INTERVIEW Q&A-IZZY IMAMURA

Izzy Imamura is a 23-year-old folk singer/songwriter in New York City, best known for her EP “ on the playground” released in May 2024. With influences such as Lizzy McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, and Joni Mitchell, she writes from the heart and from her real life experiences. Her most recent single “shade of green” was just released on August 15th, along with her first music video. As a recent NYU Tisch Graduate in Drama and Business in Entertainment, she also continues to pursue a career in music theater and film acting, currently writing her very own web series with some of her fellow graduates. 

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What are five things that you can't live without? 

 

1. Coffee 2. Music (specifically my guitar) 3. Toothpaste (because my biggest fear is having bad breath) 4. My family/friends/etc. 5. Overalls. What's your life's motto or advice that you live by?  Don’t let fear stand in the way of living your life.

 

What's your favorite color? 

Green! Sometimes purple.

 

What is your favorite movie? 

The Parent Trap. I still don’t understand how they made that movie with only one Lindsey Lohan.

 

What is your favorite TV show? 

At the moment, it’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, I’m OBSESSED. Also, Severance, I binged that show in like two days.

 

Do you have any pets? If so, what kind and what's their name? 

I had a golden retriever growing up named Rosebud. I’m hoping to get another dog as soon as I can afford to take care of it!

 

What is your favorite place that you've traveled to?   

Probably Barcelona! I love the architecture there.

 

What is your favorite food? 

I think I could eat sushi every day for the rest of my life if I could.

 

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be with and why? 

I would really love to have dinner with Gordon Ramsey to see how critical he is in real life. As a musician and actress, are a multi-hyphenate entertainer.

 

Let’s start with music….what made you want to start singing? 

I have always sang since I was a little, but my older sister, Sophie, really made me love it. I loved singing duets with her, and she made me want to be better.

 

What is the most difficult thing about being a musician?  Where do you find inspiration for your music? 

It’s so easy to want to give up on the dream when things get tough. It’s a really hard career to be in. The financial instability. The constant rejection. But it’s the great musicians that know their worth and decide to keep pushing through.

 

What do you hope people take away from your music?  You have a new project, “Shade of Green,” tell us about this project?  

I hope people can connect to it in some way. The song provokes a very relatable feeling to have after a break up. It’s the weird feeling of being almost completely over someone who you always thought you would love. And the forgetting of the parts you thought you would always love about them. The concept of change and how hard change can be is a common theme in my songwriting. In one word, how would you describe your sound?  Nostalgic. Now, let’s talk acting!

 

What made you want to pursue acting? What is your favorite genre?

I started in music theater, then went on to study film acting. I love and appreciate both forms, for theater acting is obviously more performative and theatrical, when film acting is more internal and held. I love being able to play characters on a stage, and embody people who aren’t like me at all. I also love playing characters that are exactly like me, more so in film. I love it all honestly.

 

If you could write the perfect role for yourself, what would it be and why?

My perfect role is someone I can really have fun with and play around with, try new and different things every time I play them. That's the fun of acting for me. I do really love comedic roles for this reason, finding new ways to make an audience laugh.

 

In addition to music and acting, what other things are you are passionate about? (charity work, volunteering, etc.) Can you tell us about this work and why do you feel that it is it important? 

I volunteer at the bowery mission center when I can. I love supporting mental health facilities as well. My boyfriend and I put up a charity concert at 54 Below to raise money for Aviedum, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness about mental health in teenagers.

 

Who is your favorite musician/actor and why? 

Joni Mitchell is my favorite songwriter because her lyricism is just so uncanny and relatable.  

 

How would you describe your fashion style? 

Free People (the store). I have an addiction.

 

What advice would you give other kids that want to follow in your footsteps?  

I would tell them that their journey is going to be different from everyone else’s journey. When I was first starting out, my friend gave me some great advice that I’ll never forget. “Comparison is the thief of joy.” So just enjoy the process!

 

Who would be your dream collaboration and why?

I would love to write something with Lizzy McAlpine. I just feel like we would write something really amazing together! What is one thing that nobody knows about you?  I play ice hockey in my free time! I’m a very physically active person. It's how I de-stress.  

 

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I am currently working on my first full album, so stay tuned for that coming out in the Spring! I am also working on a web series with a group of friends which I’m very excited about!  

 

If you could talk to your future self, what would you tell her? 

I hope you got everything you ever dreamed of and are very happy in life. I hope you have people in your life that you love and who love you, and are happy with everything you accomplished. I also hope that you got to perform at Red Rocks…that would be so cool. Is there anything else that you would you like to share with our audience?  Thank you for reading!