A publicist by training, IZA left her career to pursue music and is now on the other side of the counter, starring in advertising campaigns
Persistence, consistency and integrity. This is how Isabela Cristina Correia de Lima Lima defines her brand, career and artistic name: IZA. Graduated in advertising at PUC-Rio, before becoming IZA, Isabela worked with video editing at agencies, but music was what she wanted to do, even if it was free.
So, she quit her job and created her YouTube channel where she posted covers of the songs she liked in order to create a portfolio to sell her shows.
Currently, with more than 3 million listeners on Spotify, IZA collects hits and achievements in her career, having even become the first black and Brazilian woman to headline the main stage of Rock in Rio.
In addition to the numbers and resounding success as a singer, IZA became a “small figure” in advertising and the face of brands such as TIM, Garnier, Smirnoff, in addition to having a nail polish line with Risqu.
You are an advertising professional by training and have even worked in the area. At what point did you make the decision to leave advertising and go to the world of music?
Yup. I have a degree in advertising from PUC, in Rio. I was a fellow and it was a period of many discoveries for me. I worked in some agencies, always in the area of video editing. I’ve always liked to communicate a lot and I believe that advertising was an important path. But I was unhappy with what I was doing and I started to think about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, even if it was for free. And music was the only answer.
In music, how was your early career?
As soon as I dropped everything, I set up my YouTube channel and started producing cover videos that I liked to do. It was just me and my cousin, Bruno, who is now my music director. The idea was to create a portfolio to sell shows. It’s just that things took a while to happen and I almost thought about giving up because I needed to help put money in the house. But despite that, it was a very important and rewarding time because it was my first professional encounter with music, and I decided to live from it.
Today, you are the face of many brands, such as Smirnoff, TIM, Garnier, Devassa, and you have your nail polish line with Risqu. How was it for you to enter this world?
I believe that it is very important for me to see myself as a brand too, as a company, as a product. That way, it’s easier to manage my career and become a brand that brands want to be with as well. I make it a point to see myself as a brand and a businesswoman who has worked and works hard to build all the pillars of these brands. I think together with my team about everything I’m going to do, because I believe a lot in legacy, in the name, and I’m happy that somehow it has given me an incredible return, in an area that I love so much and that I chose to be my form.
Do you participate in the creation of the campaign? Script, production, etc.
Often. As with my clips, where I participate in all stages of production, I like to be on top of everything that involves the campaign, giving my guesses, suggestions, commenting on each step. I think this is essential.
You have a busy schedule with singing career, music recordings, music videos, TV shows, etc. How do you divide your time to be able to record campaigns?
First of all, I believe that it’s no use for us to turn a million to be able to do everything and think that in the end, your artistic work is not real and worthy of what you want to communicate. Somehow I found a healthy way to participate in everything I think is important for my career. But I have my own rhythm for this, my time.
What did you take from your advertising training to your artistic career?
Many things. I always say that everything is learning, there is no experience thrown away. Certainly, college helped me a lot to be the professional I am today, to set my goals and achieve my goals. From a practical point of view, I can always be on top of everything that involves the release of a song or an album. I participate in the creation of each song, creation and production of each clip, then editing it. This, no doubt, is a legacy of the faculty.
What is the best definition of the IZA brand?
I find it difficult to talk about myself, but I work hard to be the best professional I can. I believe that the words that define me are persistence, consistency and integrity.
