Visual artist and self-taught musician Issa Ibrahim began recording music following a 19-year confinement at Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital. His new album, Bubblegum Blues, arrives one year after the release of God’s Radio and continues his musical return following a seven-year hiatus. After listening to the album and viewing several excerpts from its accompanying videos, we posed a few questions to Issa:
Can you tell us about the title? Why did you choose to name your new album Bubblegum Blues?
It’s a homage to the music I grew up with, largely 1970s pop and blues. My dad was a jazz musician, and my mom had a huge record collection.
Your songs are a delightful fusion of folk music, punk-pop and the blues. Who were some of your main influences?
There are many. Among them are The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson and both Elvises—Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello.
The album opens with “We Got the Bomb,” a sober, though playfully rendered, song. Why did you decide to begin Bubblegum Blues on such an apocalyptic note?
I felt it was a powerful way to open the album, as it is fatalistic but realistic.
In “Mary Jane,” written in March 2012, you fervently condemn marijuana use. Given your own experience with its darker side, how do you feel about the proliferation of weed dispensaries? They seem to be everywhere, sometimes several on the same block.
We’re living in crazy times, and I understand that people use different substances to get by. I myself am on tranquilizers.
This album seems to have something for everyone—from the playful “Jacqueline,” inspired by a brief romance, to “Complicated,” a somber reflection on “workaday zombies.” Who do you see as the audience for Bubblegum Blues?
YesEveryone will find something there!
How can folks check out Bubblegum Blues once it’s released on Friday?
It will be available on all platforms including: YouTube, Spotify and Amazon Music.
Interview by Lois Stavsky with Tara Murray Images: 1 Album cover, 2-4 Screenshots from videos seen on Issa’s Instagram
