We had a chat with rising artist Nicole Issa and found out some more about her resonating new single ‘Shadow’
The brutal reality of still feeling haunted by a loved one and the memories that you shared when a romantic relationship falls apart is something that a lot of people can resonate with, and emerging Western Sydney indie pop singer and songwriter Nicole Issa does a really great job of articulating that feeling on her powerful new single ‘Shadow’.
The new release sees the artist pouring out her soul as she tries to outrun her past and the titular ‘Shadow’ that it feels like follows her around. There is a real authenticity that runs both between the narrative and her stirring vocal performance that really helps the listener to resonate with her words and strike a chord with the sentiment, it develops in a way that feels both gentle and hard-hitting, showcasing the reality of such situations in a way that feels both personal and universal. We love the new release and how powerful it feels, and had a chat with Nicole to find out a bit more about it and how it came together.
Hey! We love your new single ‘Shadow’. What more can you tell us about it
Thank you so much. Shadow is a really special song to me. I wrote it during a moment of emotional defeat, a few months after a relationship had ended. I was doing everything I could to move on, but their memory just wouldn’t leave me alone. It felt like a shadow that kept following me no matter how far I walked.
I was in Christian’s studio in Aotearoa, New Zealand when it came together. We’d just had a deep conversation about where we were both at in life, and the room felt quiet and heavy in a gentle way. When he started playing this guitar riff, something just opened up in me. I remember tearing up as I wrote. It felt like word vomit, like the song had been sitting inside me waiting to come out. Writing it was really cathartic. I even think of it as my little lullaby, especially with how softly it fades out at the end.
What was the process like putting it together?
It was honestly one of those rare sessions where everything just flows. Christian played the guitar part and the idea of a shadow instantly came to me. We’d been talking about love and heartbreak, so the song was already emotionally loaded before we even started writing.
Most of it was written in that first session. It felt more like therapy than a songwriting session. I wasn’t overthinking anything, I was just saying what I hadn’t been able to say out loud before.
What was the process like putting it together?
It was honestly one of those rare sessions where everything just flows. Christian played the guitar part and the idea of a shadow instantly came to me. We’d been talking about love and heartbreak, so the song was already emotionally loaded before we even started writing.
Most of it was written in that first session. It felt more like therapy than a songwriting session. I wasn’t overthinking anything, I was just saying what I hadn’t been able to say out loud before.
What were your biggest influences when creating it?
I had just started writing in open D tuning on my guitar, which really shaped the mood of the song. It gives everything this open, haunting feel. Sonically, I was really inspired by artists like Lizzy McAlpine and Maggie Rogers for their storytelling and emotional honesty. I was also listening to Wild Rivers on repeat at the time, so that softer indie-folk influence definitely made its way into the track haha.
How have your own experiences in relationships influenced its creation?
I’m very much an all-or-nothing person when it comes to love. When I care about someone, I fall deeply, and I really struggle to emotionally detach. The relationship behind Shadow was intense and confusing. It felt unfinished, even though I knew in my head that it probably couldn’t go any further.
The hardest part was the “what if”. What if the timing was different? What if the obstacles weren’t there? Would we still end up here anyway? That questioning really lives inside the song. There’s also a moment where I realised that love is a choice, and that sometimes it’s not the circumstances that end something, it’s the other person not being able to fully step in. Writing the song helped me accept that it’s okay to love deeply and that it’s okay if it takes time to let go.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
This year is already feeling really exciting. I’ve got a Sofar Sounds show in Sydney on February 13, which I’m really looking forward to, and then I’ll be releasing more new music very soon, with more coming in March. (and maybe a larger project mid year! *cough* ep *cough*
I’m also hoping to spend some time in London later this year so London fam where you at!
