Singer/songwriter Izzy Escobar talks about writing “what feels real and what cuts deep” on her ‘Sunny in London’ EP – a sincerity she carried straight onto the Oceans Calling stage for her first-ever festival set this summer.

Stream: “Vendetta” – Izzy Escobar

Ocean City, Maryland. The sun struggling to push through clouds on the first day of Oceans Calling Festival 2025 could have very well foretold a sign of things to come for the weekend and not in an especially good way. The air hung heavy, with rain threatening on a festival that has a history of dealing with inclement weather.

So, the first artist of the weekend needed to deliver.

Izzy Escobar was tasked with the challenge and she rose to the occasion, making herself and her music undeniable. To add to the pressure of being the opening act for what is now one of the East Coast’s premier festivals, this would be her first time performing in front of a festival crowd, compounded by the fact that she only had three songs released at the time of the performance.

“I’m past the fear. I have no fear,” she said in our backstage interview when asked what it was like getting ready for the first festival crowd of her career. And that could not be more apparent as Escobar’s command of the stage was one of the confidence and swagger of a seasoned veteran performer, mixed with her own brand of genuine modesty.

Her rendition of Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” had fans singing and swaying and other nostalgic homage pieces also included “Jolene” and “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. Oceans Calling has a rich history of nostalgic acts and she keyed on that with these crowd-pleasing classics.

Sunny in London - Izzy Escobar — Sunny in London – Izzy Escobar

But the real magic of her set was the first live performances of songs off her new EP Sunny in London, which came out Oct 24. The six-track collection unfolds with the emotional depth and scope of a full-length album.

The EP’s single “Vendetta” garnered significant attention upon its September release, and it was evident from the crowd singalong that people are drawn to it. It’s a crafted confrontation of deceit that sets a tone of calculated emotional consequence. Lines like “Life’s a train, get on and off / I only knew you for a couple stops” capture the tenderness of fleeting connections with disarming maturity.

“White Horse” features dreamy guitar strums and rock-tinged rhythms, with airy textures giving way to bouncy percussion. The title track, “Sunny in London” serves as the emotional journey, inspired by Escobar’s solo journey after a devastating breakup. “Jackie O” dazzles with spectacular vocal expanses and a steady rhythmic march. Throughout the song, her delivery ensures that pain collaborates creatively rather than overwhelming.

“When I’m writing these songs I’m not thinking, oh, I’m going to have to perform these. I’m just writing what feels real and what cuts deep.”

Escobar is currently touring in support of Sunny in London. She’s doing a short US/EU pop-up tour, and just wrapped her LA and NY shows and 2026 promises to be a soaring upward trajectory for this unique, musically cinematic young artist.

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