Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I am currently based in Berlin but was born and grew up in Bavaria, straight in the mountains. Music has always been an essential part of my life. When I was a kid, I sang in a choir, played guitar, and danced. My sister and I organized shows, and our parents and friends had to watch! I just was creative all the time. Later I started writing songs but did this more for myself like others write a diary. At one point, I had hundreds of songs and thought I should maybe take my music more seriously. But I quickly realized, that
developing my song material with other musicians and producers wasn’t for me. I had such a strong vision and didn’t want to make compromises! So I figured I’d better learn how to produce myself. Well, that’s what I did! I then started putting out my songs in 2021, and since then, I’m working on building my solo project.
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: I honestly listened to relatively little music over the last few months as I worked so intensely on new songs, and felt the need to relax my ears a bit at the end of a work day. But I recently found this super talented new rapper, Blakswan, on Instagram. What he does is so different from everything I’ve heard before, and his visuals and music are super strong. It’s just so non-generic, and I love that! Generally speaking, I like
artists who have the guts to do things their way instead of just reproducing what’s already out there.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences, and why the name ‚IRYS’?
A: My real name actually is Iris; I only exchanged the “i” for a „y“! I’ve always liked my real name, so there’s, unfortunately, no interesting story behind my artist name!
I’ve listened to so many great artists over time, so I always have difficulties picking the ones that influenced me the most! But an important influence surely was The XX; when they came up, I fell in love with the simplicity and mood of their songs. And I also listened to a lot of Jack White tunes. Those two acts have definitely influenced my songwriting! My sound later got shaped through being in Berlin, though, and getting in touch with various types of electronic music here.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Riot’. Is there a story behind it?
A: Not so much a story, rather a feeling or a picture I try to paint! Riot, for me, stands for a state of emotional chaos that only can be understood in retrospect. In my song, I’m looking back on a traumatizing situation and trying to make sense of it, to sort it into my timeline so that I don’t need to ruminate on it anymore!
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: I honestly like the concept of releasing singles, and that’s what I do for now. But I’m currently also working on some songs that would make sense as a unity! Maybe I’ll release them as an EP. An album is something I wanna do a bit later in my career, as I feel have to earn that first!
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: I think dark pop describes it best! I make pop music and like good hooks and a recognizable song structure. But, when it comes to sounds, I love to play around! I like the dark and rough undertones of goth; I like trap and trip hop groves. I love spheric guitars. In the end, I just combine and pick elements of different genres and merge them into my own thing. People say my sound is edgier than most of the current electro-pop, and I would agree. Also, I feel my music is catchy and dark, but in a non-melancholic,
rather energetic way. I write about deep topics, but the music kind of evens out the drama a bit, haha!
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: Good question! I definitely have days when I feel exhausted. But the love for music and the drive to make new songs have been way stronger so far! I honestly think it also comes down to your motivation for making music: Is it an internal urge, or do you do things for validation or a certain outcome? Don’t get me wrong, I’m super ambitious, but I also wrote songs just for myself for quite a while, so I would be doing that anyways, no matter the outcome. I feel being super focused and going hard towards your goals while
loving the journey are the key ingredients for fulfillment!
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: I come from writing songs with my guitar, so I’m very melody-focused. Mostly I have a hook or a vocal line in mind and record it on my phone to later work on it in my DAW. Or I start with some chords on my guitar. Song ideas come easy to me, and I can quickly lay out arrangements. What takes the most time is to shape the ideas and work on the sound design and mix! I’m slowly getting more efficient in my work process, though. The lyrics are usually the last thing I add ’cause when I have developed a feel for a song, I automatically know what it will be about.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: I went through a really dark time some years ago, where various stressful and traumatizing events in my life happened within a relatively short period of time. I eventually couldn’t handle it anymore and had some sort of breakdown. It took work to build myself back up, but I made it through and got so much stronger in the process! This dark time, in the end, has made me a better person. I wish I could have seen my today’s self back then!
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: I’m actually most proud of the way I started my project — basically from nothing and from my bedroom, doing everything myself. Besides that, things are going well too! I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback for my music from the get-go. Also, earlier this year, my song “Ride or Die“ got nominated for the “Berlin Music Video Awards” in the category “Best Song“, and I recently received a scholarship to fund my upcoming releases. Plus, a nice remix of “Ride or Die“ is coming up soon! So things have started off really well, and I can’t wait to see where my project is heading in the next months!