atlantic in 2023 and released her debut single with the label, "Bittersweet Goodbye," that June.
• Issey Cross is a member of Loud LDN, a collective of female and non-binary musicians based in London and its suburbs. The collective was founded in 2022 by Coupdekat and Maisi; other members include Venbee, Charlotte Plank, and Willow Kayne.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Candle In The WindElton John

Marilyn Monroe is the subject of Elton John's "Candle In The Wind," but the song is really a look at how we react to celebrities who die young.

Twilight ZoneGolden Earring

"Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring was inspired by the Robert Ludlum novel The Bourne Identity, not by the TV show.

Livin' La Vida LocaRicky Martin

"Livin' La Vida Loca" is a Latin pop landmark, but "la vida loca" are the only Spanish words in the lyric - "mocha" is English.

SummertimeDJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

"Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince is built on a sample of a Kool & The Gang instrumental from 1974 called "Summer Madness," which gets a shout in the line, "This is the Fresh Prince's new definition of summer madness."

Hot n ColdKaty Perry

"Hot n Cold" by Katy Perry is about a real guy - an ex who would seem really interested at times but would then just disappear.

One DanceDrake

Drake's "One Dance" was the first ever song to rack up one billion streams on Spotify.

Editor's Picks

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

Cy Curnin of The FixxSongwriter Interviews

The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?