Image credit : Thel Whirl
Releasing the emotive combined music video for songs “lovemark” & “crawl for me” the past month, electro-pop singer iris is on her roll with a forthcoming album release at the end of this month titled “love and other disasters”. The songstress made waves in 2019, by releasing two successful EP’s that collected over 4 million streams across major platforms in the first 8 months since it released. Covid provided challenges for the singer, who had just finished touring with globally renowned singer Aurora. She also struggled to come to terms with isolation due to quarantine. These latest releases illustrate her frustration and journey to healing.
We chatted with none other than iris below.
Please describe your sound for us.
It’s soft and vulnerable, but it can also be explosive and sensual. It’s a lovely mix of acoustic and electronic sounds.
How did it all start for you?
I’ve always been writing short stories and I always loved singing/creating. I guess it has always been a part of me, and then I was just lucky enough to be born in Bergen where there are a lot of music-loving people. At first, it was mostly a thing I did with friends, playing in a band and playing small festivals etc. I got into producing and writing more songs, and it just went from there. It feels weird explaining it because I don’t know exactly the moment where it all began, it just feels like it’s always been who I am.
Which three artists would you say made you want to create your own music?
låpsley, Joni Mitchell and Kakkmaddafakka.
What is your go-to gear/equipment when creating?
Mostly just piano or guitar, but also my computer and I just play around with vocal loops etc in Logic.
What are some of your key influences in your music? Whether it be the sound created by others, imagery, films or any kind of art form.
It could be anything. I love watching movie clips, montages, trailers, nature, humans and animals. Raw emotion is something that inspires me the most; it can be within myself or from other people.
What is one sub-genre you think doesn’t get the attention it deserves?
I have no idea, I am a bit lost when it comes to genres maybe?
Any new or upcoming artists on your radar?
Solå!!!
What single night out has been the most memorable for you? As a performer? As an attendee?
Watching Lorde in Paris four years ago was one of the most beautiful shows I’ve been to. I fell in love with the city and with her, of course.
As an artist, it has to be when we played in Dublin, or when I did my first solo gig in London. It was just a very special crowd and they really made me feel very seen.
What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
My debut album, “ love and other disasters” will be released at the end of May, and soundwise it is a bit all over the place. It has a little bit of RnB here, some straight-up classic singer-songwriter on the guitar/piano-kind-of-songs, electronic pop-songs, and at least one band-live-sounding song at the end of it. Hmm. Confusing.
Famous last words?
If the ball is bigger than your mouth, it is not your ball.
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