Interview and Photos by Jordan Edwards
Late last year, Isabel LaRosa scored a massive hit on TikTok with “i’m yours.” The song crossed over onto other platforms, leading to her first Gold Record. The dreamy, late night atmosphere stood out against the Barbie-friendly pop that’s saturated social media recently. To date, the original and sped up versions have combined for more than 380 million Spotify streams.
Since then, the Annapolis, Maryland native has released an EP as well as singles like her most recent track “older.” She directed the music video, a mini movie with a dark twist at the end.
Through Dec. 15, LaRosa will be on tour with Bea Miller. See the dates listed below (although all are sold out). Hopefully, she’s planning more shows for 2024.
Before she hit the road, we met up with LaRosa to talk about the tour, “i’m yours,” and the atmosphere her music creates.
You’re about to go on tour with Bea Miller. How are you feeling?
It feels amazing to be back on tour, and I’m so honored that Bea would have me with her.
The “older” video has a Donnie Darko feel to me. What was it like to film?
The “older” video was the most fun I’ve had shooting a video before. It was such an amazing crew of people, and it felt so personal and real to be directing. We had some technical difficulties shooting the ending scene, but we pulled through and made it happen.
What was the moment you knew “i’m yours” was huge?
When “i’m yours” came out, I looked at the amount of people listening, and I was in shock. I’ve never seen so many people listen to my stuff before, so it was truly an amazing feeling.
Do you like the sped up version, or do you prefer the original?
I’ll always prefer the original song, but I like the sped up version for contrast sometimes.
A big part of your music is the mood it creates. How do you get the sound that you want?
The music comes from a place of wanting to create a specific atmosphere or emotion, and pulling a lot from TV shows and movies helps inspire those moments. It’s almost like writing a soundtrack to those visuals.
What or who inspired your dark aesthetic?
I think a lot of TV shows like Stranger Things and horror movies in general inspired my dark visuals, and a lot of artists like Melanie Martinez, and the neighborhood that I grew up in, really helped solidify that as what felt natural to me.
You’ve been chosen for the TikTok Elevate problem. What’s that experience been like?
Being chosen for the TikTok Elevate program has been such an honor to me. The reason that I have a career is because of that platform, so I really can’t believe that it’s happening. They’ve been nothing but so incredibly kind to me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
What are your plans for 2024?
I have a lot of plans for 2024. I can’t reveal a lot of them, but it involves a lot of music and a lot of storylines in my videos, and that’s all I’ll say haha.
TOUR DATES WITH BEA MILLER (SOLD OUT)
Dec 1 – NEW YORK, NY – IRVING PLAZA
Dec 2 – NEW YORK, NY – IRVING PLAZA
Dec 5 – ATLANTA, GA – BUCKHEAD THEATRE
Dec 6 – NASHVILLE, TN – THE BASEMENT EAST
Dec 8 – CHICAGO, IL – BOTTOM LOUNGE
Dec 9 – CHICAGO, IL – BOTTOM LOUNGE
Dec 13 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA – THE FILLMORE
Dec 15 – LOS ANGELES, CA – EL REY THEATRE
Dec 16 – LOS ANGELES, CA – EL REY THEATRE
Isabel LaRosa – older (Official Video)“older” out now: https://isabellarosa.lnk.to/older Follow Isabel LaRosa: https://www.instagram.com/isabel.s.larosa/ …
For more from Isabel LaRosa, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.