BIZZY On Finding Out The Only Thing In Her Way Was Herself
BIZZY 2022
With a messy bun and in her parents’ basement, BIZZY could not be more excited to be starting out in the music industry. While in her Maryland hometown for a show in Washington, DC, she shared her journey with us. Her big smile and openness makes it truly hard to believe that her path to this point has wound around peaks of stage fright and valleys of unknown. But what’s not hard to believe is that her resilience and tenacity lead her to finally getting music out. She may not have known the exact steps to getting into the music industry, but she sure figured it out and is paving her own way.
As her career grows, we are just as excited as she is to see what happens next. She currently has two singles out, “Anybody” and her newest piece “Just Yet” released on October 7. Her calming sound and heavily-relatable lyrics bring a fresh sound to the pop/singer-songwriter genre. She may not be having the same start as most, but she’s here to shake up the industry with her enthusiasm and grit. If there is one person today we shouldn’t underestimate, it’s BIZZY.
BIZZY is an excellent name - Where does it come from?
It was actually my dad’s nickname for me, he started calling me that when I was two or three years old. I was so hyper as a kid, I could never sit still and was constantly running around. He used to say, “You’re always so busy!” and slowly, but surely, that just became what he called me regularly. It got to the point that I thought that was my actual name. Once time when I was, like, four, I was bored and wanted my sister to play with me. She said, “No, I’m busy.” I was heartbroken and told her through tears, “No, I’m Bizzy!” It felt like the most pure piece of me, and I want to perform and write from that place.
Were you musical as a child?
It’s funny, I was not musical at all as a child. My sisters were in plays and stuff, and we love music, of course, but we never, like, sat by the fire and played guitar as a family or anything. My entire childhood centered around sports. I was an elite swimmer for clubs teams in Maryland, and my actual goal was to go to the Olympics one day. At 17, though, I hurt my back in such a way that forced me to stop competing at the rate that I was. That was when I started getting more into music because it was an outlet that helped me process my emotions around this life shift.
Not having sports anymore, the call to music got even stronger - especially after I got a guitar for my 17th birthday. What really solidified it for me, though, was going to an Ed Sheeran concert. This story is so corny, but he was my favorite artist at the time and three of my friends and I got terrible seats for his show at Merriweather Post Pavilion. At one point, he started playing one of his slower songs - I think it was “A-Team” - but before he started, he said, “Okay guys, this is a quiet one” and everyone fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet in that place. No one sang, we all just watched and listened. I looked around and realized this is what I want to do, that I was called to do this. I came home gushing about that moment to my mom and told her I was going to be a singer - mind you had not had a single lesson on guitar or anything!
So you had your dream in sight, but what was your plan to get there?
I was so frustrated at first because I saw the goal, I just couldn’t figure out what the steps in between were supposed to look like. I had hours-long conversations with my parents about how to make this happen - I could see it so clearly that I knew it absolutely would happen, we just had to figure out how. I started taking voice lessons, played my guitar more frequently and started writing more songs. One huge problem: I was pretty terrified to sing in front of people. How hilarious is that? I wanted to be a performing artist and yet didn’t want to sing live! I had stage fright so bad that it’s impacted me for as long as I could remember. In fifth grade, we had parent-teacher conferences and at my school, the kids had to sort of facilitate the meeting - so I had to speak in front of people I knew and trusted, literally just my parents and teacher. I was SO nervous that I couldn’t even do that!
When I was looking for colleges, I looked for music programs and landed on Belmont University in Nashville, TN. I went in undecided on what specifically I wanted to study, but I dabbled at first in music business. I quickly realized how much I hated accounting, so I switched to studying, essentially, the history of creative industries which I loved.
