Meet Nick Isham | Singer-Songwriter, Producer and Performing Artist

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

Hi Nick, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Funny thing is, I started out as a football player. I played high school football and got a full scholarship out of a high school to play at Louisiana Tech University – where I actually became the 2nd youngest starting quarterback in NCAA history at the time. But I had always been drawn to the arts and specifically to music.

As I started playing college football, I started to learn how to play guitar and sing. Inspired by three particular artists – Jack Johnson, John Mayer and Jason Mraz – as I learned how to play guitar and sing, I just naturally started writing songs, because I have always loved writing…
So while on the football grind through college, I would be writing songs every chance I could get. And by the end of my college football career, I just had an honest, look-in-the-mirror moment and decided that music was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. My mom always told me that whatever I decide to do with my life, I better make sure that I really love the process. And I was, and still am, totally in love with the process of making music.

So I made the choice at that point to pursue music as my career!

So as far as why… I just love writing songs, telling stories and making people smile / feel like they are not alone through music!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Well it certainly was not easy to get to where I am today. As a former football player turned musician, I had a bit of catching up to do, given that I started singing and writing songs in college.

It started at the end of college. I decided that I wanted to be a singer-songwriter and I’ll never forget my dad’s advice – he said something to the extent of – there are endless great singers out there… and the biggest difference between any great singer off the street, and an Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Stevie Wonder or even someone like Bob Dylan – is their ability to communicate. These artists really understand and have the ability to communicate the songs they are singing, and really make it land with their audience.

So that is what I set out to do! I went out and performed at an open mic, sometimes two, EVERY night for about 6 months straight. To liken it to football, it was my 2-a-days. And all I focused on, at every one of those open mics, was to make the songs really communicate and get the people who were there to engage in one way or another, with me and the songs I was performing. I wanted to get them clapping along, singing along, dancing… or even just turn around from the bar and smile.

From there, I went through a number of years of growing as a songwriter, performing artist and producer.
And throughout all the years of telling different stories, trying different types of songs and music, I finally found who I am as an artist…

I have always been a glass-half-full kind of guy. And in 2023, I had another look-in-the-mirror moment, and after trying to write every kind of song you can imagine, I really realized it’s okay to have my music be a reflection of me, and that’s actually what my music should do… so I leaned in!

And finally I found my sound! Feel-good pop music!

My goal is to make music that makes you want to smile, laugh, run around with your loved ones, make you feel like you’re not alone, roll the windows down on a long drive and just enjoy life!

So with that said, one of my songs I am most proud of is called “Welcome Home”, which just recently was released on April 4, 2025.
To bring up my mom one more time, she has always been the most welcoming and gracious person ever… you’d walk into the house and you were immediately a part of the family! You’d smell fresh homemade food coming from the kitchen, hear laughter of friends outside and music playing on the speakers, and feel a real sense of the word “home” all around and within yourself. I wanted to capture that with this song and hopefully give you a sense of that feeling, so you can feel at “home” when you listen, no matter where you are! Welcome to the family!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Great question!

I would probably have to see who’s performing at the Hollywood Bowl or Greek Theater and buy tickets to a show at either of those venues. I love both!

There’s a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Santa Fe Cafe that is right near where I live – great Mexican food!

Probably would have to take a drive down to Malibu because it is always stunning and I love the beach!

Those are a few things I’d have on the to-do list!

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?
There are so many people along the way that have contributed to my career and the success I have had so far. I’d love to specifically Shoutout my parents. They have set an incredible example as to what it means to be supportive, loving, caring, driven and successful artists in their own right [my dad is Mark Isham, a Grammy winning composer and recording artist, and my mom, Donna Isham, is an immensely successful CEO and fine-artist, and the list goes on and on.
I would not be where I am today without them!

Website: http://www.nickisham.com

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

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/nickisham

Other: Nick Isham Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ywvdwUdcGnjhmiPYITgQn?si=c119dcca4b1543a2
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nickisham?_t=8j2wVDXGMTT&_r=1

Image Credits
Jake Isham
Amanda Pieper