A year ago, when I first wrote about New York-based Izzy Escobar, I promised she would be “The pop princess of 2026.” Not to toot my own horn, but, boom, right on schedule.
So far in this year she has played multiple fests, been a star of synchs with a track on the soundtrack to The Devil Wears Prada 2 and the final season of the acclaimed HBO show Hacks (with a song written with the legendary Diane Warren), a s well a s a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again,” for the hit Amazon series Every Year After, and now her first sports anthem, “Hotshot (Extra Time)” written as part of a campaign with Extra gum for The World Cup.
As we both agreed upon reconnecting almost a year later, it has been a surreal, whirlwind year for Escobar, with many, many more “How did I get here?” moments to come in the ever-exploding career of the soon-to-be superstar.
Hit Parader: I interviewed Ibrahim Malouf the other day. And we were talking about the fact that he had a song on the World Cup as well. I asked him, “Did you ever think that as a trumpet player from the jazz world, born in Lebanon, that you would ever have a song in the World Cup?” And he laughed. So, did you ever think, as someone who grew up in classical, that you would have a sports anthem?
Izzy Escobar: Honestly, no. It was a bit of a curveball. I think that the cool thing was this was my first time working on something that was so strategically placed for sports. So, I got to put myself into a position where I was like, “Okay, what would it be like to be in extra time, to be an athlete, to be on the field?” and try to merge the two worlds, like my classical sound, my jazz roots, but also not delineate too far from extra time and what Extra is doing. It was a cool task. It was a fun test and a cool moment for me to try something new.
HP: Do you have any sports background?
Escobar: I did play soccer as a young girl. So, there is that.
HP: When you get to the highest level, you watch how each other gets and stays there, and there are so many similarities. You must have the same discipline, the same ambition, the same drive, all of that is the same to make it in both sports and music.
Escobar: Totally. I’ve been thinking about that more and more lately, especially because we just obviously had the Knicks winning in New York, and now, we’re going into soccer season. And I think because of this campaign and because I’ve recently been surrounded by the sports world, I’m starting to realize that maybe there are more similarities than I thought between the mindset of a musician and the mindset of an athlete. and when I was watching the Taylor Swift docuseries on Disney Plus of her “Eras” tour she was like, “You have to train like you’re an athlete.” It’s so true. It’s not only the work ethic, but I think a lot of it comes down to, honestly, exactly what the Extra campaign was talking about with just being in the present and being in the moment. It’s a physical game but it’s also a mental game. It’s probably more of a mental game than it even is physical. So, I have noticed a lot of similarities between the two.
HP: Obvious question. If there’s one athlete that you can interact with that you would love to sit down with and just pick their brain, who would it be?
Escobar: I feel like at the moment, just because we’re in soccer season, I’m going to go with Lamine Yamal, who’s playing for Spain.
HP: All right, who’s your prediction now that you’re becoming a soccer expert?
Escobar: You know what I’m going to say. I’m going to say I’m rooting for either Spain or England because England is ‘Sunny in London.” I went to London to record the EP, so I have roots there. Let’s go with England.
HP: How has being in this world influenced you?
Escobar: It’s so inspiring to see all of these stories of the most amazing athletes and musicians. You go into their stories, and you realize that it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows, per se. It’s about really learning how to be in the moment during these, like, chaotic times and just persevere during difficult moments. For example, I had to learn about extra time within this campaign when a game goes into extra time. And the amount of pressure that you’re under, I’m like, “Oh my gosh, this is exactly how I feel when I’m about to release an album. And I only have one shot at this. Here we go.” I think going back to the idea of being present, being in the moment, it’s incredibly important regarding athletes and musicians.
HP: Being in New York, how’d you celebrate the Knicks’ win?
Escobar: I went out. I was running in the streets with everybody. I was cheering. I was celebrating. I walked towards MSG with a bunch of friends. It was awesome, it was an amazing night that I’m never going to forget.
HP: Watching a championship and being part of the celebration, how does that compare in terms of energy to a sold-out show or playing a festival like BottleRock?
Escobar: If I had to compare the two, the thing that would be similar is the adrenaline aspect. Before we go on stage for a show, you’re hit with so much adrenaline. If you’re going to extra time for a game, you’re hit with adrenaline. If you’re even watching a game and your team is at the end, the Knicks game is a great example because it was so close, and so I think it made me even more excited. About the song, I’m excited to have made a song that’s like, “Okay, I’m locked in, anything can happen, any team can win at this moment.” And to have a song that surrounds that idea is very exciting to me now that I’ve thrown myself into the sports world a bit.
HP: It hasn’t even been a year since we did that Forbes interview. What have been the strangest moments for you?
Escobar: This, right now. I sat in this exact location last time I talked to you for the first time, and you’re the first person to really champion me and do that interview. And I think to just take a moment of reflection to think about how much has happened in between the last time that we talked, whether it be The Devil Wears Prada or whether it be the momentum from the EP, or then especially I’m sitting here with you right now talking about being immersed in a world that I couldn’t have told you I was going to be immersed in a year ago, which is getting to experience a fandom of something that’s not even just music. It’s the merge of a fandom of music and a fandom of sports. One thing that I am really proud of with this song is yes, it was a task that I had to try to figure out how to blend the world of sports. I incorporated crowd sounds and goal kicks and things in the song in the anthem, but then also like, “Okay, this needs to sound like Izzy, this still needs to sound like my voice, and I still need to use the same effects. I still need to embed myself in my own world and make it my own while also assimilating to the world of soccer and sports.” And I think the cool thing is these opportunities come up and it is about staying true to yourself still, regardless of what it is that you’re sharing.
