Isaiah Falls Brings Southern Swagger To R&B With His Debut Album ‘LVRS Paradise’

Isaiah Falls has been building toward this moment for over a decade — honing his sound, learning from love, and staying grounded in his Southern roots. After making waves with his 2024 debut EP Drugs N' Lullabies, the Florida-born singer/songwriter is stepping into the spotlight with LVRS Paradise, a two-part debut album that blends slow-burning intimacy, soulful swagger, and unfiltered vulnerability.

LVRS Paradise (Side A), released May 2, expands on the breezy R&B that earned Falls over 23 million Spotify streams with his 2024 breakout hit "FLORIDA BABY." The lead single, "BUTTERFLIES" — a dreamy, bass-heavy collaboration with fellow rising R&B star Joyce Wrice — continues that momentum and has quickly become a fan favorite. 

But it's Side B — arriving later this year — where he says the vision truly deepens. "It's more smooth, kind of like red wine," Falls tells GRAMMY.com. "There's a lot more Southern influence, like OutKast. Side B is gonna fill a pocket that R&B doesn't have right now."

From confident declarations ("Money for your problems, spend it on a bad day") to hungry ambition ("They gon' say the money changed me, and I hope it does"), Falls' lyrical world is built on growth, grit, and real romance. "You may not be good at love," he says, "but if you're at least looking for it, that's a beautiful thing."

Ahead of LVRS Paradise's release, Falls spoke with GRAMMY.com about the project's inspiration, the importance of repping his home state, and why he's manifesting big things for 2026.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

What tracks off LVRS Paradise do you think best showcase your artistic growth between Drugs N' Lullabies and now?

Songs like "TRICK DADDY," "A FLORIDA LUV STORY," "GORGEOUS," and "TAKE A HIT" have sounds that push the boundaries. "TRICK DADDY" is definitely very familiar to a lot of people. It has a resemblance of Detroit, the Bay and Florida all mixed together, which is really dope. "TAKE A HIT" is my take on OutKast. "A FLORIDA LUV STORY" is kind of picking up the tempo of Drugs N' Lullabies. Those songs were laid back. With "A FLORIDA LUV STORY," we wanted that same feeling, but we wanted to pick up the tempo and get people dancing. I wanna feed the fans that like the B sides. I wanna cultivate a fan base that's here to experience more than just one sound. 

The biggest critique for Drugs N' Lullabies is that the songs weren't long enough, so I was expecting longer songs off LVRS Paradise, but they're still short and sweet. Was that a conscious choice, or is that just your style?

Another complaint over the past year was that I wasn't giving my fans enough music. This year, I wanted to spread it out and make sure they get new music every couple of months from me. But it's both art and business when it comes to keeping the songs between two and three minutes. Most people don't even listen to the whole song. It's like 15 seconds on TikTok or social media. So, really, it's like, Hey, two minutes is longer than what most of y'all listen to.

When it comes to longer music, my thing is that I don't have the fanbase that's willing to listen to six minutes of one song yet. Right now, I'm still grabbing new people. I don't wanna bore them; I'd rather leave them wanting more. Later on, though, I see myself doing longer songs with transitions, bridges, outros, skits.

I'm also inspired by all types of sounds. A lot of rock music, funk music. At some point, I will be doing other genres. R&B is the base of my music, so there will always be an element of that. Even if I go and do rock, there'll be R&B melodies 100 percent. Even if I do pop or country or whatever, there would be elements of R&B.

Your breakout single "FLORIDA BABY" was an ode to where you grew up, and I love that you're still repping your state on LVRS Paradise with "A FLORIDA LUV STORY." Why is that so important for you?

All my favorite artists, we always know where they were from. Kendrick [Lamar] always wore Compton on his back; he reps LA to the max. Same with Drake; we knew The 6 was his place. So, I always knew that where I'm from is going to be part of my sound. I think it's important to wear Florida on my sleeve when I'm making music.

Regional R&B and representing where you're from is kind of a lost art. New York does it very well, California does it very well, but I think everywhere else kind of lost its way. Most artists nowadays kind of adopt other people's sounds, which is okay, but I think there are elements you can bring from your roots into your music that help tell your story more.

You said in an interview that "everybody's too cool to love" and how you want to bring love back in a cool way. How?

Let me just say that I don't think there is anyone that's not toxic out there. Everybody has their trials and tribulations when it comes to love. But I think what's cool about it is trying over and over again to really find that one and to know what you're looking for. 

I am not perfect. I don't want anyone to think that I am perfect and great at love because I've had my own issues as well, but I love to just preach that we're here trying. Being a little messy is part of the growing process of understanding what love is, because if you ain't had experience, then you don't know what you're looking for. It makes writing love songs a lot easier.

Some artists are known for making their best music when they're sad or depressed, but it sounds like you're someone who's more inspired by love?

