Izzy Rabey discusses powerful new track ‘Be Tisho’ and using her platform for protest

Stephen Price

Izzy Rabey has returned with a powerful new genre and language-bending track, Be Tisho – and upon its release she sat down with Nation Cymru to discuss new music, using her platform for good, and finding community, both Welsh and other, in London.

It’s been over two years since solo release Gwaed in 2023, and Be Tisho (What You Want) is a brand new comeback single from critically acclaimed Welsh bilingual rapper and singer Izzy Rabey.

Be Tisho showcases a bigger sound and Rabey’s ability to both rap seamlessly in Welsh and English whilst also showcasing her vocal strength and talent.

Moving effortlessly from jazz to rap to pop and trip-hop, the track explores what it means to achieve your dreams and them not being what you hoped they might be like in reality.

Izzy (she/they) is a Queer, Welsh language rapper and singer-songwriter from Machynlleth, now based in London. In 2023 she won the Selar Magazine award for ‘Contributions to Welsh Culture and Music’, with her song Cymru Ni (a collaboration with Welsh artist EADYTH) being used to cover the Six Nations Rugby in 2022.

Izzy and EADYTH’s EP ‘Mas O Ma’ (2020) went on to win EP of the year for the Welsh ‘Sôn am Sin’ awards. Izzy is a part of folk-punk duo The Mermerings, and has featured on Chwalaw’s track ‘Dim Arwyr’ which was released in 2023.

Be Tisho was created with producer Barbs Dudek (who’s piano playing also features in the intro of the track), with Rabey’s vocals supported by electronic arrangements and strings inspired by artists such as Hiatus Kaiyote, Dirty Projectors and Hybrid.

Promising to be the first in a string of releases towards a solo EP out in 2026, fans of the outspoken artist have something very special waiting for them if Be Tisho is anything to go by.

Taking time out from her many ongoing projects, Izzy spoke with Nation Cymru to give some insight into the track, her life as a Welsh artist in London, and plans for the future.

The new track is a real progression for you as an artist, showcasing your love and talent for multiple genres, how did the track come about and evolve during the writing process?

That’s incredibly kind thank you so much! As I’ve not released something in two years (the last solo song was Gwaed in 2023 produced by Fred Harper, available on all streaming platforms), I saw this record as a bit of a comeback track.

I wanted to remind my audience of the fact that I come from a jazz background… My Grandfather was a jazz musician and I worked as a jazz singer in my twenties, which is why I wanted the intro to reflect that.

The verses being rapped and the chorus being this big belty pop/soul section of the song; I wanted the listener to hear all the different ways I enjoy expressing myself as an artist.

My current listening playlist jumps from CMAT, Somali music from the 70s, Kneecap to Sasha Keeble…I am always listening to multiple genres at once.

The song itself is about the journey of realising that sometimes our goals we set for ourselves dont always end up being the glorious adventure we thought they’d be. And I picked a genre to express each moment of that journey of realisation. For example, the dreamy jazz intro is used to express the sentimentality and romanticism I placed on a certain job I took and literally translates as “I’m thinking this is it, what you want, thinking this is it, what you want” (Be Tisho means ‘What you want’, to clarify!), then when it switches into the rapped verses is actually shares the reality of the experience itself.

Rap is about expressing truth, it’s about storytelling and painting a picture of what’s actually going on, so that genre worked perfectly for the verses.

Then with the big, belting chorus, I had this image of trying to musically convey how I would work so hard to convince myself that this experience was what I needed to take my career to the next level. Hence the “Ah ah ah ah Angen!” – I wanted it to sound like I was being physically shaken by an external force to try and convince myself that this was something crucial to my development as a creative person.

The second verse is actually about realising how valuable this experience was in terms of what I actually want/need.

Welsh music is on fire lately, but rap is perhaps still under-influenced save for a few notable artists. Is it important to you to reflect the tastes of younger music listeners?

I think as someone who is now in their mid-30s, but still loves listening to brand new music coming up both in Wales and internationally, I feel it’s less about reflect the tastes of younger music listeners, and mostly pulling what I’m loving about current music into what I write.

