Welcome to ISSA’s spice world
Is ISSA the sixth Spice Girl? Judging from the lyrical themes and soundscapes she creates in her new single “Cinnamon Treasure,” then she might just be.
When ISSA purrs in her swooning voice, “Hope you like a little spice ‘cause I’mma make it hot for you tonight,” you know she’s onto something. And by that we mean embracing her identity and sensuality, owning her story, and truly being comfortable in her own skin.
“It started with the feeling and emotion,” she says about her creative process for the song. “I wanted a sound that you can ‘feel sexy and free in.’ This feeling even extended in the way ISSA and her production team—which includes boyfriend James Reid who “makes sure I have a playground to play in”—handled the creative ideation process.
“Luke April, the producer, laid down the beat,” she reveals. “Luke, James, and I got on the mic and took turns making melodies. I kept landing on the word ‘morenaaa’ and from there we locked in the concept and continued writing.”
It’s a big shift for ISSA. But it’s also a bold move that is perhaps expected from someone who seems to have finally found her voice—one that heralds more creative and personal freedom.
The sultry, soulful single marking her big comeback in music since releasing 2021’s “Monkey Business,” signing to Careless, and undergoing vocal cord surgery sees the artist and performer gliding along a mid-tempo rhythm recalling Latin-inspired beats and cool jazzy flourishes. “Cinnamon Treasure” is atmospheric in its soundscape and cathartic in its intent.
“You can’t resist a morena, sweet like a cinnamon treasure / I know that you like the way I’m moving my body against ya,” she repeatedly sings in the chorus, as if letting listeners absorb this liberating mantra served with a side of poise and self-confidence on a platter.
But don’t let her breathy (at times Sabrina Carpenter-esque) vocals and coquettish lines fool you into thinking this is surface-level music. “Cinnamon Treasure” is actually a declaration of the parallels between ISSA’s favorite spice and the quiet strength of Filipinas—kind, radiant, and unapologetically powerful.
“This is a little art from the heart,” she says about her track that is virtually “an invitation to move with your body and feel free in your own skin.”
Written and composed in collaboration with Reid and Luke Isnani—with production by Luke April and mixing and mastering by JGREG —“Cinnamon Treasure” paints the beginning of her lurching forward with a bigger and better artistic vision.
“As I’m starting again, I want to share the process and my growth as an artist and a creative as a whole. I want to share the evolution of my relationship with music, show how my ideas, concepts, genres, and even vocal abilities will develop further as I dive deeper,” she says.
And while this is a time in which she’s truly free in shaping the musical direction she’s heading in right now, thanks largely to framing a “care less” mindset that “totally shifted my flow in creativity” and “creating for no other reason than doing it because I have fun doing it and it fires my soul,” ISSA is also content in taking her own sweet time when it comes to a possible EP or full album release.
“I will create and release as I go,” she says. “I have around 30 demos. Most I might not release at all, maybe the next ones I’ll release aren’t even made yet. When the moment feels right, I’ll go for it. If at a point I feel like I have creative linear direction for a group of songs, then I’ll do an EP or album. But I want to enjoy ‘Cinnamon Treasure’ first. It’s like a little baby of mine that just saw the world.”
And she’s taking all Filipinas with her for the ride, too. “Cheers to the Filipinas feeling confident in their own skin,” she says.
As she’s inspiring and motivating Filipinas out there, we’ll be cheering on ISSA’s success while sipping her favorite cinnamon brews (cocoa with maca and cinnamon or saffron with cinnamon tea) and tucking into a buffet of homemade cinnamon granola with crushed nuts and dried fruits.
“I put a dash of cinnamon whenever I can, on muesli bowls, ice cream, or even a banana alone… in a reasonable amount per day, of course!”
