Singer-Songwriter Isabelle Fries Is Fiona Apple Meets Kelly Clarkson - Check Out Our Latest Musical Fave!

Every once in a while, we stumble upon a new talent that is not “so obvious” on the radar. This time we would like to thank the wonderful algorithm on our Spotify that connected us with one of our new favorite artists. This artist is the Australia-born and Denver-based singer, songwriter, humanitarian, and activist… Isabelle Fries. With vocals that remind us of a young Fiona Apple mixed with a touch of Miley Cyrus and Kelly Clarkson, she has achieved over 2 million streams and 1 million YouTube views. We hope this young talent stays strong and on track. We normally don’t do any kind of music reviews like this, but Isabelle has inspired us…so…why not.

And we don’t personally think that staying on track will be a problem for Isabelle. In a time where the pandemic stifled many artists, Isabelle managed to release five singles on Spotify during 2020. And unless you are Taylor Swift, no one is really doing that. And speaking of Taylor Swift, Isabelle’s “easy listening folklore sound” reminds us that even Christmas can have a bit of a makeover. In her single Hello Christmas, Fries gives a fresh romantic twist to a seasonal ballad that makes you feel excited about love all over again (which we could all use right now).

Her single Every Time is her most played on Spotify with over 200,000 listens released in Q4 of last year. Isabelle mixes musical genres in this song which makes this ballad sound like the most powerful song in a movie soundtrack. This is the kind of song that reminds you that the heroine of the film just needed to own her power all along. In fact, she contributed in a song called Winter Days as the title track to the Hallmark Channel film A Royal Winter and even opened for country superstar Eric Church.

Isabelle’s latest single is Shine Through the Rain. The vocals in this song are strong and commanding. This ballad is a melting of electronic beats and powerful classical instruments. The song is an homage to self-awareness and self-empowerment without being too dramatic. Isabelle has been working with Grammy Award-winning multiplatinum producer and mixer Rob Chiarelli and co-writers The Highfields and Seth Baer on various singles.

What strikes us the most about Isabelle is her calling for altruism. After going to Uganda to volunteer for the Global Livingston Institute at 15-years-old, she launched the Bulamu Raise Your Voice Community Foundation, which introduces curriculums (not only academic but also sports and music) to Ugandan schools. Upon graduating from USC, she returned to Denver and began teaching middle school in between releasing new material.

Perhaps one of the many things that the pandemic has taught us is that altruism and vulnerability are the new “IT” talent. In a time where celebrities, artists (and the whole world really) have had to reassess their “ways,” and check their “narcissism” at the door, artists like Isabelle are redefining our culture.

What if the new “Triple Threat” is: Giving back, Educating and Singing? Are we reaching the long-awaited cultural shift where “the new pop star” is “the new give back star?” We certainly hope that Isabelle spears a new wave of artists, the kind of artist that stays level headed and grounded while gifting us with fresh and powerful music.