Valley of the Dolls marks a re-emergence onto the Twin Cities music scene for Isa, who earned acclaim for her first two albums—most recently Street Politics, released in 2009 when Isa was just 22. Isa, who was raised in St. Paul to parents of Puerto Rican heritage, further raised her profile the following year when she joined the cast of Rent in a much-praised production at the Lab Theater. Listen to Maria Isa's 2009 session live at the Current; here's a video from that session.