Spotlight on is33n
Manchester-based creative is33n on artistic identity and finding their own path in music.
- Date
- 28 May 2024
- Category
- Stories
is33n (pronounced i-seen) originally took part in our DISRUPT residency in 2019. Since then, they’ve received one-to-one support through our Mentoring Programme, taken part in a cross-European residency programme, and represented Manchester on the world stage at SPOT Festival.
I came across Brighter Sound early on in my creative music career and was initially part of a project called DISRUPT.
I was surprised that I got accepted because at that point I felt that my repertoire and portfolio was quite limited. It was nice to see that they had a vision for people who may not have had that themselves.
At that point, I’d made a few songs and uploaded them onto SoundCloud. I’d started an Instagram account and was doing some small performances. But I didn’t really feel like I had an understanding of where I wanted to go, or who I was as an artist.
I remember the first day of walking into the room. I was a bit nervous, seeing maybe 16 other faces, people in the same position as me, early in their artistic career, and all willing and excited to work together and create something and have a collaborative experience. Those people are now members of my networks, people I reach out to for support.
Being put into these situations, where you’re almost commissioned to create these songs. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone.
is33n first took part in our DISRUPT residency in 2019
The mentoring experience was a pivotal moment for me. I got advice about social media, and about writing up my first contract for my manager, who I'm still with now. Another mentor that I got put with, she really was quite brutal but in the best way. It really shook me up and gave me a reality check on where I'm at.
Objective external feedback was maybe the most important thing that I experienced in my music career. It helped me to get really specific about my short, mid and long-term goals and how exactly I was going to achieve them. She told me I needed to set aside time to make those things happen. And that more important than making them all happen was just making some of them happen.
Through all of these projects I’ve gotten a clearer vision of my artistic identity, and the kind of career that suits me. Really getting in touch with my own path, my own rhythm, my own narrative and my own story.
At the moment that means creating an ecosystem and finding myself within an ecosystem of artists and creatives. Working with each other without relying too much on anything external.
Growing up you see images and ideas of what it looks like to be a musician or what it looks like to have a career in the music industry. Some years ago I might have thought that the only way to do that was by getting loads of streams online and getting signed. I've gotten more of a sense of the different avenues that I can take to support my own career and the career of those around me.
Now I see that I can have that dream of touring and going to different countries to perform, making connections with international artists and I don’t need to wait on some big company to get discovered.
Going forward, I want to immerse myself in rabbit holes of art and culture and really get into other people's worlds to develop and expand my cultural awareness of artists and things that spark my curiosity.
Recently I’ve taken a step back from releasing music because I felt like I was rushing. At the same time I’ve been developing my photography and videography work through the networks that I've built through Brighter Sound.
Soon I’ll be warming back up in preparation for a series of releases and then ultimately my first EP, but for now taking that step back has been really important.
Brighter Sound approaches each artist as an individual and really works to meet them where they're at. By doing this they really encourage each individual to follow their own path, their own way and feel empowered in their own identity.
Find out more
Watch the 2024 Manchester Fashion Institute's Graduate Showcase, soundtracked by is33n.
"Brighter Sound approaches each artist as an individual and really works to meet them where they're at. By doing this they really encourage each individual to follow their own path, their own way and feel empowered in their own identity."
