Meet iismaill: Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with iismaill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi iismaill, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
Being able to openly and freely express my creativity. That’s what truly makes me happy, and I say this because a creative space is where I feel free to display my emotions in any way that I see fit. Regardless of whether the content is funny or music-related or anything else, I feel happy simply being able to create it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started off at the age of 14 writing poetry, and that eventually evolved into me writing full-fledged songs. At 16, I actually started recording music and posting songs on SoundCloud. I kept doin’ that for awhile, and then in 2019 I finally released my 5 track EP titled “Marzi” to Spotify, Apple Music, etc. This led to me releasing multiple singles since than and gaining a steady following on social media. But this wasn’t the only creative outlet that I was going to let myself have. I started doing TikTok videos early 2020 in English, Urdu, and Hindi, and have since managed to create an even bigger following within the Brown community and others as well. I’m proud of the “Savage Doctor” persona I’ve managed to make on TikTok, but I’m even more proud of the fact that now my content is actually getting recognition after so many years. I’ve learned that giving up can’t be an option if one wants to be successful, but you need to be true and real within yourself. You need to see and be able to recognize when something isn’t as good as your previous material and/or how you can evolve and always get better as an artist. I want the world to know that “iismaill” is a man of many talents and that someday he will change the world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in SoCal, and there are so many things to do around here! I’m a huge sucker for nice views of nature, so hiking spots within the mountains would definitely be on the agenda. There are many places to eat, regardless of whatever the mood is. Whether it be Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Indonesian, Afghan, or any other kind of food, SoCal has it all. Since the situation with Covid is gettin’ better though, more and more places are opening up! The point is, if my best friend was to come see the area I live in, they would most definitely have a blast, and I would make sure of it!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m a firm believer that meeting certain people in life is fate’s way of introducing you to a better version of yourself. With that said, I would like to thank my entire friend circle and whoever has supported me wholeheartedly throughout the years for building me up and boosting my confidence as an artist.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realiismaill/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/realiismaill

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realiismaill/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkCII-ElFgru0cPJP6A8Cmw?pbjreload=102

Other: TikTok @realiismaill

Image Credits
Shalender Singh, Cynthia Hung, Cully Seville, Raquel Lopez, Kevin Candor