Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaiah Conner.
Isaiah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Music has always been a part of my life since a young age. At 4 years old, my mom forced me into piano lessons (thanks mom, I owe you one) and that was the first place I gained a sense of rhythm. However, Growing up in the south – sports/athletics always took the front seat. Still, I found ways between classes in high school and football/basketball practices to play guitar and spend time in the band room at school.
Then I decided to go to my dream school with a chance to play football. Although I was focused on the sport, looking back it’s obvious that music still followed me wherever I went. From freestyling in the football locker room to performing for the “Auburn University ESPY Awards,” music was always there. Then, once I suffered a career-ending injury, music was the only thing that made sense for my future. I decided to move to Nashville post-grad and jump into music full time after turning down some big finance jobs lol.
Since being in Nashville, I have had my fair share of ups and downs like a lot of people. With my solo project under “Isaiah Conner,” I have released nearly 20 songs independently. These tracks are true pop/R&b with some electronic undertones as well. After gaining some steam going into Covid-19, a newly signed record deal went south after the company went bankrupt.
During that time though I was able to revisit my heart behind music and out came “Riverhaven.” My East Nashville and childhood inspired rock band revealed itself to be my true passion and is now getting off the ground. Just imagine Kings of Leon and Switchfoot made a baby and that’s us lol.
Riverhaven released our first single “What’s the point?” in late 2021 and since then we have been partnering with Empire for distribution. We have some good stuff going right now and are excited to start touring soon – Lord willing.
I’m pumped to see where this goes. Doing this all independently is hard, but hard work pays off in the end so I’m told. Rock on!!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely been a wild road. From starting out in Nashville writing music from 9-3 and then working at a restaurant from 4-2 AM, to now owning my own Moving Company as well, it’s been wild and hard but always interesting.
I’ve had a few deals on different songs – a deal with Live2 (LA-based) for Rewind that was great, and a deal with Bumper Collective (former Indie label) that went bankrupt. So some great and some not so great. That’s just a part of it!
Currently, I am pumped to be releasing music with my band and I am also excited to be back in the writing room making songs and building tracks for people!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
“What do you do” is always a weird question for me to answer.
I tend to be atypical in this sense in that while I am a full-time musician and producer, I also run a small moving company based in Nashville. The moving company alone serviced over 500 moves in 2021 and is on track to beat that number in 2022. Starting and running a business full-time while building a music career has been tough work, but I love the challenge.
My Music is currently focused on “Riverhaven.” We are working on finishing up our next few songs and then hopefully will be able to start booking more shows around town and in the south. I am pumped to be a part of the East Nash Rock scene and am so excited to see what’s to come.
For production/writing, I am writing and producing all sorts of tracks from Country/bluegrass to Rap and Rock. I love every second of every moment spent creating alone or with other amazing artists.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
My favorite part about Nashville is the collaborative support that comes from most artists in town.
This town is like no other in the way its people support each other. When you meet a fellow artist at a bar or event they are always down to hang/write/collab no matter your “following.” Great people and great music.
The toughest part about Nashville is… no beach!? Nashville (If not already) would be the best town in America if it were on the coast. The people here rock and the character – especially in East Nash – are unmatched in my unprofessional opinion, haha.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @_isaiahconner and @Riverhavenband
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverhavenBand
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4hzj955v1s35bL2M9T7TcQ
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3vOrDKUWQQqTuSxGJw31Hk?si=VSTImYHgStu7QpGWJRlaPw
Image Credits
Anthony Tacheny (@anthony.tacheny)
