Kollaboration New York is proud to announce that Queens-bred rapper IZZY took

September 29, 2025 admin 0 Comments

Kollaboration New York is proud to announce that Queens-bred rapper IZZY took home the grand prize at the 8th annual Kollaboration New York talent competition on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the NYU Skirball Center. Along with the $1,000 prize money, IZZY will also be opening for Kollaboration Los Angeles alum Clara C at her NYC show at Stage 48 on Saturday, Oct. 12.

IZZY will also move on to represent New York alongside 12 other cities competing for the chance to win Kollaboration Star, taking place on Saturday, Nov. 16 in Pasadena, Calif. for the opportunity to take home the grand prize of $20,000. Voting polls to send IZZY to the next round will open later this month on Kollaboration.org.

“We had an absolute blast being a part of Kollaboration NY’s 2013 talent showcase. Me and my team have been feeling nothing but pride at the work we’ve accomplished, and yet are humbled by the talent at this show,” IZZY said. “Each and every singer, dancer, performer, and musician was absolutely astounding and really made an emotional impact on me.”

“I wanted to create something that would stimulate the audience and tell a story – that we must strive for collaboration and not just competition,” he continued. “Competition keeps our talent and art sharp, but collaboration allows us to create the impossible. I hope to continue to spread creativity to LA at KollabStar, and we continuously thank Kollaboration NY for giving us this opportunity to connect to this amazing community.”

Coming in second place on Saturday night was the dueling piano duo, Super Piano Bros., comprised of music students Oskar Yao and Wesley Chu. The pair performed a spell-binding rendition of the theme song from Zelda and won over the audience with their charm and personalities. Oskar is a senior currently attending Julliard and Columbia, and Wesley is currently pursuing his graduate degree at the New England Conservatory of Music.

“We’re very grateful for the entire Kollaboration New York experience,” they said. “From the beginning we were thrilled to be part of such a culturally significant event, one that had a gathering of such exciting and fresh new talent. Just knowing we were included in this is a source of happiness to us, just as much as our pleasure at having shared our own passion and artistry with everyone else.”