Isabel Dumaa is a 20-year-old singer-songwriter from San Francisco who has been performing and singing since she could remember. The artist has accumulated an adoring fan base and over 50k monthly listeners on Spotify. Her rise to stardom started with the anticipated release of ‘Quarter Life Crisis,’ a song that took many by storm for its intoxicating melody and relatable lyrics. Currently, the song has accumulated over 1 million streams on the platform! Isabel had her first-ever headlining show, which featured Grace Gardner as her opener, at the infamous Baby’s All Right. If you have never been to Baby’s All Right, it is a small little corner in NYC that happens to hold the best and most intimate shows I have ever attended. This show was no different!
Isa:
I, unfortunately, hit traffic when coming into the city and missed half of Grace’s performance. However, I felt the universe aligned itself that way because I walked in when Grace was singing ‘Deny Me.’ Hearing the song was like when you can finally scratch the itch that you couldn’t reach. I had heard of the song once on TikTok, but lost the video and could never remember who sang it or what the song was called. It lingered in my brain, haunting me, and stepping into the room and hearing it being performed live absolutely killed me. My jaw dropped to the floor, and I started singing along even though I had heard it once before. With that, the rest of Grace’s set completely enamored me; it was like being wrapped in a blanket and being told sweet nothings. Grace put on an amazing set, and it had me wishing that it would never end.
Anticipation and chatter filled the room; people were filling in, and excitement seemed to hang in the air. When Isabel took the stage, the crowd erupted into a cheer. The singer seemed nervous, but all apprehension seemed to escape her after the little cheer from the crowd. Taking on a small stage is not like taking on a bigger one; it’s intimate, and there isn't really room to not be staring back at someone. Nonetheless, Isabel was confident the entire set and put on an amazing performance. She didn’t miss a beat and could have fooled me if she told me this wasn’t her first headlining show. Also, her band blended so perfectly with her; no one instrument was overpowering her voice, yet they all molded together to create an intrinsic live performance.
She played originals and even played some covers. She played a cover of ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ in honor of her little sister, and I absolutely melted. She sang the song like a ballad, and I found myself in complete awe. One of my favorite songs from the night was, of course, ‘Quarter Life Crisis.’ The song is catchy and overall intoxicating to hear when performed live; it’s like it coerced me to dance and let loose no matter who I was around or whether I would be judged.
All in all, Isabel and Grace put on an amazing performance. The two are so drastically different when it comes to lyricism and sound, but I do not hesitate to say that both hold so much potential to go farther! The two are beyond talented, and I cannot wait to see what they have planned for the rest of the year. If you like Olivia Barton, Lizzy McAlpine, Claire Rosnikranz, or Grace Enger, you will definitely love Isabel Dumaa! Her latest song, ‘Always Leaving You,’ is out now on all streaming platforms.
Photos and words by Isabella Soares-Sousa (@litm_photos)
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