Nashville based Americana/folk singer songwriter Lucy Isabel is set to release her second full length, All the Light, independently on October 11, 2024.
"I moved to Nashville in January 2015 and have mostly lived in West or South Nashville. I got married in Nashville at Loveless, and my husband and I have two little girls. I've recorded four projects since moving to town, and I love being part of the Americana music community here!"
A four-timeInternational Songwriting Competition semi-finalist and Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Board Member, Isabel welcomes the opportunity to play live whenever she can.
Lucy Isabel's Top Six
What makes Nashville special to you? The main draw to Nashville for me is that, as a musician, it's never weird to people that that's my job. It's such an accepted career here, and we have such a great community. I love that I can hang out with my friends and talk about everything from relationships to tour routing.
Most under-rated thing about Nashville? I think the most underrated thing about Nashville is the proximity to outdoor adventure. When most people come into town, they come for the big touristy things, and I know a lot of folks who have visited and never ventured past Broadway. But there are so many things to explore both inside and just outside of the city. Throughout my pregnancy with my first daughter, I went hiking at Radnor Lake twice a week. It was so cool to be able to drive just 15 minutes down the road and be totally immersed in nature.
How would you say your hometown of Little Silver, NJ differs from Nashville? I'm from small town New Jersey, and most of the people I grew up with stay in the area, or come back to it to raise their families. My hometown has changed a lot in the time since I grew up there, but it's still a pretty small community. I think Nashville has that in some ways, like how, depending on the neighborhood you live in, you can consistently bump into folks you know. But it also has the offerings of a major city, like museums and sports and music. The list goes on and on!
Say you had a completely free day in Nashville—no work allowed. What would you be doing? On a completely free day in Nashville, as long as it's not too hot I, like to hang out in Sevier Park or go for a walk on Belmont Blvd. with my family. I'd probably spend some time at Bongo Java and get some tacos from Ladybird, too, maybe with a friend or two. I also love cooking for people, so I'd probably invite some folks over for dinner!
What are some of your favorite Nashville restaurants? I could eat some version of Mexican food just about every day, so some of my favorites are Baja Burrito or Ladybird Tacos for a low-key meal, Cilantro on 8th for a chill, sit-down place, or BarTaco for something slightly more formal. Outside of the realm of Mexican food, I also love Pharmacy in East. We've taken a lot of out-of-town friends there over the years.
If someone is coming to Nashville for the first time, where do you take them? I've always loved the Nashville Zoo, so I often bring folks over there if it's a nice day. Then we grab some food in the area, maybe at Vui's or Baja Burrito. If they want to check out Broadway, I always recommend ACME for food and Robert's for music!
One Thing About Nashville
What is one way Nashville has influenced your music? Nashville has had a massive impact on the way that I write melodies and chord progressions. When I first moved to town, I was pretty new to playing guitar, but going out and seeing all of the incredibly talented guitarists around town made me realize I wanted to dig deeper and become more familiar with the instrument, which then resulted in me using all of the new chords I was learning in my writing.
Five Favorites
Do you have a favorite music venue? My favorite music venue in the city is the Ryman. I've seen countless shows there over the years, and there was only one time when the sound wasn't perfect. It's such a beautiful space, both visually and sonically.
Favorite place to go on date night? My husband and I both love eating at Barcelona. We're vegetarian, and it's so great to have so many little dishes we can order to try a bunch of different flavor profiles. We went there for my birthday a couple years ago, and they were so kind and generous!
Favorite museum? When my husband and I were dating, we used to go to the Frist once a month. I got him a membership as a Christmas gift one year. It's still fun to pop in there from time to time and check out the exhibits!
Favorite grocery store to shop? All of their locations are super out of the way for us, but we love shopping at Sprout's. There's one in Bellevue, and they have a giant bulk bin section, so we're able to get only as much as we need of uncommon ingredients. It makes it fun to try new things. They also tend to have unique produce at pretty good prices, so we like to taste test stuff. One time during melon season, we tried out three or four different melons we had never seen before.
Best Broadway bar? I don't spend a ton of time on Broadway, but when I do it's usually at ACME. I like the food, and I like that there's often original music on the stage!
Website: https://www.lucyisabelmusic.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lucyisabelmusic
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/lucyisabel_music
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/lucyisabel
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