Isabelle Eberdean serves sleek soul-hop / Inner Thoughts

If you missed the debut release Focus On You from Isabelle Eberdean, then Inner Thoughts will make you want to check again. However, Inner Thoughts makes that feel like a sweet teaser!

The Norwegian singer/songwriters’ follow-up weaves a smooth, hip-hop inspired vocal through a soundscape, produced by Marius Elfstedt (Selmer, Mall Girl, Henrik Felipe) and fused by neo-soul and jazz hints. Enjoyable from pressing play, Isabelle Eberdean’s rap style is old-school mellow, flowing with the ease of warm-handed neck massage before sliding into a soulfully sung chorus.

Matching her retro lyrical style, Inner Thoughts takes a self-reflective look into her journey into adolescence. It asks the question, what would you say to your younger self?

Inner Thoughts is about reminiscing back to your childhood when everything seemed simple and growing up only to figure out that everything is not handed to you on a golden plate and that the world is unfair,” says Isabelle Eberdean.

Traversing genres, we have self-defined this sub-genre soul-hop. It’s a tag that happily sways on this release.

Norway’s new generation continues to forge music in direct contrast to Scandinavia’s pop and rock treadmill, seeking innovative soulful self-expression. Isabelle Eberdean is an exciting example of the Nordic’s soulful future.

See Isabelle Eberdean live at Trondheim Calling in 2021.

Top photo credit: Daniel Almås