Ask for a song with a killer first line, I’ll point you to Izzie Walsh’s “Jimmy.” The song pulls you in irresistibly, much like the song’s titular anti-hero.
Combining folk, Americana and country-infused sensibilities,Waslh’s upcoming EP Ideals is instantly infectious from the jump. On “Jimmy,” Izzie explores her rockier side, channeling the likes of Julia Jacklin and KT Tunstall as a result. Talking about the EP, Izzie explains, “Being locked away during the pandemic really got me thinking about how much I want to travel and perform. Obviously this wasn’t possible, so instead I binge watched every available episode ever of Anthony Bourdain, which in turn taught me that so many places are incredible but aren’t ideal. This gave me the premise to begin the EP and helped me draw parallels between my music career and the world — the situation is far from ideal at the moment but so what? It didn’t mean I should give up. I am still young, learning and wanting to succeed in the music industry.”
Pre-pandemic, Izzie was no stranger to the live circuit, having performed at multiple critically acclaimed festivals such as Blue Dot, The Long Road and Americana Fest UK to name a few. Izzie has also been praised by BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris, BBC Introducing Manchester, BBC Radio Manchester.
In our interview, Izzie muses on her influences, songwriting approach, and fills is in on Jimmy.
Who are some of your musical influences?
My musical influences are always updating and changing but at the moment some of my regulars are Margo Price, Tori Amos and Jason Isbell, who are all great songwriters. Then there are the more “big band” influences I love such as Arcade fire, Slipknot and of course Fleetwood Mac.
Explain the title of your single “Jimmy.”
The title is named after that one dodgy guy in the pub who everyone knows to stay well away from regardless of his initial charisma.
Does your upcoming EP have an overarching theme?
Yes, the EP, Ideals, is about how ideally the world could be a different place to what it is now — for both others and myself. It addresses themes of class, escapism, and the impact of modern-day capitalism.
Tell us about the first song you wrote.
I can remember one of the first couple of songs I wrote which was called “Old School Love” which was about meeting someone like you did in the olden days….oh how my songs have changed.
Do you have any songwriting tips you can share?
Good food and drink will definitely open your head up to create some great concepts. I also try to forget all the chaos around me and empathize with others as much as I can to give me new ideas.
Do you start off with the music or lyrics first? Why?
It can be either to be honest — sometimes it is the lyrics and other times it is a chord progression or riff. Then from the initial idea myself and my producer just keep working at it until it becomes some kind of palatable piece of music.
Who would you love to collaborate with? Why?
I would love to collaborate with Neil Diamond, just because I think it could be a total mismatch in every single way and quite possibly a terrible song, but the guy has had great chart success so I think we would be a commercial success.
Name a perfect song and tell us why you feel that way.
“If We Were Vampires” by Jason Isbell. It’s one of those special songs that I listen to and wouldn’t change anything about it. It explains how maybe death is a good thing and we should cherish what we are given and the people around us in the time we have.
Ideals will be released on September 17th, 2021.