Meet Michael Isaak | Singer-Songwriter

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

Hi Michael, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
The biggest risk I’ve taken thus far in my career was my decision to take a leave of absence from Princeton. While some might advise against time away from school, I had this feeling like “If I don’t do this now, this opportunity might slip away.” And today, I believe it to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Had I not taken this risk, I might have never discovered my passion for sharing and playing my music.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
‘Forever is a Scary Word,’ my debut EP, has been my passion project of almost two years. It’s a sincere exploration of boyhood, coming-of-age, and my experience as a first-gen Egyptian-American. All six songs are truly meaningful to me and tell a very personal and heartfelt journey. You have a protagonist standing on the edge of his adulthood, thrilled yet fearful of the future, and pondering the rest of his life–his forever.

Musically, I took inspiration from both indie pop and folk, as well as my heritage, drawing from classical Arabic music and learning to play the oud. The Arabic instrumentation on “plane thoughts” was probably my favorite part of the project, and I feel like my identity as an artist really shines through.

It is not uncommon to lose motivation especially given the competition artists like myself are facing in the industry. I try to plant at least one seed everyday–submitting a playlist pitch, applying for a performance opportunity, creating a social media post–that allows me to keep my momentum. Since I embarked on my journey, I’ve always overcome obstacles through songwriting and that applies to all challenges whether personal or professional.

My favorite part about writing music is that it is a therapeutic form of self-care for me. Music has helped me articulate complex feelings and experiences in my own secret language. So I always allocate time on a daily basis to engage with music in ways unrelated to my career in the industry–listening to CDs from my parents’ collection, learning new songs on the guitar, or going to see my favorite bands play live.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d kick off the week with a trip to the beach in Malibu, my favorite spot in SoCal if not in the entire world. There is no question we’d have to go cruising at least once a day, through the canyons, Sunset Blvd, and PCH. We’d have to go to a show at the Wiltern, which is my favorite concert venue in town.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So much has inspired me along the way but if there was one group of people I’d like to recognize would be all of my collaborators. I worked with Owen Korzec, an incredible producer and mixer, on my debut EP and I could not have achieved my vision for the project. I’d also like to give credit to my band members Will Martinez, Syren Hudson, and Matt TC Lucas, who have helped me bring all of the songs to life in our performances. Finally, my instructors at Musicians Institute Hollywood invested so much in bringing out my potential, from musicianship to business skills.

Website: https://www.michaelisaak.us/

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

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@michaelisaaktunes

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/559rQJZL0GYH9lVU6zi5ey?si=KXUULlsqT16kSTJggFiQ8A

Image Credits
Emily Entz
Joshua Andrew Belida