A distinct tone that oozes vulnerability, the kind that brings an essence of comfort and reassurance to your listening. Cero Ismael, the ascending Dutch artist whose genre-bending sound has captured the eyes of many across the world, has recently unveiled his latest body of work named, ‘AS MUCH AS YOU DID BEFORE’. Borrowing elements from various genres, it’s almost impossible to box Ismael into one sound; his music transcends traditional sonic boundaries and can only be described as what I like to refer to as a “vibe”…a thought provoking one at that. Having blossomed in a time where the world was forced to stop, gained millions of streams not to mention global recognition, Ismael is gearing up for his headline show in London this month.
Following on from the ‘Blue Man’ project last year both are in seamless conversation with one another. Exploring the feeling of heartbreak, loss, and coming to terms with humanity and what he considers as his flaws, Cero Ismael asks for forgiveness whilst seeking to be the best he can be. Rolling into each other, all eleven tracks unlock a new stage of heartbreak and perspective that I’m sure all of us have related to at some point.
From the fragile moments captured in ‘SAM’ as he stumbles to grasp his self-worth and reflects on previous challenges that taunt his present-day actions, we journey into the up-beat sounds of ‘IF IT ENDS’. Accommodating a hazy hook and nostalgic feel, Cero closes the project on an honest note as he takes accountability and acknowledges what’s best for his future.
Clash got the chance to catch up with Cero Ismael ahead of the project launch to talk all things music, his forthcoming headline show in London and more.
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Last time we spoke you were gearing up for the release of ‘Blue Man’ and we were in lockdown! A lot has changed since then, how have you been?
Yeah! We spoke in January, or February I think but we’ve been in lockdown ever since. I was still able to do everything that I had to do…make music and go to the studio. I’ve been healthy, my family is healthy, everything has gone pretty well over the past year!
I had a look at the numbers for ‘Blue Man’ earlier and they’re crazy!
Yeah, right?! The response has been great. It’s been weird though because everything has been through the internet. Usually when you put out a project, you go and meet people and play your music, but I wasn’t able to do all of that, so it was just numbers, likes, and comments. I was very grateful for everything, but I really wanted to see these people and play songs for them. Luckily, I can do that now again!
I hope everyone is still tuned in so we can take it to the next level. ‘As Much As You Did’ is a very personal and vulnerable project that explores a rollercoaster of emotions.
Take me back to the point in which you started stringing this project together…
Everything was going pretty downhill, I started working on it two and a half years ago. ‘Blue Man’ had been finished for a long time; it had just taken a while to get it out. I was struggling with a lot of stuff, from internal issues and a lot of sadness. Over those two and a half years of writing this project, it helped to process everything and help to better understand myself. It’s been a very pleasant journey, when I first started out it was heavy but now looking back on it, I am very proud and happy that I was able to still create this. I still had the strength to be a creative and create something.
You originally named the project ‘I Hope You Still Love Me As Much As You Did Before’ – what made you change the title?
Honestly? It was a little bit too long! (laughs) I think I came up with the title just over a year ago and I was recovering from all the stuff I was going through. I was spending a lot of time at back at home with my parents and little brothers; I have two brothers aged 17 and 15, they are a little bit younger than I am.
I had a realisation where I thought how awesome it is to have people you love that love you back, even though you are messing up a lot of stuff they will still love you as much as they did before. That’s how the title came about. I was having a lot of back and forth with my little brother who’s on the cover, and when I thought of it all together it just made sense.
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There were two tracks on the project really stuck out to me, both ‘SAM’ and ‘Tiny & Fragile’. You talk about your mental health, self-worth, and how you’re your troubled past comes to taunt you but when we move into ‘Tiny & Fragile’ you acknowledge your state of mind and in turn ask for help. Do you ever find a sense of fulfilment when you write about these types of things, or do you find yourself repeating these habits?
No, it really helps me. When I am going through certain things that I don’t understand or find hard to put into words and have to explain what I am going through to another person, when I write a song it is so easy for me to understand, and I get a sense of fulfilment from it. I’m explaining it to myself through a verse, a hook, and a verse again. It’s almost like a reference point for me.
What track, if any, challenged you the most during the creative process?
Yeah! I must say all of them but the track ‘113’ was the most challenging. I was in the studio with my friends writing that song and at the time I was having a very hard day. I was feeling a lot of emotions in that moment, it was so heavy, and I didn’t know if I should put it into words and off the back of that, would I want people to hear it and come this close to my thoughts…?
Looking back on ‘Blue Man’, do you think these projects are in continuous conversation with each other at all? Or do you think they stand apart?
I do think they are in conversation yes. These projects are a reflection of chapters in my life, ‘Blue Man’ was the first chapter, and this project was just another one. They are both different stories, but this was something that we all go through, that I was going through, and what Black men go through.
You are coming to London for your headline show! What song are you looking forward to performing the most?
I think it would be ‘SAM’, that’s my favourite track. Every time I hear that song, I’m so proud of it, I like to feel something when I am making music and every time, I put that record on I feel the same thing when I made it. The song is dedicated to my best friend Sam, so it just has an added beautiful layer to it.
What things in life bring you happiness?
Cycling because I’m a Dutch boy! (laughs) I enjoy working out, reading, and meditating.
What else have you got lined up this year?
I am performing a lot over the next couple of months. I am also finishing up an EP to drop around the end of summer that has more songs you can dance to, it’s less sad. I am also working on a bigger project to drop at the end of the year – so there are two projects that are hopefully coming out!
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Cero Ismael's new project 'AS MUCH AS YOU DID BEFORE' is out now.
Words: Elle Evans
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