I also started songwriting for other people and I’m so grateful I did. I did that because it was songwriting that broke the barrier between me and performing. I had no idea what went into a song or a performance, so writing music in a more formal setting allowed me to find my technique and my own voice. At a certain point, though, that fear of performing was the only thing holding me back from really making this work. I thought to myself, “Okay so I’m not doing this because I’m scared? That’s not cool.” So I reached out to a few artists and started a project with some of them. After a couple years - last year, actually - I was writing with Jules Paymer and Brandon Meagher and we were working on a song concept about being able to fall in love with anybody. It was the first time I wrote something and realized, this is for me - this is me! That was the song for me, so I listened to it every day once we got the demo back. I asked Brandon if he could produce it and he did! So I released “Anybody” in May.
What was it like to finally make it happen and how is your stage fright doing today?
It was so cool! It was a moment when I finally just did something because I wanted to. I released it because I loved it no matter what happened to the song. The pure excitement for the music is what I want, so I’m learning to do it because I love it, not for anyone else. That’s why I was so excited to release my second single “Just Yet.” It’s about an ex which is, like, so obvious, but that’s what I write about. I write about what I go through and what happens to me. I’m totally open to performing songs written by someone else, but it would really have to be a song sent from heaven! For now, I am enjoying telling my own story.
As far as performing, I have really had to push myself. In college, I had to start taking every opportunity I could to practice singing, speaking or performing in front of people. Fortunately, I am much more comfortable now! Having a band to practice with helps a lot, but I also have done a lot of mindfulness work and when I’m performing now I try to put my thoughts only in my own body and not try and think about what others are thinking. If I’m thinking about other people, I’ll be a mess. So what I’ve learned is to ask myself questions when the panic rises - those therapy questions, you know? How is my foot feeling in my shoe? How does the air feel on my neck? I do what I can to pull myself back into my own head and my own body. Because I’m at my best when I ‘m present with myself.
What inspires you?
I usually find inspiration and do my best work when I’m doing something else like driving. My brain is already focused on doing something, so the creative side can wander. I also got a tip from a friend in a songwriting program years back, she said, “Just listing to conversations because people speak in lyrics - especially when they’re angry.” Ever since, I’ve been keenly listening to people’s conversations! I’m always writing things down, to the point that my friends joke mid-conversation, “Oh are you gonna write that down? Yeah she’s gonna write that down.” And, of course, I always write it down! All of my notes from conversations inspire me when I go into writing sessions, especially co-writes. But when I’m writing solo I’m inspired by my own life and experiences. Usually when my feelings are hurt or someone broke my heart, that process of healing inspires me.
The artist I look to most, I think, is Julia Michaels because I am obsessed with her lyrics! I also love Rainbow Kitten Surprise for their organic, raw sound. You hear them on the radio, but it sounds like you’re listening to them live. You also have to look up JoeP - you may recognize his song “Off My Mind.” He’s got that same raw sound in his production, and I’m always trying to emulate that. I’m also always inspired by clever lyrics, I want to write things that make you think or feel something. It’s worth it to make a statement given the opportunity to say something. I want my shows to make people feel something, I want them to be a roller coaster of emotions. We all can go up and down together and then I can bring everyone in for a big hug.
What’s a dream stage and dream artists to work with?
My dream event is Firefly just because I grew up going to that festival being from Maryland! I’d also love to play the 9:30 Club - that’s just a DC staple and it would be such an amazing hometown show. Of course I’d love to play the classics like Madison Square Garden and Nissan Stadium - I mean, I can’t fathom doing that, but if we’re dreaming, it’s what I want to do! I’d also love to work with Harry Styles, of course, as well as my favorites Julia Michels and Rainbow Kitten Surprise! Realistically in the near future, I’d love to go on tour next fall opening for other performers.
Thinking about the future is such a wild thing, though. I always have to remember to keep myself in gratitude and stay grateful for where I am right now. If you don’t, you’ll go down the rabbit hold of, “Oh my God, it’s all gonna crumble, there’s no way this is going to work out.” So I’ve tried to enjoy the ride and feel how cool it is to see different doors open for me. I didn’t know this could be possible, so I’m going to stay in that mindset of awe.