Exclusive Interview With Isabelle Gitlin

Isabelle Gitlin is a rising artist whose music seamlessly blends pop, country, and soft rock influences. Her latest single, ‘Long & Gone,’ is a heartfelt exploration of heartbreak, unreciprocated emotions, and introspection. With raw lyrics and a melodic structure inspired by artists like SZA, Mariah Carey, and Miley Cyrus, the track showcases Isabelle’s evolution as a songwriter and her ability to craft deeply personal yet universally relatable songs.

In this interview, Isabelle opens up about the creative process behind ‘Long & Gone,’ her inspirations, and how collaboration helped shape the final version of the song. She also reflects on her journey as an artist, the influence of her Boston upbringing, and how she stays true to her unique sound while experimenting with new genres.

Congratulations on your latest single, ‘Long & Gone’! Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the song and how it came to life?

Thank you! Honestly I remember I had so much pent up energy that I didn’t know what to do with it. I started playing around on my piano and wrote the verse melody first, I then was playing around with some other melodies that became the pre-chorus and chorus. I’d write different sections and then piece things together or adjust the order of parts. The inspiration lyrically came from a combination of situations regarding unreciprocated attachment along with my imagination and wanting to tell a story. For this one, I envisioned a story in my head whilst playing out the melodies and once everything clicked for me, it really just wrote itself. 

You’ve described your creative process as starting on the piano. How does the piano shape the foundation of your songwriting?

I start everything on the piano, I think it’s just because I’m an incredibly visual person and learner. I always understand music more when I’m able to see it and how the melodies interact with each chord. It’s almost like a map for me, so creating each piece originally on the piano helps me visualize what I’m trying to accomplish with each song musically.

The lyrics of ‘Long & Gone’ explore deep emotions like heartbreak and loss. How do you balance personal experiences and imaginative storytelling in your music?

It’s a fine line for me because all the emotions in the songs I write are real, they all come from somewhere within me, it’s just lyrically, the way I chose to express it is not always, at times, based in reality. Using my imagination is almost less limiting because it gives me room to explore what I want to say or the story I want to tell whilst incorporating those real emotions. 

You collaborated with your friend Talitha on the song. How did her input influence the final version of ‘Long & Gone’?

I did yes, her input influenced the final version massively. I had the melody all written and was struggling with the way I wanted to formulate the lyrics. I had a rough sketch, and I was on FaceTime with her one night talking about the song, and so I sent over what I had for her to listen to. The next day she sent over two lines that she wrote that I kept in the final version, and from there I was inspired to write the lyrics I did for the rest of the song.  

‘Long & Gone’ draws inspiration from artists like SZA, Mariah Carey, and Miley Cyrus. How have these influences helped shape your unique sound?

They’ve influenced my sound and musicality immensely. I take such inspiration from Mariah as a songwriter and vocalist. She’s incomparable when it comes to using her instrument and how she pieces together vocal arrangements. I love the depth of her background vocals, how they support the main vocal yet how alive they are independently; that’s something I was very inspired by in my own project. Miley was also somebody I took inspiration from vocally, I think she has such an edge to her voice especially in her ballads that I wanted to include in my sound. SZA’s song “Nobody Gets Me” was actually the biggest inspiration for “Long & Gone,” a lot of my song’s chord structure was inspired by that song. I just felt incredibly connected to it, its meaning, and really her entire SOS project. 

Your debut single, ‘For Tonight’, was a big success. How has your approach to creating music evolved since then?

Thank you, that’s really kind. My approach has changed in the sense that I’m more comfortable not trying to do everything myself. I’m more comfortable expressing ideas but also collaborating and being open to changing parts of my project for the better. I also think that I’ve grown as a writer from my first song, that I’ve been exposed to more music, and that I’m not as afraid to share my work. 

As an artist blending pop, country, and soft rock influences, how do you stay true to your sound while exploring new genres?

I stay true to my sound by mixing and trying out new sounds, I don’t like to feel pigeonholed or confined to one style. I’ve always loved works and artists that combine various genres like Lemonade by Beyonce and Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae. I think it would be very inauthentic to me if I were to just stay doing the same thing over and over. 

Can you share any memorable moments from the recording process of ‘Long & Gone’?

I had a really good experience recording this song. The producer I work with, Mike, is very nice, and he always cultivates a chill environment. He is very open with any ideas I have and is very good at what he does. I remember wanting in the background of the chorus for there to be harmonized “ahh” stacks, and he actually suggested keeping that for the first part of the chorus and then switching those “ahhs” to “mhmms” which was a much better idea and added some subtlety. It kept the chorus alive but not overcomplicated. I also just remember throughout that process we had just a lot of very random conversations that didn’t have much to do with the song haha, but it’s my favorite song I’ve recorded thus far.  

How do you hope listeners connect with the themes of heartbreak and introspection in ‘Long & Gone’?

I hope that listeners can find solace in the lyrics or the music, I just know for myself I’ve always turned to music in any situation but especially during heartbreak. Music is incredibly healing and such a universal language, it can be very therapeutic as listener especially when words fail. As an artist it’s the most fulfilling thing to me even if just one person connects with this or any project, that’s really all I can hope for. 

Growing up in Boston, how has your hometown influenced your musical journey and style?

I’d say that growing in and near Boston didn’t necessarily influence my style but it influenced my mentality. I’m a very fast paced thinker, I’m very detailed, and the Northeast culture is very much ingrained within me haha! I tend to focus a lot on work and can get carried away with it, yet I am very driven which has helped me throughout my musical journey.