She’s the legend that brought Spain their only Junior Eurovision win at the age of 9. And now, seventeen years into her illustrious career, María Isabel has announced she’ll stop making music because of her troubles dealing with anxiety.
Earlier on Thursday, María shared a heartfelt post on Instagram, where she explained her decision under the title “Thank you for everything”.
View this post on Instagram
“My friends… I made a decision. I’m leaving. I’m leaving music and all those things I once loved, but nowadays being in the music industry is turning so complicated for me. And it’s hard and it makes me angry because I have never stopped fighting.
Due to other issues, I found myself in the need of taking a break. I need time to think, meditate and to decide the way to follow. I could say I will be back, but that will only happen if I finally understand how this works.
I suffer from anxiety, and it’s hard to deal with it daily, and even more in this world. I’ll tell you more about it, but now, with tears on my eyes, I only need to say thank you.
Thank you to everyone who did not leave me alone in this way in the last 17 years. I feel fortunate and blessed for all the blessings that God gave me and keeps giving me. You are the best followers I could have wished for. Ever since I was a kid, you’ve always made me feel over the Moon!
The most incredible thing that can happen to someone who has always fought for her dreams is to be valued and respected. However, it’s time to meditate, to think and to work hard… and God will decide my way. I love you”.
María Isabel: 17 years in the music industry
María Isabel became an icon in Spain at the early age of 9 years old, when she won Junior Eurovision with her song “Antes muerta que sencilla”. The song remains popular and it’s now part of Spain’s general culture. “Antes muerta que sencilla” (Better dead than plain) is now a sentence people say on a daily basis.
She went on to release several albums and starred in films and TV until the early 2010s. After going silent for some years, she began releasing new music in 2015.
The year after she tried her luck at Eurovision, and entered Spain’s Objetivo Eurovisión. However, her song “La vida es solo una” did not manage to impress the public, and came fourth.
She has released several singles subsequently, but none of them have made an impact. In 2020, she entered Tu Cara Me Suena (Your Face Sounds Familiar), where she came sixth.
Are you sad that María Isabel is leaving her music career behind her? What do you make of her decision? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
And there she is, quitting music. We’ve lost another Junior Eurovision legend who quit music because of mental health issues.
Dino may be still making music in Croatia, I haven’t heard from Ksenia, Alexey, Bzikebi, Ralf, the Candy members, maybe Nastya, Mariam, and Polina, but I’m happy that the Tolmachevy Twins, Vladimir, Gaia, Destiny, Roxie, Viki, and Valentina are still making good music.
We wish Maria Isabel a speedy recovery!
Dino from Croatia actually just joined Whitesnake 🙂
Ralf still appears on Dutch TV every once in a while, but I can imagine his PhD in nuclear fusion is taking up most of his time right now xD
Wow; from JESC winner to a PhD in nuclear fusion. He’s had quite a fascinating life thus far!
It is surprising to me. I loved her recent song “Mi Jarana” – what a bop!. I was very sure that this will lead to a Eurovision participation. But now she is stepping out of the music business all of a sudden?!
What’s up with all the anxiety of this generation? Are we more sensitive now? Are people feeling more pressure than before?
“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society” as Sinéad O’Connor explains.
She ain’t kiddin’! It can happen at any time, whether you’re a spring chicken with only 17 weeks in the business, or a seasoned veteran with 17 years behind you. It can be the culmination of years of dealing with the obvious pressures within your profession, only to reach a breaking point; or, in the case of Simone Biles (who, lest we forget, is 24 and had her well-being twisted by a very sick man in Larry Nassar, and will be the last of his victims to retire), it could be an unexpected split-second event that could set in motion… Read more »
What’s happening in the world today is a lot for anyone to bear and it’s completely understandable to retreat and take some time off. I wish her all the best!
For anybody with the same problem reading this… God will not decide a way for you. Please see a doctor. I wish María well.
I have no problem with how she copes, I just would like anybody reading her social media to know that medicine is probably a more reliable solution and visiting a doctor is always the best first step.
For some reason, even without following her journey I could feel that things haven’t been going well for her… I don’t quite know much about the JESC artists and winners in particular, or rather their future after the contest. I assume they haven’t been sticking to music much. I only know of Dino who’s still making music in Croatia (though I don’t know how successful he is), Maria Isabel who has just quit, Tolmachevy Twins (I last heard about them probably when they competed in 2014 in ESC), Gaia and Destiny (and the rest are still quite young and not… Read more »
Dino is probably more known abroad than on Croatia. Metal is still a very niche genre in the region so he is known among there. I assume he is very highly respected..
Dino joined Whitesnake recently. Wiwi should cover that.
Viki and Roxie are still huge stars in Poland, they keep releasing new music and are very active on the Polish music scene
María Isabel had the oppportunity to work a lot after JESC, releasing multiple songs that worked really well and participating in TV shows like “Los Lunnis” that were successful. Then, she took a break and returned a few years ago, but it’s not the same. Her new songs are not working, and her participation in popular shows like “Your Face Sounds Familiar” is not relevant. She had her moment but that moment ended a long time ago. With or without anxiety (and I wish her the best), her career was over.