MARIA ISABEL: BORN TO SING
The R&B genre is filled with influential artists who have made a noticeable impact on multiple generations. These artists move people with their voices, and help them feel less alone during their time of need. A new breed of R&B artists have been popping up all over the country. One emerging voice in the New York R&B scene is María Isabel.
María Isabel is a Dominican-American R&B singer who hails from Queens, N.Y. The artist is only 24 years old, but has already captured the hearts of numerous R&B fans across the country. Isabel graduated from NYU less than two years ago and released her debut EP Stuck in the Sky during quarantine in early 2020.
The singer has grappled with confidence problems in the past, and still considers herself to have “imposter syndrome” after attaining minor fame. She released the track Distance in September 2020. The track features a laid-back beat and introspective lyrics such as “Distance makes the heart grow fonder. What about the rest of me? Longing fills the room, and I don’t know what to do.”
Isabel wrote Stuck in the Sky about a long-distance relationship she was in at the time. She feels the lyrics are now relatable on a wider scale because more people are separated than ever before due to COVID-19 lockdowns and quarantines.
Maria Isabel’s foray into the music world began quite unexpectedly. She never took an active interest in music outside of tunes her mother played around her growing up. The young artist first started with impromptu stage performances for fun. Once she was older, she joined a church choir and studied at a performing arts school in Queens. Soon, she was singing and writing lyrics regularly.
Isabel cites artists such as Alicia Keys, Selena, Shakira, and Mariah Carey as her top influences. Each of these artists impacted the music scene with their sincerity for the art and determination to evolve.
The young artist claims to have always experienced difficulty expressing herself in front of others. So she chose to write down her thoughts and feelings on paper. At a certain point, she decided to share them with the world through her music.
Soon after, she applied to New York University’s music program. She enrolled in many different courses, but took a special interest in music business classes as she felt they would help her understand the music industry and manage her career better.
The young singer realized she had “made it”, when famed Jamaican dancehall artist Sean Paul began following her on Instagram. Maria Isabel is on the rise to fame, and it looks like nothing is going to stop her. She serves as an inspiration to many other young artists from the Queens, N.Y, who dream of becoming R&B singers. Check out her Instagram to see what she is up to today.
