Issey Cross

Isabella Eliza Victoria Cross[1] was born in Kent[2] to two hairdressers, and started making music after being gifted a guitar for her thirteenth birthday. As a teenager, she would perform gigs in local pubs around Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells under the name Issey C;[3] her first gig was in the pub opposite her father's salon.[2] She told 'cene Magazine in June 2021 that she was under eighteen at the time, that both her and her father would lie about her age so that pubs would allow her to perform, and that she would wear "wear loads of make-up so that it made [her] look older". After her GCSEs,[3] she moved to Tottenham on her own[4] to attend music college; in her first year, she took a music performance course, and in her second, she transferred to a music production course.[3]

Her debut single, "Who", was released on 15 January 2021,[5] and was written after the song's co-writer and producer told Cross about the experience of being cheated on.[4] A second single, "Boys Make Promises", was released on 26 February 2021,[6] and was written about men who make her promises and then disappear.[7] Both tracks appeared on her extended play Mirrors Don't Lie, which was released on 26 March 2021,[8] but which had been delayed by COVID-19; she told Popsugar in March 2021 that she "wrote most of [its] songs nearly two years ago".[9]

On 2 April 2021, she released Hot 'N Cold, a cover version of the Katy Perry song. On 24 June 2021, she released "M40 (Love Me Now)",[10] an ode to the extended periods of time she spent driving on the M40 motorway owing to her being in a long-distance relationship.[11] On 13 August 2021, she released "Tired Of Everybody",[12] a song about post-lockdown social anxiety.[13]

On 19 November 2021, she featured on Wilkinson's Used to This,[14] which charted at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart.[15] On 6 April 2022, she released "Downers" with Jalle;[16] the pair wrote the song in lockdown over Zoom, and about their insecurities and what they would change about themselves.[17] On 12 January 2023, she and Luude released Oh My,[18] which charted at number 98 on the UK Singles Chart.[15] On 3 February 2023, she and bshp featured on Nathan Dawe and Bru-C's "Oh Baby",[19] which charted at #35 on the UK Singles Chart,[15] and on 24 March 2023, she, Hybrid Minds, and Fred V. released "Breathe Out". On 30 June 2023, she released "Bittersweet Goodbye",[20] which was produced by Luude, and samples his remix of "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve;[21] the track was intended as a Luude release, but scheduling conflicts meant he could not release it, so Cross took it for herself.[22] The song was promoted with a music video, filmed at a Homebass rave,[23] and charted at No. 19 on the UK Singles Chart.[15]