The urban music phenomenon -- whose music has been described as a mash up of reggae, hip-hop, dancehall and world music -- was absolutely everywhere in 2008, and on fire at that. She placed songs from her 2007 debut LP Sound the Trumpets on American television shows such as The Hills, Burn Notice, Notes from the Underbelly, and even on CTV's Robson Arms in Canada. Additionally, she scored no less than 11 nominations for various prizes, honours and awards over the course of the year, including wins at the Underground Music Awards ("Best International Artist"), at the Toronto Independent Music Awards ("Best International Artist") and a bevy of wins at the Sounds of Blackness Awards (SOBA). And, while 2008 isn’t even over, she’s already looking ahead to 2009, having just announced that her new LP, Brand New Style, will hit store shelves on January 20, 2009.

Brand New Style continues Empire Isis’s penchant for seemingly single-handedly re-energizing both the urban music scene and the world music scene in Canada. Recorded in various locales including Montreal, New York City, Kingston, Jamaica, and Tel Aviv, Israel, Brand New Style was overseen by producers like Prayon (Beyonce, Sean Paul) and Overstand (Damien Marley), and promises to reveal more of Isis’s pop sensibilities while losing none of her well-honed skills in the worlds of hip-hop and reggae.

Clearly Empire Isis has her eyes on the prize, and Canadians have yet another burgeoning International superstar to cheer on.

For more information on Empire Isis, or, to check out show dates or listen to selected songs, visit her at www.myspace.com/empireisis