Izabela Rose’s secret ingredient to creating a perfect pop song might just be her own lived experiences as a young person in the digital age, and her desire to make music especially for those who also fit the description. The emerging singer, songwriter, and actress recently released “Honey Honey Baby,” a radiant confession about receiving mixed signals from a crush. With a scenario that many will find to be universal, Izabela captures the feeling of young love while embracing glowing beats that anyone can enjoy on a perfect summer day.
Growing up in Georgia, Izabela competed in multiple beauty pageants. Prior to this, she had no background or direct affiliation to the entertainment industry. “I came in here green and fresh,” she shared. After appearing in a few commercials, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her artistic goals. She went on to star in the Disney Channel original movie Upside-Down Magic in 2020, but music was constantly on her mind. In 2024, Izabela released her first single “Sunkissed,” followed by “Be Careful.”
“I think it confuses a lot of people that I went from Disney Channel to the music scene,” Izabela said. “In today’s world, that’s something that’s hard to grasp for some people. With the way things are changing with social media and how fast life is, we can juggle two things. I think it needs to be normalized that you can be a singer and you can also be a successful actress.”
Recently, Izabela made a huge leap in her career by joining the Music @themall tour – a nationwide tour created by Greater Than Distribution in collaboration with Simon Property Group. Greater Than Distribution, spearheaded by industry veterans Paula Moore and Randy Jackson, launched the @themall tour to highlight emerging talent across the United States and give aspiring artists and creatives a platform to showcase their talents.
Izabela recalled the moment she was asked to join the tour. “It was maybe 12 at night, and one of the people on my team was like, ‘Do you want to be on tour? Are you ready for that?’ I was like, life is short. YOLO, and when am I gonna be ready if I don’t take it now? It’s presented now!”
Being on tour presented some unique lessons for Izabela, including pushing through despite the perceptions from others. “Cringe is good,” she mentioned. “In my generation, there’s this whole thing about the ‘nonchalant train’ and everyone wants to be nonchalant. I’m so over that.”
Overcoming stage fright was another huge step for Izabela. “We performed in Houston, and I remember getting intimidated by the crowd in the mall,” she shared. “When I got off stage, a lot of people were walking past us looking over, nodding their heads, and then walking past us. Then I had some people stop, which I’m so grateful for. But it definitely does challenge your confidence a lot. I think with this tour, I grew in confidence a lot as an artist. Just trusting myself and going on stage and being an entertainer. At the end of the day, you have a couple of minutes. I think I only had probably 10 minutes to showcase my talent, and you never know who’s watching! Just give it your all, and think about whatever comes later.”
One day while on tour, Izabela was searching for a song to use for a post on her Instagram story. She came across Kali Uchis’ “Honey Baby” and thought it had a brilliant title. Izabela quickly took note, and tested out the words “honey honey baby” on a specific beat. She loved the result, and immediately realized the rest of the song was meant to be!
This would turn into Izabela’s first time writing a song all by herself, which was a little scary for her at first. She said, “It was nerve-wracking, because that’s fully me letting my vulnerability out.”
Although Izabela was nervous, she felt that it was very important to be as honest as possible. “I think the whole point of being an artist is making things people are going to relate to,” she said. “Life imitates art!”
“Honey Honey Baby” also shows off Izabela’s ‘60s influences, with a warm sound led by ecstatic horns and bass lines.
“I definitely hope that when people see my aesthetics, my visuals, and even hear my music, they see elements of that,” she shared.
Izabela will be returning to the studio to work on more music, which she hopes will resonate with many more listeners around the world.
Check out “Honey Honey Baby” below!