As a Director often working to express other people’s ideas, my own music is the space I feel I can truly be ‘creatively selfish’ in terms of writing what feels good and true for me.

I think what I always am conscious of is writing a chorus that can be sung by literally anyone, whether you speak Welsh or not.

I made a very conscious decision with the song Cymru Ni and also this one Be Tisho, to try and write a chorus that is catchy and accessible to people.

My goal as an artist is expressing myself as truthfully as I can whilst also using the Welsh language and bilingualism to orchestrate that experience.

As a female rapper, I am also incredibly aware of how I much more I’m under scrutiny for my bars, and so for me, it’s making the music sound as dynamic and exciting as possible, rather than working to “appeal to younger people”.

I want to make work that appeals to everyone, regardless of age.

The poetry within rap is often overlooked, and you’re known to tackle some hard hitting subjects face on – do you feel a responsibility of sorts to confront/use your voice to protest?

Always. I mean, in 2023 I put my music career completely on the line to protest the policing of the amount of Welsh language used by Welsh hip hop artists at the Eisteddfod.

I have also protested police presence at the Eisteddfod yr Urdd and the song Cymru Ni itself speaks about breaking out of the ‘victim mentality’ Wales can sometimes find itself in, and celebrating the incredible cultural contributors that we have.

As a Middle Class, mostly White (apart from some Turkish, Iranian and Iraqi heritage on my Dad’s side) person who has a Welsh language education, I have a privilege many don’t to be able to speak out.

I take it extremely seriously. Because fear to speak out can freeze any kind of progress.

I believe now more than ever it’s incredibly important to be confidently speaking out if and when you can.

Outside of music, what’s keeping you busy at the moment?

Last week I wrapped the first short film I’ve directed, which was incredibly exciting!

I have just started a year long community theatre project at Kiln Theatre in London, and am about to go into four development processes on projects across London: two one-person plays, one stand-up show and one show with a drag artist! So keeping busy.

I also took a show For The Love Of Spam to a festival in Aotearoa (New Zealand) in June for a festival called Kia Mau, which was incredibly special.

As an aside, you, and other Welsh artists, have been outspoken about injustices facing Palestine since day one – what is it do you think that’s made Welsh artists stand up and be counted in a way perhaps artists from other nations have yet to?

We are facing probably the most horrific genocide of our generation of an indigenous, minority culture that has been under occupation for 75 years.

Coming from a minority culture who faced English occupation (though nowhere near as violent and aggressive, let me be clear) who has had to fight for their language rights and cultural identity, I think it is impossible to not empathise and want to show solidarity.

I’ve attended a lot of the marches in London but I also think many of us feel quite useless and ignored by our government surrounding our views on what’s happening.

One of the easiest ways to speak out is to show up and show solidarity through social media, through protest.

You’re London-based now, how are you finding performing for audiences that may not speak English? And have you found a Welsh community there?

Something I love about London is that often you find that actually everyone around you is bilingual, or comes from a home context of blended cultures, where more than one language is spoken.

Therefore I don’t feel that anxiety around producing bilingual work or expressing my Welshness in London.

I’ve also been lucky that through my work I have found Welsh community here. I also am lucky because by complete fluke one of my best friends from high school works a 20min walk away from my house.

At my birthday gathering recently half the table were communicating in Welsh, and we had nearly as many Welsh people there as English!

Lastly, tell us more about the forthcoming EP – what can we expect and when can we expect to see you live?

My goal is to bring a more evolved complex sound to my songs through my collaboration with brilliant Polish producer and composer Barbs Dudek. (BarbsDudek on Instagram)

She is incredibly experienced and knowledgeable about orchestral arrangements as well as electronic music, so I just feel incredibly blessed to be working with a Producer who understands my creative vision and how best to support my voice.

It’s also her piano playing you hear at the beginning of Be Tisho.

Artists like Hiatus Kaiyote, Tune Yards and Dirty Projectors have always inspired me so much in terms of making genre-bending/blending bangers.

That is what I am keen to make with this EP. Work that is both complex and catchy.

I would love to start gigging consistently again in January 2026 – this Autumn is all about getting demos down and songs finished and getting my ducks in a row before coming back with a bang in the new year.