Kielle Relles wears many hats. She is a mother, a fiancée, a singer, an entrepreneur, an herbalist practitioner, a believer in the power of community, and above all, a human being. You may know her from Chicago’s ISA Studios or her plant-based remedies that she shares through Bahay By: ISA. You may know her from her time signing background vocals for Sir the Baptist, or from her making Top 15 in Bar 1’s Big Break Vocal Competition. And if you don’t know her, you may want to know her. Allow us to make the introduction.

Kielle was raised by her dad in Maryland and came to Chicago to study at Columbia College. Though she struggled with the idea of making art a living, she knew she wanted to venture out and travel the world. As a college student, Kielle began working with artists as a costume designer and stylist, and singing gospel with the group Chozen Generation. Her talent and dedication earned her a spot as a background singer for Sir the Baptist, but touring with the crew also gave Kielle an eye-opening experience that would inspire her next steps.

“I thought I just wanted to drop one album, make it a multi-sensory experience, and call it a day. But we were on tour and I realized I was more interested in the background of people. I wanted to actually get to know them, instead of just performing for them. I wanted to meet them and know about their life’s work. It drove me to think about my legacy.”

The idea of legacy was certainly something Kielle had thought about prior to touring, but it wasn’t until a fateful night during the New Orleans leg of tour when Kielle was asked what she’d like to be remembered for, that really gave her a push.

“I was so obsessed with pinpointing what my exact contribution to the world around me would be. In that time, it was as if I was on autopilot forcing a fast forward during a major part of my life. I couldn’t even see what I had been accomplishing and living through.”

The idea of not being able to see what she was living through is relevant for many reasons. First and foremost, Kielle’s mental health was suffering. She poured every bit of herself into one thing: music. And in it she found “a feeling of God, of love, and direction,” but it didn’t change the fact she was just cruising through. Furthermore, Kielle’s story of personhood has a significant element of motherhood in it, or lack thereof. Growing up, her own mother was absent, at times both mentally and physically. And these things combined left Kielle without a feeling of safety and a starvation for healing that she wasn’t able to find elsewhere. That is, until she created ISA.

Kielle opened up ISA Studios in Chicago in 2018. At its core, ISA was a refuge for all, but on the outside, it could’ve easily been mistaken for simply a storefront, an events space, a gallery, and a home. But ISA became more than just a space, which is how it has managed to live on, even without an actual physical address.

“ISA is a culmination of my life’s work, it is a proclamation to community, it’s a commitment to art and mental health, it’s a space for the unseen to feel seen, it’s a space for the wounded to seek healing. It’s that, ‘Hey, I know times aren’t always easy but I can help you if you let me.’”

The story of ISA is one of growth. In order to be able to invest in herself, Kielle was bartending full-time. She then opened up ISA and began hosting events while still bartending five days a week. Her first event had 300 ticket sales, and it quickly became apparent how much Chicago needed this studio. Kielle began making a profit and was able to bartend three nights a week, allowing herself to dedicate more of the energy into ISA and its community.

“That’s the great thing about community, it’s ever-growing. People want to feel that sense of home. ISA grew in a way that was really fulfilling. I jumped into it hoping for the best, but I came out feeling really rewarded by the experience.”

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and Kielle’s fiancée’s active military service led the family, who in 2020 welcomed a baby girl, to the Emerald Coast of Florida. Leaving Chicago also meant closing ISA, the physical space. The brand and the sense of community that Kielle created, however, lives on.

“I was gifted the ability to maneuver through and rev myself out of the mud and I find it important to have that kind of tenacity not just as a creative, an entrepreneur, a partner, or a mother but simply as a human being.”

Today, Kielle is proud of being present in each moment with her loved ones. She’s enjoying being a mother and a fiancée, and her entrepreneurial blood is steadily flowing through Bahay, a wellness venture focused on plant-based remedies you can bring into your home.

“It’s beautiful to have something, grow it, and use it for anything. Something to help you heal and sustain your energy.”

Speaking of growth, Kielle is focused on returning back to school for her Psychology and Arts in Healthcare degrees. She plans on becoming a mental health counselor and music therapist. Long term? She expects to reopen ISA and open a counseling practice in ISA Studios’ new home. Kielle plans on becoming a greater resource, especially to the black and brown community, through her work. In addition, she’d like to expand a network for the community and prioritize making room for accessible healing.

And a word of advice for extremely motivated entrepreneurs like herself: Allow yourself some flexibility when taking on experiences, and mark the moments so that you are able to create a visual timeline of your growth.

“You have room to discover yourself, so if that means taking an opportunity that stimulates one part of you and not all of you, then do it. We must do the work to awaken every inch of our being so that we may live our lives whole.”

Follow Kielle on Instagram at @ki.elle, ISA Studios at @ISAstudios, and Bahay at @bahay.byisa.

Kielle Relles on Growth and the Power of Community