Dreamer Isioma
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 2000 or 2001 (age 22–23) |
| Genres | Various |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Labels | AWAL |
| Website | dreamerisioma |
Dreamer Isioma (born 2000/2001) is an American singer-songwriter and multiple-genre artist from Chicago.[1] After Isioma's breakout song "Sensitive" went viralonTikTok in 2020, they[a] released a debut album titled Goodnight Dreamer in 2022. Their sophomore album Princess Forever was released in 2023 by AWAL.
Basically, my parents had a plan. They’re like, this child is either gonna do music or be an athlete or both.
– Dreamer Isioma, quoted in the Chicago Tribune[2]
Dreamer Isioma grew up in a Christian household.[1] They are from a Nigerian-American family.[3] Their family moved often, and they spent their childhood in Lagos, London, and Chicago.[3] In Chicago they began learning music theory at age three, and later studied classical piano and violin.[2] They attended a Catholic school, where they experimented with gender expression within the confines of the school uniform.[3] At 12 years old, they came outasqueer, and later as nonbinary after a psychedelic experience in their late teenage years. Their eclectic fashion which mixes traditionally masculine and feminine components was profiled in Vogue.[3]
In high school, Isioma attempted to switch from playing music to being an athlete, which was more socially acceptable. However, this change was prevented because they broke their wrist.[2] When they were 16 years old, they began making music, with influences including Chief Keef and Paramore.[3] Producing music became a serious passion while Isioma was still in high school; they routinely spent hours working on songs each day.[2]
After high school, Isioma began attending college in Chicago; they initially planned to study marketing but switched to communications to avoid required math classes.[4] In November 2021, they underwent a masculinizing chest surgery and expressed gender dysphoria on social media.[5]
Dreamer Isioma began making music professionally in 2018.[3] In 2020, their song "Sensitive" went viralonTikTok, becoming their breakout hit.[3][4] The song, which mixes R&B, hip hop, and funk influences, was later described in the Chicago Tribune as "a sonically playful wonder".[2] It was featured in the final season of Insecure.[4]
As a result of the success of "Sensitive", Isioma was able to access additional resources to create an album, working with a distributor and creative team and having a budget for the first time.[3] Work began on the album in March 2020.[2] They released two EPs in 2020, titled Sensitive and The Leo Sun Rises.[4]
In 2021, Isioma made their debut tour,[4] which included appearances at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits.[2]
Isioma released their debut album Goodnight Dreamer on February 23, 2022,[1] after the release of a lead single and accompanying music video titled "Bad Ting".[6] The album was distributed by AWAL.[5] NME described the album as a blend of various influences including Afrobeats, rock and roll, and modern electronic and pop music, and praised it as feeling "genuinely fresh, newly discovered".[1] MTV stated that the album is made up of "various soundscapes and themes of being one’s authentic self".[4] WRBB gave the album four stars out of five, praising it as "an intriguingly beautiful commentary on love and sexuality" with "fresh androgynous musical style".[5]
Asked in February 2022 by PAPER how they would describe their profession because of their output of visual music videos in addition to music, Isioma self-described as a "creative director" rather than specifically a "performer, songwriter or vocalist". They noted that while all their music is created in collaboration with friends, they "take a lot of pride in being the mastermind".[6]
In April 2023, Isioma released a second album titled Princess Forever.[7] Pitchfork included the album, which was distributed by AWAL, in a weekly list of new albums to listen to.[8]
