serena Isioma: Vibe All Her Own

The recent coronavirus pandemic may not have given us much to remember from 2020 (at least on the positive side), but we're glad it gave us one of the best emerging artists.

Yes, we're talking about none other than Serena Isioma.

The 20-year-old singer from Chicago kicked off 2021 with a soul-soothing love song, 'Meadows in Japan.' The song is a part of her album 'The Leo Sun Sets,' which was released last year. She also happens to be a first-generation Nigerian-American who has managed to embody her sound into the contemporary R&B scene.

Her seamless combination of indie, hip-hop, and modern-pop elements into her music has already taken the music community by storm. Her very first songs, "Valentina" and "Heartbreak Club," became hits on SoundCloud in no time. However, her most significant success so far is her debut EP, "Sensitive."

Her recent album has received widespread acclaim and restored the faith of many in the future of music. Her creativity and energy are enough to compare her to the likes of Janelle Monae and Frank Ocean. Moreover, she continues to experiment with her work and push her boundaries as she believes every musician should.

Her album explores the subject of coming to terms with the world and oneself. On the other hand, her new music video talks about struggling to maintain social contact in the current times. Despite restrictions due to COVID, she managed to release her music video for 'Meadows in Japan.'

Her take on music, in general, shows her talent of stitching meaning into her work. More than just the tune and lyrics, her focus is on how you feel when you listen to her song and what stays with you after.

Her parents motivated her to be a musician by putting her into music lessons as a kid. Even though Serena Isioma's dream did not fully resonate with her parents initially, she became more inclined towards it as she went along with her lessons.

Serena Isioma's passion for music is evident from the fact that she's as involved in her work's non-music-making aspects as she is in the music-making ones. In her own words, she is "hands-on," even more than she was earlier.

Moreover, she loves taking charge of her work by being involved in her music videos' creative direction. She believes that it's important to do it by herself if she wants it right. Like any other aspiring new artist in town, Serena is also currently focusing on making more music, and in her own words, she has been "eating, sleeping and breathing music."

What sets Serena Isioma apart from the music industry’s newbies is how original her thought process is when writing music. She does not like forcing art and lets it come to her instead.