Isla Rose is an American pop artist and producer who grew up in the deep South (including Elvis’s birthplace of Tupelo, Mississippi) and now lives in London. Isla’s new single “Don’t Mess Around Honey” is a high-energy, ultra-hooky preview of her EP Pulse, due later this year.
Isla has one of the most fascinating voices in pop. I can hear a little Lana Del Rey and Dua Lipa in her voice, and even a hint of fellow Mississippian Bobbie Gentry from the 60s. Isla’s 2023 song “Let Me Take You” is one of this decade’s finest, and it sounds like a bonus track from a Taylor Swift album. Isla’s ability to rhyme “fucked up” and “abrupt” has a Taylor-style brilliance.
“‘Don’t Mess Around Honey’ emerged from the depths of heartbreak, but it’s far from a pity party,” says the artist. “It’s punchy, fiery, and a bold statement of self-assurance – shaking off that cheating ex and embracing empowerment.”
Isla’s new song has all the ingredients to be a radio hit on BBC Radio 1, KZ-103 in Tupelo and all around the globe.
Watch the video for “Don’t Mess Around Honey” below, or find it on your favorite streamer.
