With the impending release of her debut solo album 'Izzi', the dynamic Isabella Manfredi is preparing to go from Preature to main feature.
Since stepping away from her role as frontwoman for The Preatures, Isabella has shed her well-worn band skin and embraced the uncertainty of setting out on her own as a solo musician."There was a lot of fear because there is the rock & roll trope of the lead singer going solo, and I had that in my mind when it happened," Isabella says.
"But I think for me it works. It suits my personality and I really like being in charge. It's been freeing, it's been a bit of a relief, to be honest, to not have to ask for permission or pitch certain ideas.
"I've loved being in control and not having to compromise, it's been really fun."
Set for release in early September, 'Izzi' stands as a defining moment for Isabella as she explores life beyond the band. Between leaving The Preatures, bearing the ravages of COVID and giving birth to her first child, making her debut solo album proved to be an ultimately successful transformative process.
"There is a general sense of disconnection I think, just because of the last couple of years – being off the road, being disconnected from my usual music communities and running into people, and not being in the group anymore has definitely contributed to that," she says.
"But I've gained this great reconnection with the music and the work and other musicians. I've been able to work with Stella Mozgawa [Warpaint], Kirin J Callinan, Mikey Di Francesco from Touch Sensitive and [producer] Jonathan Wilson – all these great people who have been excited about the music and the songs, so that's been great."
Through the making of 'Izzi' and her transition to solo act, Isabella says she has learnt the subtle nuances that differentiate an artist from a professional and how to balance one with the other.
"Sometimes you need to have incredible vulnerability paired with the mask of professionalism, and sometimes you need to say 'f... it', flip the table and walk out," she says.
"So, there's all these different aspects to it, and I had the privilege of developing professionalism in the band and understanding what that really looked like.
"Professionalism is just the ability to fail and handle anything happening and still be able to deal with it, particularly onstage. But then artistry is different; artistry is going from one day to the next and going 'I don't feel like writing today' and following that intuition as well. It's been a good couple of years of development for me, artistically as opposed to professionally."
Audiences at Wanderer Festival on the Sapphire Coast will bear witness to the all-new Isabella Manfredi when she finally gets to present 'Izzi' live, backed by Mikey Di Francesco on bass and Catriona Hunter on drums.
"I cannot wait. I know it's such a cliché, but I cannot wait to be back onstage," Isabella says.
"There's this part of me that is just missing when I'm not performing, and I'm really excited about Wanderer Fest too because, one, I miss festivals and the whole atmosphere of running into people, seeing other friends, hanging out backstage, watching other bands from side of stage, discovering new acts. But mostly I'm excited about it honestly because I can bring my husband and daughter down and it's a full family-friendly weekend."
Though her greatest creative and personal transition happened to coincide with what Isabella aptly described as "the dystopian apocalypse", she's positive about the future and conquering life as a solo artist.
"I hold a lot of hope for 2022," she says, "especially with the shows at the end of the year and getting back to a sense of, I guess, normality – if you can call being a touring musician normal. But that's my sense of normal. I'm looking forward to it."
'Izzi' is out 2 September. Wanderer Festival takes place at Pambula Beach (Sapphire Coast) 23-25 September. Headline acts include Ziggy Alberts, DMA'S, The Teskey Brothers, The Dandy Warhols, Confidence Man plus much more. Isabella Manfredi also plays Queenscliff Music Festival (VIC), which runs 25-27 November.
