Jake Isaac's perfect moment

When we talk he's a genial, belly-laughing, down-to-earth person who just happens to create music. His ambitions these days are more grounded in daily life – fitting in gym sessions after his three children have gone to bed, rather than chasing industry accolades. "In a really non-narcissistic, egocentric way, I think it became about me because I have been on a journey of self-discovery for the longest time," he laughs.

"I think sometimes when it comes to art, you allow the brush to do what it does on the canvas, and it's not prescribed, it's just actually what comes out, and it's a reflection of your inner state in that moment…It was a necessary expression of art."

Anyone can write a song. But it takes a talent to turn that song into an emotional medium for others. This has been the key element of Isaac's work since he first established himself back in 2017 with his major label debut Our Lives. Signing to Virgin Records after joining forces with Elton John's Rocket Entertainment management, he established himself as a steady pair of hands in a mostly tumultuous industry. And while imposter syndrome is a fairly common occurrence in any creative endeavour, with the likes of Elton John telling you you've got it, over Christmas dinner no less – alongside Ed Sheeran and Rag 'N' Bone Man – then that imposter becomes something else entirely. "It's bizarre to be accepted for yourself. It's almost like you get another sense of imposter syndrome," he chuckles heartily.

Elton John isn't the only weighty name to lend himself to Isaac's journey. Grammy-winning India.Arie featured on Isaac's 2021 outing Honesty after he reached out via email. It wasn't until she invited him to perform at her homecoming Atlanta show that Isaac felt the true weight of what she saw in him. He recalls the moment with awe – a pivotal event in a penthouse suite overlooking Atlanta’s south side. Arie's mentorship became a turning point for Isaac: “She said, 'Jake, you are doing the world an injustice by not presenting the real version of you'.”

This message became pivotal in shaping his newfound authenticity: “Imagine sitting down in front of someone who's iconic and a pioneer in creating a certain genre of music, and she said to me she's been affirmed by Luther Vandross and a number of incredible singers, and now, 'Jake, I'm turning to you and I'm affirming you. You've got it – be yourself. Do not play industry games. The world needs what you carry.'"

This moment is where his equilibrium stems. With legends affirming his talent, the last person he needed approval from was himself. Recalling a quote he heard, something about We all as individuals have a limited amount of time to bring beauty to the world means Isaac is grounded in his steadfast humility. He goes as far as to say "Everyone that's alive today has a beauty to bring to the world, particularly in these crazy times that we're in. And I think it's not about what I do now, like, 'Oh my gosh, I make the best music ever.' It was actually about what I believe I've tried to do on this record, which is to be an authentic version of myself. Don't be someone else. Don't sound like someone else. Do what you like, Be who you like."

And it's paid off. The acclaim keeps stacking up, and the notice from industry names and radio is garnering Isaac greater support than ever before. It's a more than befitting momentum for someone safe in the knowledge of all they've achieved.

Defining his authentic self is where Isaac takes a beat to consider his answer. "I would actually define myself as a boy, a boy who's been broken on the way to becoming a man, but still understands that I'm a boy," he carefully muses. "And what I mean by that is there's a certain level of responsibility that we take on as we grow old, as we do this thing called life, but actually, the lessons aren't in the responsibilities. The lessons are in the journey to get to the place where you are. And so my bruises and the stuff along the way, that is what shapes my decisions and how I see the world around me, even what I contribute to the world. So I'm now a man, but I think who I am is still the boy who's growing, consistently growing and trying to be a better man every day."

This is where this fourth album comes into play. Isaac cites Benjamin as being a "sonic outworking" of these internal processes. Even instrumental opener "Selah" – a biblical term meaning 'to pause' – sets the tone with reflective piano notes acting as a gentle inhale before the great exhale. In particular, he refers to "Good Man" which honours his father, Rev Les Isaac OBE, the founder of the Street Pastors network and an honorary Ecumenical Canon at Southwark Cathedral. "That's something, if I'm honest... I'm comfortable with my own skin," he tells me. "I don't really care what anyone thinks about it. I was like, my dad's actually a good guy. He's present, he's done a decent job at that. We're still mates, like a lot of my mates can't say the same. And I think actually, that was the song, even at radio, it's just done amazingly well. Songs like that are the outworkings of my journey of reconciling being a boy and becoming a man."

Self-acceptance is the key takeaway from Isaac's music. It's what he wants to impart to his listeners. After I ask him to hone in on what he thinks the through line of his output is, he boils it down to “permission to feel”. Elaborating, he says, "It's not even just permission to relate to music, I'm talking permission to feel something. The feedback I've gotten over the years is that I can cry to this, or I can dance with my partner to this, or I can be alone with this and I think a lot of my music has come from a deep sense of feeling."

Isaac's craft is important to him. Certainly, this outing is central to his being, but even his previous efforts, and projects he's embarked on as a hired hand have all come from the same place: "I really feel that conviction has a strong part to play in art. So if I don't believe it, why should someone else?"

Beginning at an incredibly young age with skills picked up watching services as a young child – starting drums at the age of 3, eventually earning his grade 8 at Trinity College London – Isaac worked his way into being a session musician and songwriter in his late teens. Writing for the likes of 90s and 00s household names such as Blue and Gabrielle, he eventually worked as Duffy's musical director while holding down a day job as a marketing manager before fully embarking as Jake Isaac, the artist.

Isaac's top priority when crafting is to create something he believes in. But most importantly is step number two, how you package it, musically. "Be it not being afraid to blur the lines, genre-wise, to communicate the conviction and the feeling is crucial." The icons that blurred lines in pop music are key touchstones for Isaac. In particular, those who took the idea of popular music while communicating a feeling to the masses. Isaac cites the likes of Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley, particularly Presley who, as he explains it, "being brought up in a majority black neighbourhood as a young white boy like that was unheard of. But when he first started coming up, people didn't even realise he was a white guy, taking parts of this experience and blurring the lines and going to communicate a feeling. I think that step two is crucial. There's a great saying, ‘Nothing extraordinary happens without risk’, you have to be willing to push the boat in those aspects.” It's this mode of thinking that allows that elevated freedom of Isaacs.

"I enjoy where I'm at with the craft right now, dude. I love that. My biggest struggle is to not just go back into writing more songs," he cackles. "That's the biggest thing I'm contending with at the moment, just because I love it, man. And obviously this album's been made for a couple months now, and I'm ready just to lean in and do something. I'm enjoying it because there's no pressure."

While this new peak of his has laid out a new path for him to follow, his ambitions for his craft still burn. In terms of chasing a golden road, those days are gone. He's got a family. He's achieved respect from legendary peers. He's toured, and performed on stages throughout the world, including Glastonbury, so he's reached an enviable equilibrium: "Let me tell you something, right? And you can decide whether you put this in this interview or not," he leans forward, with a beaming grin.

Isaac proceeds to lay out the framework that’s led to not only surviving, but thriving in an unforgiving industry: the key to it all is not believing your own hype. “Jake Isaac is still just a bloke from South London that's making tunes that he likes and trying to share them with people and perform…bringing some of his own little beauty to the world."

It's the crux of Issac’s story and a finale that opens up the rest of his life. As he signs off to become Jake Isaac – the man ahead of his grandest entry to date – he brings it all home: "I don't see myself like that. Life's too short. One day you're up, one day you're down. If I get to the age of 55 and I'm still making albums, that'll be sweet.”