Dreamer Isioma

Last updated

Dreamer Isioma
Born2000or2001(age 21–22)
GenresVarious
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Labels AWAL
Website dreamerisioma.com

Dreamer Isioma (born 2000/2001) is an American singer-songwriter and multiple-genre artist from Chicago. [1] After Isioma's breakout song "Sensitive" went viral on TikTok in 2020, they [lower-alpha 1] released a debut album titled Goodnight Dreamer in 2022. Their sophomore album Princess Forever was released in 2023 by AWAL.

Contents

Early life

Basically, my parents had a plan. They’re like, this child is either gonna do music or be an athlete or both.

– Dreamer Isioma, quoted in the Chicago Tribune [2]

Dreamer Isioma grew up in a Christian household. [1] They are from a Nigerian-American family. [3] Their family moved often, and they spent their childhood in Lagos, London, and Chicago. [3] In Chicago they began learning music theory at age three, and later studied classical piano and violin. [2] They attended a Catholic school, where they experimented with gender expression within the confines of the school uniform. [3] At 12 years old, they came out as queer, and later as nonbinary after a psychedelic experience in their late teenage years. Their eclectic fashion which mixes traditionally masculine and feminine components was profiled in Vogue . [3]

In high school, Isioma attempted to switch from playing music to being an athlete, which was more socially acceptable. However, this change was prevented because they broke their wrist. [2] When they were 16 years old, they began making music, with influences including Chief Keef and Paramore. [3] Producing music became a serious passion while Isioma was still in high school; they routinely spent hours working on songs each day. [2]

After high school, Isioma began attending college in Chicago; they initially planned to study marketing but switched to communications to avoid required math classes. [4] In November 2021, they underwent a masculinizing chest surgery and expressed gender dysphoria on social media. [5]

Career

Dreamer Isioma began making music professionally in 2018. [3] In 2020, their song "Sensitive" went viral on TikTok, becoming their breakout hit. [3] [4] The song, which mixes R&B, hip hop, and funk influences, was later described in the Chicago Tribune as "a sonically playful wonder". [2] It was featured in the final season of Insecure. [4]

As a result of the success of "Sensitive", Isioma was able to access additional resources to create an album, working with a distributor and creative team and having a budget for the first time. [3] Work began on the album in March 2020. [2] They released two EPs in 2020, titled Sensitive and The Leo Sun Rises. [4]

In 2021, Isioma made their debut tour, [4] which included appearances at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. [2]

Isioma released their debut album Goodnight Dreamer on February 23, 2022, [1] after the release of a lead single and accompanying music video titled "Bad Ting". [6] The album was distributed by AWAL. [5] NME described the album as a blend of various influences including Afrobeats, rock and roll, and modern electronic and pop music, and praised it as feeling "genuinely fresh, newly discovered". [1] MTV stated that the album is made up of "various soundscapes and themes of being one’s authentic self". [4] WRBB gave the album four stars out of five, praising it as "an intriguingly beautiful commentary on love and sexuality" with "fresh androgynous musical style". [5]

Asked in February 2022 by PAPER how they would describe their profession because of their output of visual music videos in addition to music, Isioma self-described as a "creative director" rather than specifically a "performer, songwriter or vocalist". They noted that while all their music is created in collaboration with friends, they "take a lot of pride in being the mastermind". [6]

In April 2023, Isioma released a second album titled Princess Forever. [7] Pitchfork included the album, which was distributed by AWAL, in a weekly list of new albums to listen to. [8]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Dreamer Isioma is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common (rapper)</span> American rapper and actor (born 1972)

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, known by his stage name Common, is an American rapper, actor, and activist. He has received three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar?, and gained critical acclaim with his 1994 album Resurrection. He maintained an underground following into the late 1990s. He achieved mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphaville (band)</span> German synth-pop band

Alphaville is a German synth-pop band formed in Münster in 1982. They gained popularity in the 1980s. The group was founded by singers Marian Gold, Bernhard Lloyd, and Frank Mertens. They achieved chart success with the singles "Forever Young", "Big in Japan", "Sounds Like a Melody", "The Jet Set", and "Dance with Me". Gold remains the only continuous member of Alphaville. They took their name from Jean-Luc Godard's movie of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K Camp</span> American rapper

Kristopher Thomas Campbell, better known by his stage name K Camp, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He recently became an independent artist with his own label Raresound. He was once signed with Interscope Records and released his debut EP In Due Time in 2014. He is best known for the singles "Money Baby", "Comfortable" and "Cut Her Off", the last one receiving a nomination at the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards. His debut album Only Way Is Up was released in September 2015 and peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200 chart. His 2019 single, "Lottery (Renegade)", gained notoriety for being used as a meme on the video sharing platform TikTok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sales (band)</span> American indie pop band

SALES is an American guitar-based indie pop band from Orlando, Florida. The band's members are musicians Lauren Morgan and Jordan Shih. They are joined on tour by Malcolm Martin, who serves as the live drummer and percussionist.

