Laura Izibor
Even Barack Obama is a fan of young Irish singer Laura Izibor
WHEN LAURA IZIBOR RECENTLY TURNED 23, she wanted to celebrate by flying home to her mum in Ireland. A simple wish you’d think. But the soul singer is currently in the United States, her life a constant carousel of hotel rooms, studios and planes. Not that she is complaining. She’s already opened for an Aretha Franklin concert and attended a party at the White House.
Born to an Irish mother and a Nigerian father, Izibor grew up in Dublin at a time when being black and Irish was considered a contradiction in terms. “I always felt different because there was nobody who looked like me. My upbringing has influenced my songwriting because it’s never just one genre.”
At 15, she won Ireland’s national songwriting competition, a break that sparked a whirlwind of interest. “I was told that Britney Spears’s A&R was keen. He flew to Dublin and wanted to sign me there and then, but I had 12 other labels interested. So they each put $2,000 dollars in a jar and paid for me to come over to America, and I sang for them all.”
But after being discovered, several years passed before she released her debut album.
“I was pretty wide-eyed in the beginning. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I got a deal!’ Then it went pear-shaped.
I remember me and my manager carrying a keyboard and a stand through the rain in London. There were lots of noisy pubs in the middle of nowhere. But it’s character building.”
With a new album in production, she’ll be drawing on all the experiences she’s packed in. “I’ve had six boyfriends since then and loads to talk about. That’s the beauty of making another album, because you keep growing. It’s the joy of being able to create.”
Julia Molony Laura Izibor releases her new EP in August
