The Story Behind the Stitches: In Conversation Isabel Maria

July 20, 2026

BBC Introducing's one-to-watch 2025 and Culture Award 2024 Winner, Isabel Maria, talks to us about her inspiration, touring experience, creative process, identity and being on-stage.

Your recent EP features prominent seashell imagery. What does this symbol represent within the EP, and what does it mean to you personally and as an artist?

"I grew up - and still live - really close to the coast, and it’s always been a place I’ve
found a lot of comfort and inspiration in. I’m a July baby, and a water sign, so maybe
that has something to do with it, but also I find that whenever my creative side feels a
bit blocked, just going for a wander along the seafront really helps. I was doing that a
lot whilst writing some of the songs on this EP, so there’s loads of imagery around the
sea and the beach - the cover was shot by Howy White on Seaham beach!"

Looking back, what's something you wish you'd known before embarking on your first tour and why?

"Oh my goodness. I mean, I did a ton of research beforehand, but I think you don’t
really understand what it’s like till you’ve been out and done it. I was really lucky that
I had a big support network - my family, funding organisations like the Chloe and
Liam Together Forever Trust, you guys embroidering my dresses… definitely leaning
on that community is a great thing to do and something I didn’t think would be as
huge an aspect as it was.

I guess I was putting a lot of pressure on myself beforehand, so much so that it was
maybe sucking some of the fun and excitement out of the process. I wish I’d known
that literally nothing is that deep! It’s obviously a bit of a scary financial jump for an
independent artist but at the end of the day I got to drive around the country singing
songs and making new friends. So, short answer: I wish I’d known not to worry so
much."

Isabel Maria Performing at the Leith Depot in Edinburgh, UK on her 2026 'Because I Care' Tour wearing a couture embroidered dress by Beth Wilson Embroidery

Of all the songs you've written, is there one that holds a particularly special place in your heart? What makes it so meaningful to you?

"Ooh, I think it’s actually one of the songs from this last EP. There’s a song called
Sixteen which I wrote about growing up in the music industry, and how much
changes when you become an adult and no longer are being repeatedly told you’re a
‘child prodigy’ lol. I think writing Sixteen really helped me unpack that.
That being said - it can be hard and weird, but growing up doing music is also very
cool and fun and I wouldn’t change a thing."

Photo from Isabel Maria's Instagram of her wearing a dress embroidered by Beth Wilson Embroidery.

During your recent tour, was there a venue or city that stood out as your favourite to perform in and why?

"Eek this is a really difficult one. The obvious answer is Sunderland. That was a huge
show for me, and it was really wonderful to share that with my band and all my close
friends. It’s nice playing locally because you get to recognise so many faces.
Other than that, all of the shows were lovely, but special shoutout to Leeds, where I
reunited with a bunch of my college friends, and Edinburgh, which just had a really
special energy, I think."

Photograph by Adam Kennedy at Pop Recs Venue in Sunderland.

Your music has such a distinct sound and emotion to it. Where do you draw your biggest sources of inspiration from?

"So many places. I used to go on really long daily walks - RIP having enough time to
do that - and those were an absolute holy grail in terms of inspiration. That’s still the
case, but I also get a lot of inspiration from media nowadays - I love to read, so that’s
often books, but also films, art, loads of stuff. I think talking to people, whether it’s your friends, your family, a random person at a party or a coffee shop… that’s always something that sparks loads of ideas for me too. I’ve mastered the art of taking mental notes during a conversation, to go and unpack into a song later on. "

Can you walk us through your creative process? How do your inspirations usually develop into finished songs?

"This is a hard one, because it’s been changing so much recently. I guess it usually
starts with a general concept, and then I sit at a keyboard (usually) and see what
comes out. It can be a really random process though - if I’m out of the house I often
can be found in dark corners whispering into my voice notes app lol, or scribbling
things into a tiny notebook.

The studio is what makes it feel extra magic though. Taking the songs into a space full
of instruments and other people with really cool ideas is a really fun part of it. "

How do you balance staying true to your artistic vision while continuing to evolve and experiment with your sound?

"I think I’ve always found this quite easy - all my songs are about my own feelings,
usually, so no matter how we’ve produced it or what the cover looks like or how it’s
presented, it always feels like me, I guess? What’s great about being a mostly independent artist is how much control you have over that stuff. I’m usually working with friends and people who know me really well anyway, so it feels really intuitive to create work that feels very aligned with my personality. "

We had the pleasure of creating two embroidered dresses for your tour. What was it like seeing the finished pieces for the first time, and how did wearing them influence your confidence or presence on stage (if it did)?

"I still can’t believe how beautiful they are, nor could I when I first saw them. I felt like
the luckiest girl ever to get to wear those dresses for the whole tour, and it was a big
confidence boost. I think when you’re singing a set of songs, and wearing something
that feels so in line with the themes and the meanings of those songs, it feels really
special. The two things work together so well. "

Photograph by Adam Kennedy at Pop Recs Venue in Sunderland.

The embroidered dresses were designed to complement the visual world of your music. How important is fashion and visual storytelling in expressing your identity as an artist?

"Fashion is really important to me. As much as it’s maybe not such a widespread,
obvious thing to think about as a musician, what I wear and how I like to present
myself feels really important not only to me but also to the music I’m making. I have
so much fun getting ready for shows! Sue me! Visuals are also huge for me. I think I know I’ve written a song that’s worth something (to me) if I’m able to envision the imagery that might go with it - what colours feel aligned to the song, motifs… any sort of visual story. "

Photograph by Victoria Wai at Pop Recs Venue in Sunderland.

Photograph by Adam Kennedy at Pop Recs Venue in Sunderland.

After this album and tour, what excites you most about the next chapter of your musical journey? Is there anything you're looking forward to exploring creatively?

"Loads of really exciting stuff has been happening recently, and I am just really excited
to dig back into creating stuff properly, both in and out of the studio. I’ve got some
big shows coming up that I’m really excited for too - Durham Fringe Festival, Seaham
Food Festival, Deva Fest in Cheshire, a big headline show at Cluny 2 in September, to
name a few…

I’ve just received a grant from Sunday for Sammy, too, which is going to enable me to
create so much more freely. So, yes, I’m looking forward to so many things. Feeling
very lucky and grateful. "