ISE

ISE is invariably the first or the youngest. For instance, the singer-songwriter from Bree in Limburg is Pukkelpop's first virtual headliner in 2023. She plays an avatar show in the Roblox version of the festival. A year later, Ise Smeets is the youngest ever finalist of “De Nieuwe Lichting” (Studio Brussel) and the youngest name of all time on the bill of Rock Werchter. All well deserved. ISE proves her credentials as a strikingly accomplished artist right from her debut single “To Stacy” (2022). Her super powers are depth, authenticity, a voice like a bell and storytelling that connects with her contemporaries. The title of her first album is telling. Suitcase child (2026) tells the story of a childhood between two houses/homes. ‘A suitcase of trauma, comfort and therapy,’ writes De Morgen.