Lauryn Hill and Miguel touched on wanting love the proper way, but they also touched on the aspect of where they couldn't find it and had their issues. I am heavily inspired by love and the actions of love. When I feel that sense of love and the things that come with it, it brings all the music out of me. 

Both of your parents have A&R experience. What advice, if any, have they given you about the business side of the music industry?

They preached to me to keep my day ones alongside me. My mother would always be like, Keep that one. They're good people, they're watching out for you. You have nothing necessarily to give to them at this moment, but they see a lot in you, so do whatever you can to take care of them. So I kind of stuck with that. I take care of all my people. Anyone that believed in me prior to "FLORIDA BABY," they're still with me today.

Luxury Lane is your creative crew. When you link up with producers and musicians outside of your crew, what do they need to bring to the table?

Me and my guys are super open to collaboration. We just like to go over everything together after it's done. So, we'll bring in whoever and then, afterward, I bring my guys in like, Yo, come [listen to] this. How do you guys feel about this? What would you change? Because I respect their opinion so much. They're incredible musicians, incredible producers. 

It's like a filtering system because they know my sound to a tee, they know the instruments I like. It's fun to hear other people's take on my sound, but when I filter it through my crew, they make suggestions and it always comes out exactly how I like it. Before I had any of the motion that I have now, [Luxury Lane] was guiding me and teaching me how to produce and even song structure. Those guys will be with me forever.

You've said that you listen to more rap than R&B, which struck me as interesting because R&B music is at the core of your sound.

There are certain seasons when I listen to a lot of R&B. Like, I went to a Cleo Soul concert recently and I have not stopped spinning her music since. But one of the big reasons why I listen to rap more is because I just don't want to be influenced. I remember melodies more than I remember lyrics, so I'll sing a melody, and then I'll be like, Oh, damn, my bad, that's that song. I can't use that.

At the same time, I always looked up to artists [who push] their voice to do different things. The way Kendrick utilizes his voice to sound like different characters. Like instead of getting a feature, he'll just do it himself. I always loved that, so I knew I had to push my own boundaries.

Do you mind speaking to the "R&B is dead" trope? In the late 2000s and during the 2010s, R&B was getting drowned out by hip-hop and electronic pop. Now, it's being reimagined and people are seeing that it's very much alive.

I don't think it's necessarily dead. I just don't think it's as popularized as other genres. There was always incredible talent out there making incredible music. They just weren't as popular. With social media, things are very quick and R&B is typically slow and it takes time. R&B's more laid back. You need like 30 seconds to really get through a verse with R&B, but one thing about R&B is that it's timeless. It will hit forever, so R&B is never going to die. 

You embarked on your first headlining tour in 2024. What was it like taking your music on the road and connecting with the people who enjoy your music and seeing their faces and reactions in real time?

It was an incredible experience. I didn't realize the fan base I cultivated with Drugs N' Lullabies until I really got to meet my fans. The energy in the room was just so genuine, nothing felt funny. There was no hate, just a lot of love. I think the LVRS ONLY Tour cemented my fan base and what we're standing for in this world. Music isn't always looked at as something to help people. So, when I make my music, I want people to resonate with it and feel like they're seen in their day-to-day lives. I just want to create a safe space for them to escape from the world for even a moment. It was just dope to see people cry, laugh, dance, sing — all the above. There were so many emotions in the room.

I make all styles of music and with my fan base, I realized they're real lovers of music that don't just love one style [of] music. It's like, Oh, you didn't just come for 'FLORIDA BABY,' you came for everything. That shifted my perspective. It made me wanna go harder.

You mentioned having 400-plus songs on your hard drive. How do you sift through all of that material and then decide which tracks should be released?

I listen to my own music a lot and I go back and I ask myself, Do I still like this song? Is there something I would change? If I still really like the song, then I'm like, Okay, this is a good contender for music to drop. Is this a timeless song or just a fast food record? I make both sometimes. You have to make records where you're trying shit and there has to be songs where you're really, really in it. If it stands the test of time, it's probably gonna come out.

In your interview with Billboard, you put it out there that you're already manifesting a GRAMMY win in 2026.

Everything that I wanted to happen in 2024, I spoke it into the universe in 2023. So, everything that I want for 2026, I'm speaking now. As a rising artist, winning a GRAMMY is one of those accomplishments that helps the world understand your status. The world doesn't value you until everyone else does. And it's unfortunate, but that's how it is. Great art needs to be recognized and I think I present great art to the world, so I'm hoping for the world to start catching on as we go.

All an artist ever wants is for their art to be seen. A GRAMMY is something that helps people pay attention, so let's see. I know I have a lot more to offer over in the coming years when it comes to pushing my sound, pushing R&B, and pushing Florida. I would love for as many people as possible to hear and see that.