Isaac Stuart is a 23-year-old up-and-coming singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Oxfordshire. Since launching his first single Do You Like It When We Lay Like This in 2020, Isaac has gained over 10,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. His music has been played multiple times on BBC Radio One and he sold out his first ever headline tour in February 2022 and performed for Virgin Radio UK’s Big Thank You Tour, where he played four arena shows alongside other incredible artists such as The Vaccines. We asked Isaac a few questions about his career and what’s coming next:
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Photo by Jennifer McCord
How long have you been trying to build your career?
I launched my first single in October 2020. But I would argue I’ve been building towards a career in songwriting since I wrote a musical when I was 14. That was my entry into the world of writing songs and since then I’ve written lots and honed at the piano over the years. Officially speaking, I’ve been an ‘artist’ properly for about four years.
Are you a full time musician?
In my head, yes. But I do have a part-time job working for a piano and keyboards shop to keep money ticking over.
Has music always been your top priority?
Interestingly no, though it has always been very important. I wanted to be an actor growing up and so that was very much my focus until I was about 20.
Have you ever thought about quitting?
Not properly. I get upset about the state of the industry sometimes and tired of the game artists have to play these days. But ultimately, I could never quit because making music is so inherent to who I am as a human.
Is it more important to release music that’s successful or to have creative control?
This is an interesting question. Luckily, I have total creative control and freedom over what I do as an artist, so that’s never an issue. I think it’s helpful and actually imperative as an artist to have a foot in the commercial and business side of things. Success should never be your only drive to make music, but if success means more people listening to my music then why wouldn’t I want to release music I think would be successful? I want as many people to hear my songs as possible. For me, the best (and probably most successful) songwriters and artists are the ones with an acute awareness of what’s going on, all while making art that is meaningful and honest.
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Photo by Cameron Brisbane
How important is social media in building your audience?
The people that follow me on social media haven’t necessarily discovered me there. A lot of it is from radio play and live shows. That’s where I find myself making strangers into fans.
Does the competition in social media put you down?
Yes, sometimes. It’s mostly a jealousy thing. Seeing the ‘best bits’ of artists who are a similar level to you is hard when you’re sitting at home twiddling your thumbs feeling sorry for yourself. It’s all relative though and I have to remind myself of all the exciting things I have going on.
Have you always had support from the people around you?
Yes, absolutely. I’ve been very lucky to have an amazing support network of friends, family and industry.
Do you have a dream venue to play?
I’d love to play my own show at Shepherds Bush Empire. That’d be pretty epic!
Is there anything exciting you can share that’s in store for 2023?
My debut EP Skyline comes out on Friday April 28th which I’m very excited about. I’m also playing two headline shows in Manchester (The Deaf institute) and London (Camden Assembly) during the same week!