Izaiah Bindon is a 19-year-old artist from Baton Rouge, LA who recently began his journey in the industry in August of 2022. His introduction to the music space came from the quality time he spent with his Grandfather growing up, as much of his family is from New Orleans. New Orleans being a soul-heavy city, jazz music has always influenced Izaiah’s niche style.
Izaiah participated in a children’s orchestra group in elementary school where he learned to read music, and had a fascination for writing poetry from a young age. However, it was in 2014 that his viewpoint on the music industry changed forever. Singing a Kevin Gates lyric in the hallways of his school, Izaiah was tapped on the shoulder by his teacher Mr. Jones; who then proceeded to ask him why he was singing that “ignorance,” and to “let me [Mr. Jones] show you some real music.” The artist in question Izaiah was presented with at this moment, altering his viewpoint on the industry, was Jermain Cole.
Immediately becoming fascinated with J. Cole’s artistry, he found himself engrossed in understanding everything he could about his story. Through his research on Cole, he then found Kendrick Lamar and many of the other greats, continuing to inspire him to learn more about their own upbringings. Izaiah struggled to develop his style in the beginning because he didn’t feel authentically himself when attempting to replicate the trap, “hip-hop heavy” tone of the South. Understanding he has a talented voice he began pulling guidance from Toosi’s style, yet realized quickly his failure to present authenticity behind his work wouldn’t get him far. Izaiah shares that today, his largest influences in the industry are Smino and Reggie; both artists who incorporate the soulful side of black southern history into their work.
Izaiah says that when his music is playing, he wants everyone to feel uplifted and as though they are at a black family gathering. Coming from a place of being judged and bullied throughout his own life, he struggled to find comfort in genuinely presenting himself. After the passing of his grandfather, he began experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety but couldn’t figure out why. This time in Izaiah’s life brought him back to Reggie’s, I Don't Wanna Feel No More, but knew sitting around in his sorrows wouldn’t aid his pain. He began communicating his emotions through his work, and ultimately produced his first released single, Blk Skn, which was dropped in August of 2022.
Although this wasn't Izaiah’s first attempt at creating a piece, he struggled in finding the courage to release his music for a long time. He shared that the catalyzing action behind finding his courage to release music was Tyler the Creator's voice yelling at him in his own head. This false voice yelling “Just drop it already, why tease it,” brought him the fortitude he needed to finally enter the Industry.
Watching Izaiah’s progress from just entering the music space three months ago, to now having a community of support surrounding him and his work, I am very excited to see where he is headed. Izaiah explains his upbringings come from being surrounded by genuine people with homogenous passions. Only being 19, he felt fearful in regards to not taking the collegiate route. However, today Izaiah confidently looks in the mirror each morning with the knowledge that something new and good is happening because of his hard work.
Izaiah’s next work is expected to be released sometime in November titled Heir. Titled after how he has heard his family from New Orleans pronounce the word hair; Izaiah shares that this is a project that puts a smile on his face and is very proud of. I am extremely excited to see where Izaiah’s career is headed and highly recommend you check out his work. After my conversation with Izaiah, I understand he has a true passion for the industry, and I cannot wait to watch his progression over time.
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