From Florida With Love: Isaiah Falls Is Building His R&B Paradise
For our May Issue, Isaiah Falls sets the mood & brings a new energy to modern R&B.
“This right here for lovers, baby.” That is how Florida-born singer Isaiah Falls starts off his debut album LVRS PARADISE. That declaration rings true to everything that Isaiah stands for as an artist.
From Florida With Love
Hailing from Orlando, FL, Isaiah Falls grew up on a steady diet of church choirs and trunk-rattling hip-hop, alongside 6 siblings. His parents were both musicians in church – dad a drummer, mom a singer – and his brothers were heavily involved in music as well. By age 3, Isaiah was asking his parents to perform at church, so he knew at early age that entertaining people in some capacity was going to be his path forward.
At 14, Isaiah’s mom bought him a laptop from a pawn shop, and it was then that he discovered music production. “I cracked FL Studio on it, and I haven’t put it down ever since. I started producing my own music.” Over the next few years, he began rapping with his brothers, going through teenage relationships, and figuring out who he was and wanted to be in life. He discovered his love for love (the toxic and the romantic), and his passion for making music centered around it.
Isaiah Falls isn’t a traditional R&B singer by any means. If you listen to his music, you’ll notice a knock and a swagger to it that can be traced to his Florida roots and growing up on southern hip-hop artists like Outkast and Ludacris. “I miss regional sounds. Back in the day, you knew everybody that was coming from the South. You had Outkast, Trick Daddy, Trina – you knew where they were from. I miss the understanding and identity that came with that.”
“My 808s gotta knock. My shit gotta ride. It gotta feel like a Kodak [Black] record when I’m doing R&B.”
Thanks to his church upbringing, Isaiah’s music is also very grounded and soulful in nature. And soulful in a number of ways. Listening his music, I visualize Shaft and 70s blaxploitation films. I think about cities like Detroit and Houston and Atlanta and Miami as sonic playgrounds for Isaiah. I hear the funk influence, the “player” influence – which lends itself back to growing up on acts like Outkast.
The duality of his upbringing — sacred and soulful, gritty and smooth — bleeds into the music that we hear from Isaiah today.
There are few artists who properly tow the line of hip-hop and R&B in today’s musical landscape. A lot of rappers are attempting to sing (some may call it “melodic rap”), and a lot of singers are attempting to rap (some may call it “trap soul”). But in my eyes, Isaiah is one of the few who pull off hip-hop influenced R&B music without losing its soulful core. The voice is there, the songwriting is there, the ear for musicality is there – and it’s all fantastic.
The Come-Up Story
It was January of 2024 that saw Isaiah Falls start to finally make a name for himself in today’s Internet obsessed music culture. His song “FLORIDA BABY” racked up millions of streams thanks to social media platforms like TikTok and Isaiah’s knack for posting engaging content. Today’s music artists benefit greatly from building a consistent presence on social media, and it can be done in a music-first way. Isaiah has mastered that with how he teases new music to fans and posts stylized performance clips, while remaining somewhat mysterious and in the shadows as a public persona.
An artist’s first song to take off being an ode to their home state is a special “meant to be” moment. After “FLORIDA BABY” caught a wave, so did “DIVA” and “GOLD ON MY TEETH.” On his 2024 EP Drugs n Lullabies, the Florida native crafted a sonic landscape that feels like cruising down backroads with bass rattling, windows cracked, and something lit between your fingers. The project is a bold and bittersweet exploration of intimacy and pain — wrapped in melodies that glide and punch in equal measures.
Before diving into his debut album era, Isaiah further established his presence as a cool kid on the rise in R&B by collaborating with several of his peers also on-the-rise. The UK’s Sasha Keable and California’s Joyce Wrice both appear on 2024 releases that were well received by fans. Canadian artist RAAHIIM featured Isaiah on his single “IMISSTORONTO.” Isaiah was also recently a feature on Soulection founder Joe Kay’s debut EP ‘If Not Now, Then When?’
He kept his name at the top of people’s minds, while readying his journey to R&B paradise.
Welcome To LVRS Paradise
May 2, 2025 saw the release of LVRS PARADISE (Side A) – the first disc of a double disc debut album from Isaiah Falls. Executive produced by Isaiah and his team Luxury Lane over the past three years, LVRS PARADISE delves deep into the complexities of love, capturing both its intoxicating highs and its sometimes complicated lows. Blending his Southern roots with contemporary R&B influence, Isaiah created a sound that's both nostalgic and refreshingly modern in 2025.
Collaborations play a pivotal role on this album, with rising R&B talents like Joyce Wrice, Odeal, and Ambré bringing their unique flavors to the mix. "BUTTERFLIES," featuring Joyce Wrice, stands out as a dreamy ballad that encapsulates the euphoria of new love. On "SEARCHING," Odeal's stylistic choices compliment Isaiah's soulful delivery, exploring the ache of longing. Ambré's contribution to "DESIRES" adds depth to the album's narrative, highlighting the vulnerability that comes with romantic entanglements.
Isaiah describes the album as a reflection of his personal experiences with love, stating, “This album feels like paradise, wherever you are with your lover. Even in a parking lot grabbing food…LVRS PARADISE is wherever you and your person are.”
This sentiment is woven throughout the album, from the sensual opener "FOR LVRS ONLY" down to the introspective closer "HEAVEN2ME".
Isaiah tells me that his favorite song on the project is “TRICK DADDY”, which has that aforementioned knock and southern hip-hop influence dripping all over it. “TRICK DADDY” was made for cars, marching bands, and Friday nights, and will absolutely be a crowd favorite during his live shows.
I'ma treat you right
As long as I can call you mine
I'ma treat you right
As long as you're my ride or die
“What I’m talking about is really what I’m about. And that’s taking care of my people,” Isaiah says, as he’s casually kicked back on a leather couch during our cover shoot.
LVRS PARADISE (Side A) not only showcases Isaiah Falls' versatility as an artist, but also cements his place in R&B as an unapologetic storyteller exploring the complex nature of love. Currently, Isaiah is on tour with R&B champion SiR, and will be plotting his own tour later this summer.
LVRS PARADISE (Side B) is still to come later this year, with features from the likes of Alex Isley and JMSN. Expect a continuation of this sonic journey, with an even more evolved sound.
Isaiah’s rise doesn’t feel like a rush. It feels like a natural progression, and you can tell that his audience respects that. When I asked Isaiah what success looks like to him, he said, “All my people being good, all the bellies are full, clothes on my nieces and nephews’ backs…that’s all I need. And a Grammy. I gotta get me one of those.” He’s well on his way to make that all a reality.
Credits:
Creative Director + Producer + EIC: Dante Nicholas
Photographer: Jhalin Knowles
Stylist: Julius Sinkfield
Director/DP: Dale Roberson
Camera Op: Courtland Barker
Set Design: Jhalin Knowles
Lighting: Moonlight Grip Truck
Gaffer: Tony Nava
Director Assistant: Mercedes Sanders
Photo Asst: crystalmaree1, mariahcamillee
Styling Asst: chasin.cashe
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