Culture That Made Me: Izzy Showbizzy of 96FM picks her touchstones
Born in 1992, Isabel Bartak-Healy, aka Izzy Showbizzy, grew up in Tivoli, Cork. She studied Media and Journalism in Griffith College, Cork. She got a job with Cork's Red FM in 2012, working as an entertainment correspondent and host. In 2019, she became the first woman to win gold for DJ of the Year at the IMRO radio awards. In 2024, she joined Cork's 96FM where she presents The Big Drive Home with Izzy Showbizzy, weekdays 4-8pm.
Pink's music
Early teens, I was very into vintage Pink and everything she was going through in that time of her life. She had so much angst in her music. She was always going through something. As a bit of a moody teenager, I related to that. I prefer her early music, not the stuff she's producing now.
Music mix
Listening to music depends on my mood. I'm going to be a house music girl for life. If I'm out walking the dog and I need to do a 5K in a certain amount of time, I might put on Fisher. For a slower-pace walk, I might put on something like Bombay Bicycle Club, Alt-J. And I love Irish music. I'm mad for Hozier. He's amazing, one of my go-to artists for, say, a slow Sunday drive to Kinsale.
Annie Mac
Having DJed in a lot of clubs over the years, I'm always looking for inspiration. From an Irish perspective, Annie Mac stands out. Annie Mac did so much for Irish DJs. She's absolutely amazing.
Avicii
Avicii was a music producer and DJ, an incredible artist. He passed away young. His real name was Tim Bergling. His work ethic was crazy. He had so many artists wanting to collaborate with him and make beats for him.
It's incredible the way people's brains can work like that – at that level, to be born with such an amazing gift and creative talent. There's a documentary on Netflix about him. I'm interested to learn more about him.
The Diary of a CEO
I enjoy Steven Bartlett's The Diary of a CEO podcast. I'm a fan of deep chats and getting to the bottom of a person's personality and seeing them in a different light.
For instance, he interviewed Jimmy Carr, the comedian, known for being a very funny man, but I loved hearing him on that podcast because you heard about how intelligent he is.
Isabel Bartak-Healy: "I enjoy Steven Bartlett's The Diary of a CEO podcast. I'm a fan of deep chats and getting to the bottom of a person's personality and seeing them in a different light."
You saw him in a different light, in the sense he really thinks about life, about how to get the most out of it. I loved hearing about his positive outlook and how he applies that to his career, his ambitions, his mental health. I found it fascinating.
Solomun
I went to see Solomun in Ibiza last summer. That was pretty cool. It was an outside gig. A hot afternoon – the sun was splitting stones. Daytime gigs are often better. There was a great crowd there. I was with one of my best friends. We went on a five-day trip to the island. It was gorgeous. I ended up making friends with everyone in the crowd – just dancing and everyone's in good form. Great vibes, great fun.
Talos
Recently, Eoin French, who performed as Talos, passed away. He was an incredibly nice man and an amazing singer with one of the most incredible voices. I have been a massive fan of Talos for a number of years. I always loved seeing him live. It seemed like it was always around Christmas he did a gig in St Luke's, Cork. Going to see him there, with its acoustics, and his voice just beaming through in the former church. Unforgettable. The tribute on the Tommy Tiernan Show to him recently was beautiful. I'm talking goosebumps-on-the-back-of-your-neck tribute. An amazing Irish singer-songwriter.
Live at the Marquee
We're blessed with Live at the Marquee every summer in Cork's Virgin Media Park. I've seen so many great gigs at it. It's hard to pin-point one. I went to see Sugababes and Tom Odell there last year. It's great to have it on your doorstep. I grew up around it. Before I went into radio, I worked in the carpark, along with one of my two close friends at the time, so we could get into all the gigs afterwards for free, after taking people's money for parking!
Holy Cow
I started DJing in a place called the Holy Cow, on Hanover St. in Cork, years ago. I loved the night there because all of my friends were DJing there. It was great when you were in your twenties and growing up around music.
We had similar tastes in music. I loved seeing other local DJs – like Stevie G, a legend; Ed Callanan, who taught me how to DJ a long time ago – doing their sets, and wanting to learn more from them.
Laura Whitmore
I admired Laura Whitmore as a TV presenter and her fantastic work ethic growing up. I love the way she handles everything that's thrown at her.
Laura Whitmore: "I admired Laura Whitmore as a TV presenter and her fantastic work ethic growing up."
I admire how she navigates herself through a world that is criticising her, and also how she kept her love life private, but public at the same time.
Presenting, say, Love Island: After Sun – critics didn't think she was a right fit for the show – and how she dealt with the criticism on that.
Caroline Flack
I always loved watching the late Caroline Flack. I loved her TV presenting ability and how comfortable she seemed to be in front of the camera. It seemed like she was just being herself.
I take a lot of that on board when I'm on air myself on the radio. I always think it's about putting a smile on people's faces and being a friendly bubbly voice for the people of Cork. I love to see how other people have done that over the years.
Grey's Anatomy
My friends and I have a running joke about rewatching Grey's Anatomy because it's quite a heavy show: 'Check in on your friends if they're rewatching Grey's Anatomy from the start.' I love Shonda Rhimes, the woman that wrote that show.
Gary Oldman in Slow Horses.
She's incredibly successful. She's done Bridgerton. I interviewed her on the red carpet for the première of one of her shows in the UK. She is a force – to have a brain that can write so many successful TV shows is incredible. She's amazing.
Slow Horses
Slow Horses is some of the best TV I've watched in a long time. It's about rejected MI5 agents that have messed up in their job and are sent to a last-chance house.
They're rejects and they want to solve cases and take on the world and their bosses basically saying, 'Well, you're rejects. How do you think you're gonna crack this case?' It's very entertaining. Gary Oldman is in it. His character is hilarious.
Colleen Hoover
Colleen Hoover is an author I'm drawn to. She's a fiction writer. I've read a lot of her books. There's a romance element to them. I always think it's nice to switch off, particularly on holidays, with a good book.
I feel with her books I end up going into another universe with the characters she's created. I get really drawn into every storyline of her books.
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