'White Tiger' singer Izzy Bizu opens up about how she escaped from her academic life at boarding school with a little help from her headmaster, by following up her homework routine with a piano jam session each day. Since then she's never stopped thinking about music.

Izzy BizuIzzy Bizu's debut album is coming soon

The up and coming star is a British singer-songwriter of Ethiopian descent who has been earning a huge amount of attention for her refreshing combination of R&B, funk and acoustic pop. Employing gorgeous piano melodies in all her music, the ivories are just something she's never been able to stay away from - even at school.

'It was very academic but there was a piano in my boarding school which was awesome. There was one in the common room and one in this little box room where I used to go and play', she reveals. 'After homework I used to play with my headmaster. We used to play The Fugees' 'Killing Me Softly'. He was like, 'After your homework, we can jam if you want'. Everyday after school, that's the first thing I would do. I really missed my parents so I used to write about it, poems and stuff, and then I went to theatre school and the feeling just kept getting stronger and stronger, I just wanted to do it more and more.'

Her performing career began at an open mic night in 2013 where Emeli Sande and Naughty Boy were in the audience. Soon after came the launch of her EP 'Coolbeanz', which sold 50,000 copies and featured the critically lauded single 'White Tiger'. She went on to form at Glastonbury Festival 2014 on the BBC Introducing stage and soon signed to Epic Records where she released her debut album's first singles 'Adam & Eve' and 'Diamond', and later unveiled 'Give Me Love'.

2015 was a big year for Izzy (real name Isobel Beardshaw). Not only did she make her television debut on 'Later with Jools Holland', but she also supported both Rudimental and Foxes on their UK tours - though she still cites her tour with Sam Smith back in 2013 as her favourite string of gigs. Incidentally, that was also the year she was selected by Jamie Cullum to support him at his Roundhouse show.

More: Izzy Bizu is shortlisted for Brits Critics' Choice Award

Listing everyone from James Brown to Amy Winehouse as influences, 21-year-old West Londoner has received huge support from BBC Radio 1 and was even shortlisted for a Brit Critics' Choice award. Now she's preparing to unveil her debut album 'A Moment of Madness' this summer and she's just released her first single of 2016 appropriately entitled 'Mad Behaviour'.

'A Moment of Madness' is set to be released on June 17th 2016 through Epic Records.