Amsterdam’s 6ft5 gentle giant and rising star Cero Ismael is sharing his highly anticipated and sound defining sophomore EP project As Much As You Did Before in March 2022. Spanning a series of tracks including singles ‘Publik’, ‘If It Ends’and ‘Plans For US’ Cero Ismael continues his story telling process after his honest and compelling debut EP ’. Blue Man.
An emo rap/alternative R&B storyteller, like a true poet he draws inspiration from his personal road and chooses his words wisely to explore themes of love, fear, anger, loneliness, self-love and acceptance, mental health and more. His writing and performance present a stereotyping breaking pattern. The 6,5 feet giant Cero shows himself fragile and emotional.
A compelling artist crafting his own unique and spellbinding version of alternative hip hop, Cero Ismael has claimed early fans in the likes of Highsnobiety, i-D, Hunger, The Independent, Complex, The Line of Best Fit, Jamz Supernova and more. On his 8-track debut EP Blue Man last year (‘Darling’, ‘Missing Out’, ‘Some More Time’,‘Tell Me How/Birds’), his melancholic, soulful and dreamy voice explored and commented on a vast range of emotions and human behaviors amidst the breakdown of a relationship - the love, the disconnection, the sorrow, finding happiness in another's pain, holding onto a poisonous/toxic love, false hope and more.
Born and raised in Amsterdam’s suburbs, the Dutch artist, rapper, singer and songwriter uses music as a form of self-healing, sharing his own stories with alluring candor. Influenced by his own personal story and struggles, Cero Ismael grew up in a melting pot of different cultures (Dutch, Indonesian and Surinamese). He found early comfort in love, religion, spirituality and music which quickly became his life and focus from an early age - first starting to make music at 11 years old. Initially inspired by his musical family (his grandmother in gospel and his father a gifted musician), Cero’s earliest influences on his own sound were developed by his discovery of self-made trap artists like Soulja Boy, Lil B, Chief Keef and more. On his search for more depth, the sounds of R&B, indie and soul became a staple of his sonic diet.
