At a time where staying connected is more important than ever, House of Solo has launched ‘Party of One’, a series and a selfie providing intimate insight into how your favourite artists are dealing with isolation and what we can expect from them during lockdown.
For this session we’ve interviewed “self-aware alternative-pop” star Isaac Dunbar. Having recently turned 17 this artist makes for perfect isolation listening, offering fans hip-hop inspired beats and a shared experience through deeply emotive lyrics. The self-taught musician/producer is well versed at making ‘bedroom music’, having put out his first track, ‘Pharmacy’, on Soundcloud at the age of 12, which after capturing the attention of label heads, is now nearing 2 million streams on Spotify. His new and eclectic EP: Isaac’s Insects, is out today!
First of all, how are you feeling?
I’m so tired and hungry. This pandemic has me eating.
What does quarantine look like for you?
I wake up, eat, meditate, make music and sleep.
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced since the outbreak and how have you overcome it?
My own psyche. I keep myself distracted and I’m constantly creating, which takes my mind off of things.
Your new EP Isaac’s Insects is coming out on April 9th, how has it been promoting the EP online only?
It has been interesting, I’m always live streaming – just like every public figure on earth is. I don’t hate it. I like to get closer to my supporters.
I saw that you had a tour scheduled for April onwards, what did having to postpone/cancel this tour mean for you?
I mean it’s annoying but I care more about keeping safe and keeping everyone else safe.
What effects do you think Covid-19 will have on the music industry long-term? Do you think it will change the way people approach making music?
Everyone in the music industry is going insane right now. I know for a lot of developing artists it is halting our growth in certain aspects, but I know for myself I’m down for this challenge. I’ve heard of artists doing skype songwriting sessions but I don’t know how practical that’ll be if we are isolating for a long time.
So you’ve said in a previous interview that in terms of making music “the best stuff comes from your bedroom”, do you think that this attitude has made it easier for you to make music in isolation than other artists?
I think so. A lot of artists don’t produce their stuff so I think I have a slight advantage because I can make a song whenever I want.
How has it been ‘online learning’? How is your highschool navigating it?
Honestly it’s been great, the classes are easy and I don’t feel any pressure.
What projects are you going to work on?
Tomorrow I actually plan on staying up for a whole day and I’m gonna see how many songs I can make without sleeping. I’m interested to see what my brain is gonna come up with.
What tools have you been using to stay connected with friends and fans?
Social media period.
What has been your biggest source of comfort since this began?
My friend Sara. She is my best friend and I talk to her everyday and she keeps me sane.
What’s the first thing you’re going to do when isolation is over?
I’m gonna go to my favorite pizza place and order 5 pizzas with Sara and go to any store I can and go to the mall and stay outside for a week straight.
