Graduating from TikTok fame to global sensation, Cuban-Italian singer-songwriter Izzy Escobar has recently returned with a soulful, bright pop effort, ‘Sunny in London’. An elegantly bittersweet offering, the single oscillates between hope and nostalgia, with Escobar reacting to a breakup with a newfound willingness to kickstart the next phase of her life. In fact, the song was written during a trip to London, in what was originally supposed to be a couple’s trip.
Broken hearts rarely last long in the British capital; a vibrant and bustling environment, London gave Izzy what she had been looking for: a reason to look forward and build a fiercer, independent version of herself. ‘Sunny in London’ is the direct result of such a process, as the included music video eloquently showcases. The track follows up from Escobar’s debut ‘These Eyes’, making 2025 a rather pivotal year for her.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with Escobar to learn more about her artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hi Izzy, thanks for chatting with us, and congratulations on your new single ‘Sunny in London’! I have dived into your ‘origin story’, so to speak, and it seems to me as if you have dedicated pretty much your whole life to art and personal expression. Are you satisfied with how your career is turning out, on a global level?
I’m grateful for how everything is unfolding. I’ve always believed music is a universal language, and it’s been surreal to see people from different corners of the world connecting with my songs. I grew up around all kinds of music. My dad is Cuban, my mom is Italian, and when my dad was preparing for his DJ gigs, I’d hear songs from every genre playing around the house. That gave me a global appreciation for music at such a young age. Connecting with people globally and with humans in general has always been incredibly important to me and one of the reasons why I love music. To see it happening in real time with my own music is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever experienced.
I am sure your fans are aware of your extensive classical training – how did you go about transposing such skills into the contemporary pop landscape? Was there a particular influence in making that happen?
Classical music was really my first language. I grew up playing violin, studying the Suzuki method, and that training gave me discipline, technical grounding, and a strong ear for pitch and rhythm. What I love now is blending that foundation with pop and soul. You can hear it in the chord progressions and in the way I approach melodies with both precision and emotion.
The real turning point was when I started improvising over the violin pieces I had to learn. Then that translated into just sitting at the piano in my house back in Massachusetts and writing in the moment, or even pulling up YouTube beats, alongside improvising over the violin sheet music I had at home. That freedom is what unlocked my authentic sound. I still look to classical music and jazz as a deep well of inspiration, and it’s taught me that you can bring true depth and musicianship into contemporary pop.
Before we dive into ‘Sunny in London’, we should talk about the Elephant In The Room™️, aka TikTok. You had a phenomenal success on it, with a lot of your performances going viral and causing a stir among the app’s users. How would you rate your experience with TikTok? Personally, I particularly appreciate how it can sometimes work as a democratic tool for music discovery (aka deserving and talented artists are able to receive popular support)
TikTok has honestly been a blessing for me. I started posting improv performances on the spot, and when they began going viral, it showed me that authenticity really resonates. People weren’t just watching. They were engaging, duetting, and telling their own stories. It’s made me feel like I have a family online, and it gave me the opportunity to feel truly heard and seen as an artist. I think if you use it in a way that’s genuine to who you are, it’s an incredible tool for discovery and for building real community.
I am writing this interview right after having watched the YouTube premiere for ‘Sunny in London’. First of all, it was cool to see you there in chat; there were also a fair number of fans hanging out, which is always a good sign. I loved the nostalgic London-driven imagery in the video. Was it shot recently? Did anyone stop you while filming, asking you for information about the project? 🙂
We filmed ‘Sunny in London’ quite recently, actually, and it was such an emotional full-circle moment. The city had been the backdrop of so much heartbreak for me, and returning there with a creative team to transform that story into art was healing. It was also probably the most chaotic video I’ve ever shot… I’m not sure I recommend filming in front of Big Ben in the middle of the afternoon. One memory that stands out was people walking past us in the rain while I was holding my umbrella, asking what the shoot was for, and when I explained, they started cheering me on. London has this magic of making you feel connected to strangers, and that energy really seeped into the video.
I have laid out the context around the single in the intro of this interview, and the reader will likely already be aware of how good it is. From a musical standpoint, it’s nearly perfect, a vibrant, catchy, and relatable slice of elegant pop with a hazy twist. After all, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the talented musician you are. You mention that it’s all been written after a heartbreak, during a solo trip that was meant to be a couple’s one, and in a room where you were supposed to be with your former lover. Yet, ‘Sunny in London’ is not necessarily on the ‘melancholic’ side of things; in fact, it exudes a rather bittersweet, hopeful vibe. I take it you took the heartbreak with a certain positivity?
Yes, completely. Heartbreak hurts, but I didn’t want to write a song that was only sad. Sunny in London came from the realisation that sometimes loss clears space for rediscovery. It’s bittersweet, but the hopefulness is real. I wanted that track to capture that comeback feeling—pain, but also the beauty that comes after, and all of the juxtaposition in between. The sun does come out after the rain, and that’s the spirit I wanted the song to carry.
Doubling down on the backstory behind the song, you having to take the London trip alone particularly struck me, I guess there’s some shared experience there! I’d love to know two things: did you ever cry on the plane, at any point? Secondly, was there something specific in London that helped you overcome the nostalgia and the emotional pain?
I definitely cried on the plane up there. I was both excited and terrified to be embarking on an experience that was supposed to be shared with someone else by myself. But once I arrived, the city helped me in unexpected ways. I’d walk through the parks, and I had a writing session in a different location in London every single day. I was going to every jazz club I could find, somehow ending up on stage, singing on the spot, and making friends with some of the best musicians I’d ever met. It felt like London was giving me the space to process and rediscover myself.
What struck me most were the skies. London is known for being grey, but while I was there, everyone kept telling me, “You’re lucky, it’s sunny in London.” That phrase always stuck with me. I thought, maybe I’m heartbroken and picturing that I was supposed to be there with someone I once loved, but hey, at least it’s sunny in London.
The sky’s the limit, and when it comes to the Izzy Escobar brand, that sky appears bluer than ever. Are you playing live somewhere in the near future?
I recently opened for O.A.R. at the Capitol Theatre in New York, and I’m excited to be playing the Ocean’s Calling Festival in a few weeks. I’ll be announcing more shows soon. Performing these songs live is such an authentic part of this journey, and it allows me to connect with people in person, which has always been my favourite way to share music.
Can we expect more music moving forward? Maybe even an EP…?
Yes, this is just the beginning. My debut EP ‘Sunny in London’ is coming this year, and it’s both a memoir and a metaphor: heartbreak, healing, and self-realisation. Each song is a chapter of that journey, and I want the audience to feel like they’re following the stages of heartbreak with me in real time, just as I was when I wrote this project.
