When Izzie Yardley was eleven years old, she heard a piece of classical music playing on the kitchen radio that stopped her in her tracks, ‘Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams. “I sat on the floor and cried” she reflects. “I didn’t know where the emotion had come from, but it gave me the feeling that music is magic.” As an adult, the rising British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist recalls that fleeting experience as one of the defining moments that set her on the path towards the power of song.

Originally from Kent, now based in Somerset, Yardley’s music is a free-flowing braided river of classical, folk and jazz. With vivid guitar figures, rolling drums, and warm basslines forming the landscape beneath her, she sings with a studied introspection and melodies that linger into the late-night hours. Her subject matter, sometimes personal and sometimes observational, is the human experience: how we navigate our own lives and the lives of those around us. Why do we do what we do? “I’m not here to make nice music,” she says. “I’m here to make music that could be the key that opens the door you keep locked.”

Raised on a musical diet of Miles Davis, Carole King, Van Morrison, Nick Drake, John Martyn, and James Taylor, Yardley released her first singles in 2020, culminating in the Imposter (2023) and Pull Back The Sea (2024) EPs, both produced by Dom Monks. Along the way, she connected with her close collaborators, bassist Nick Pini, drummer Ethan Johns, and guitarist Luke Potashnick. “They’re technically great, but they’re also not afraid to break the rules to play with emotion and colour,” she says.

Yardley’s ever-blossoming songbook has been celebrated by BBC Scotland, Absolute Radio and BBC Introducing. She’s also shared stages with This Is The Kit, Jesca Hoop, Caoilfhionn Rose, and The Brother Brothers, while headlining her own shows across the UK. Outside of her songwriting practice, Yardley also works as a session vocalist for film & television composers, as well as for a range of popular contemporary artists, including Tom Jones, Elles Bailey, and Freddie and The Scenarios.

Izzie’s newest offering, ‘Strange Times’, is a bold declaration of her artistry, showcasing her gift for evoking profound emotion and finding magic in both the beauty and chaos of everyday life. More new music will follow very soon.

Photo credit: Cloe Morrison