GENERATOR SATURDAY PREVIEW
Pen in hand, ribbon in hair, 18-year-old singer songwriter Isabel Maria has been shattering expectations since 2021. Having recently won a North East Culture Award – to join the Alan Hulland Northern Writers Awards sitting proudly on her bookshelf – Isabel’s alternative pop dialogues of mental health, human relationships, and self-deprecation have earned her international praise from the likes of BBC Radio 1 and Rolling Stone Español. Based in Sunderland, UK – a recently coined ‘music city’ – Isabel’s career had humble beginnings with secret songs written on her grandad’s old Casio. After generous support from the city’s Young Musicians Project, those songs hit the ears of the public, earning Isabel hundreds of thousands of collective streams and a frequent run of shows across the nation and beyond. For fans of Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Gracie Abrams, Isabel’s music is a true showcase other emotional vulnerability and biting wit. Having just been named a BBC Introducing One to Watch for 2025, you should keep all eyes on Isabel Maria.