Bekoe Travels Through Space And Time With Dreamer Isioma

Written by Vocalo Radio on February 25, 2022

“There’s a lot more of what we don’t know than what we do know. We are not the center of the universe.”
-Dreamer Isioma

*^{Dreamer Isioma, photo courtesy of Daniel Delgado.}*

Dreamer Isioma explores time, space and self throughout debut album Goodnight Dreamer.

As they sing in the album’s title track, Chicago’s own Dreamer Isioma “finally made it out the basement” with the Feb. 23 release of full-length Goodnight Dreamer. Dreamer soars through space and time over the album’s 13 tracks, all of which were written from their bedroom and recorded in a homemade basement studio.

“There was one day where me and [Isaiah Versa] just spent the whole day taping, like, foam pads on the wall so that way we could make it sound professional,” Dreamer explained in an interview with Vocalo host Bekoe. “We literally built it from the ground up.”

Although they grew up playing instruments in an orchestra, Dreamer did not start making their own music until just a few years ago — writing the majority of Goodnight Dreamer in 2020. Claiming influence from genres across the board, they told Bekoe their introspective debut strives to “travel through the history of humanity through music” as it explores aspects of Afrobeats, ’50s rock, ’70s funk, R&B, pop, electronic and more.

As any dreamer does, Dreamer Isioma explores the world through reading up on and researching science and space exploration. They encourage listeners to tap into this literature and the parts of modern science that don’t make the headlines.

“My whole YouTube theme is space,” they told Bekoe. “All I can say is that there’s a lot more of what we don’t know than what we do know. We are not the center of the universe.”

^{Cover for Dreamer Isioma’s album “Goodnight Dreamer.”
Cover designed and photographed by Daniel Delgado. 3D World Design by Darius Thomas. Set designed by Angel.}

Goodnight Dreamer‘s release party is scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 5, where Dreamer will discuss the album’s creation process. The event will also feature a personal art installation, interactive activities and more.

Bekoe spoke with Dreamer Isioma about their Nigerian roots, the creation process behind Goodnight Dreamer, mental health awareness and the upcoming release party.

This interview originally aired on Vocalo 91.1 FM, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. CST. Stream it on Spotify and YouTube below.