Loren Gray Beech is an American social media personality, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for the Musical.ly career she began in 2015, and was the most-followed creator from March 31, 2019 to March 25, 2020 on the latter's predecessor, TikTok. She was signed to Virgin Records until February 2021, when she became an independent artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beach Bunny (band)</span> American rock band

Beach Bunny is an American rock band formed in 2015 by Lili Trifilio in Chicago, Illinois. The group achieved widespread popularity after their 2018 song "Prom Queen" went viral on TikTok in late 2019. As well as their 2020 hit single "Cloud 9" which became a worldwide hit in 2021, also after going viral on TikTok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lachlan Watson</span> American actor (b. 2001)

Lachlan Watson is an American actor, best known for playing trans boy Theo Putnam in the Netflix original series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and non-binary twin children of Chucky, Glen and Glenda in the second season of the Syfy/USA Network original series Chucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashnikko</span> American singer and rapper (born 1996)

Ashton Nicole Casey, known professionally as Ashnikko, is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. Her 2019 single "Stupid" with (Yung) Baby Tate gained viral popularity on the video-sharing platform TikTok and was certified platinum in the United States and Canada. Ashnikko's debut mixtape, Demidevil, was released in January 2021, and spawned the singles "Daisy" and "Slumber Party" featuring Princess Nokia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addison Rae</span> American social media personality (born 2000)

Addison Rae Easterling is an American social media personality, singer, dancer and actress. In 2019, Rae rose to prominence on the video sharing app TikTok. she has amassed over 88 million followers, making her the fourth most-followed individual on the platform. In August 2020, she was ranked as the highest-earning TikTok personality by Forbes, and a year later, she made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for social media influencers.

Cole Chase Hudson, known professionally as Huddy, is an American social media personality, singer, and actor, known for co-founding the TikTok collective the Hype House, and popularizing the e-boy fashion style and subculture. According to Billboard, he is one of the top 10 music influencers on TikTok, with over 30 million followers, and one of the most influential people on the platform. He has also been cited by Paper as an important figure in the 2020s pop punk revival.

Jaden Isaiah Hossler, formerly known professionally as Jxdn, is an American singer-songwriter and TikTok personality from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Hossler rose to prominence on the video sharing app TikTok in 2019 before beginning a music career in early 2020 with the release of his debut single "Comatose".

Nathan Evans is a British singer from Airdrie, Scotland, best known for singing sea shanties. Evans first gained fame in 2020 by posting videos of himself singing sea shanties on social media service TikTok. In 2021, he released a cover of the folk song "Wellerman" which peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart and also charted in several other countries.

Garth Andrew Best, known professionally as Tokyo's Revenge, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with the songs "GoodMorningTokyo!" and "Thot!", both going viral on TikTok and amassing millions of videos on the platform.

Sharlee Jade Curnow, known professionally as Peach PRC, is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and social media personality. Her major label debut single "Josh" was released in early 2021, which peaked at number 38 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Peach is a prominent figure on the social media platform TikTok, where she posts content about her life, self-care advice with ADHD and drug and alcohol abuse, and her music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nessa Barrett</span> American singer (born 2002)

Janesa Jaida "Nessa" Barrett is an American singer. She has released one studio album, Young Forever (2022) and two EPs, Pretty Poison (2021) and Hell Is a Teenage Girl (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PinkPantheress</span> British singer and record producer (born 2001)

PinkPantheress is an English singer and record producer. Her songs, which are frequently short in length and include samples of music from the 1990s and 2000s, span a number of genres, including bedroom pop, drum and bass, alt-pop, and 2-step garage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mothica</span> American singer (born 1995)

McKenzie Ellis, known professionally as Mothica, is an American singer. She grew up in Oklahoma City and began producing music when she was 18 years old. Since 2015, she has produced a dozen albums and singles distributed across several online musical streaming platforms such as on Spotify, SoundCloud and Bandcamp. In June 2020, a TikTok video she posted that included her song "VICES" went viral, providing greater notability as a musician and singer.

Jacob Dodge Lawson, known professionally as Jvke, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and social media personality. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, he started creating TikTok videos for his songs, one of which, "Upside Down", went viral in 2021 with it being used in over 14 million TikTok videos. His debut album, This Is What ____ Feels Like (2022), peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200, while the song "Golden Hour" peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice Spice</span> American rapper (born 2000)

Isis Naija Gaston, known professionally as Ice Spice, is an American rapper. Born and raised in the Bronx in New York City, she embarked on her musical career in 2021 after meeting American record producer RiotUSA.

Addison Grace is an American singer-songwriter and online personality. Having developed a following on social media sites like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, he has released two EPs, Immaturing and Things That Are Bad for Me, and toured with artists including Cavetown, Tessa Violet, Penelope Scott, and Chloe Moriondo.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Konemann, Liam (February 22, 2022). "Dreamer Isioma: achingly-cool, community-focused pop from a future indie hero". NME . Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Julious, Britt (February 11, 2022). "Since the hit 'Sensitive,' Chicago music artist Dreamer Isioma has been in a whirlwind of fame". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Randall, Tiana (November 9, 2022). "This Musician's Fashion Philosophy Is "Drip Has No Gender"". Vogue . Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Garrett, Ural (February 28, 2022). "Dreamer Isioma, The Fearless Observer, Is Unfazed". MTV . Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Crowell, Rachel (March 10, 2022). "On Goodnight Dreamer, Dreamer Isioma is chameleonic". WRBB . Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Whitmer, Savannah (February 2, 2022). "Dreamer Isioma Travels Through Time". PAPER . Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  7. ↑ Shepard, Ryan (April 21, 2023). "Dreamer Isioma Releases 'Princess Forever'". Def Pen. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  8. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (April 21, 2023). "8 Albums Out This Week You Should Listen to Now". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 21, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.