When Izzy Escobar was just four years old, she started playing classical violin and studying the Suzuki Method of learning music. “My mom was definitely a proponent of learning an instrument,” she says. “On the other hand, my dad is from Cuba and was a DJ. I would sit with him at the dining room table and we would go over his setlists for the night…Top 40 hits, Cuban music, jazz.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news Escobar believes that upbringing ultimately inspired her own sound, a blend of classical and modern elements that result in her blues-inspired pop. She counts Celine Dion and Whitney Houston among her favorites (“I love powerhouse vocalists”) and says pursuing a career in music always felt natural: “Music immediately gave me this grounding sense of belonging… so I ran with that and never looked back.” Yet, growing up in a small town in Massachusetts, Escobar admits that signing a record deal felt a bit “like a lottery system” — especially given her lack of industry connections.…