“It’s me falling in love with the city”: UK Singer/Songwriter Isaac Stuart Debuts Dreamy “Camden Town”

21-year-old singer/songwriter Isaac Stuart weaves listeners through a day in the life on his spellbinding, dreamy new song “Camden Town,” a poignant, cinematic ode to London’s warmth, character, and inspiration.

Stream: “Camden Town” – Isaac Stuart

I fell in love with the city in her eyes…

It could be Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Berlin, London, and so on: We hold in our hearts and hopes a special romance for the “big city” and all the excitement and promises it holds. For 21-year-old Banbury, Oxfordshire-based Isaac Stuart, London is his muse – as he sings so in his second single release of the year: The emerging singer/songwriter weaves listeners through a day in the life on his spellbinding, dreamy new song “Camden Town,” a poignant, cinematic ode to London’s warmth, character, and inspiration.

i like the way she lit her cigarette
it reminded me that i’m still young
i wouldn’t touch it mind ‘cos I can’t stand the smell
but nonetheless she made it look so good

i met a girl in Camden Town
and we talked about our dreams
and she said she’d like to be a writer
it was raining what a shame
but we just talked until it stopped
and then we left and i was lost again

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Camden Town,” Isaac Stuart’s second song release of the year following July’s debut single “Place for You in My Heart.” Both dubbed as “bedroom demos,” Stuart’s initial offerings to the world are seductive stripped-down recordings that find a young, fresh singer/songwriter basking in his element. Melodic and haunting, the music takes its time to blossom, allowing Stuart to flex his golden vocals and showcase a talent for storytelling and emotional expression.

“For me it’s more about the ‘feeling’ of it all than the ’style’ of it,” Stuart says of his songs. “That’s what really excites me! The style of the music is just a product of the initial ‘feeling’ that inspired the song in the first place.”

With his debut “Place for You in My Heart” – a slow, brooding piano-driven number – Stuart introduced himself as a graceful, optimistic romantic. “but how things change even though I know we people don’t just stay the same,” he sings in the bridge. “surely there’s a point where we stop making the same mistakes…” In premiering the single, Wonderland identified Stuart as “someone you need to keep on your radar,” calling him “one of the UK’s hottest emerging talents by industry professionals.”

“place for you in my heart” – Isaac Stuart

With every new song Stuart releases, we hope to hear more sides of what feels like a very promising new artistry. “‘Camden Town’ is actually the second of a few bedroom demos I’m releasing over the next few months,” he explains. “The song is about my fascination and love for London and how one particular day there made me feel like I was in a scene from a film. It’s about me falling in love with the city through the eyes of someone who was living there — something I achingly wanted (and still do)!”

we were sat in a bar on chalk farm road
and she looked great by the window light
i fell in love with the city in her eyes 
it made going home even harder 

i met a girl in camden town
and we talked about our dreams
and she said she’d like to be a writer 
it was raining what a shame
but we just talked until it stopped 
and then we left and i was lost again 

If “Place for You in My Heart” tracked Stuart’s penchant for heartbreak, then “Camden Town” speaks to the romantic within.

“I hope it makes [listeners] feel like they’re in their own little romantic Netflix film for 3 minutes and 26 seconds!” he says of the song.

The song’s focus is not directly about the city, but about those small, fleeting moments we might share together with someone else. London just so happens to be the backdrop for a brief dalliance that sounds lifted from the silver screen: A chance encounter with an artist, a day spent on park benches, exchanging stories. Stuart’s narrator sees (and hears) this palpable love for London as it’s felt through this Camden Town mystery girl, and he clings onto it because he, too, wants to be in love with his city; he, too, wants to feel full of dreams and possibility.

“Camden just felt really exciting and vibrant and was the backdrop to the day I’m writing about in the song,” Stuart reflects. “I suppose its main relevance to me now is that whenever my mates see the Camden Town tube sign, they point it out and give me a little wink or smile. I like that though!”

Now that he’s started releasing his own music, dreams of London might not be so far-fetched for the young artist. Isaac Stuart’s enchanting lyricism and arresting vocals are a joy to weary ears: His first two singles have that special, elevating timeless quality that picks them up out of the present day, making them not a product of 2020 or 2019, but a product of the heart. London will forever be a place full of hopes and dreams – some soaring ever-higher, others crushed – and per the romantic in us, the only way get somewhere is to get ourselves into the city and take a chance at life.

For now though, Stuart is just happy to get his music out there.

“I’m actually really excited to hear where people listen to my stuff!” he shares. “We can consume music whenever and wherever we want these days: On the bus, in the bath, walking the dog, on a run… I’m interested to see where people place my music in their own lives. Am I with them on their morning walk? Or am I at sunset with your best friends? Maybe I’m more late night train journeys looking out the window… who knows!! But the thought of it makes me feel all warm!”

Stream Isaac Stuart’s “Camden Town” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!

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Stream: “Camden Town” – Isaac Stuart

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? © Anita McAndrew