Independent New Zealand artist, Iris, releases “Nightmares,” one of the singles on her upcoming album Art After Dark. It is a beautiful electro-pop song with resonant vocals, a lovely chord progression, and relatable lyrics. We had the pleasure of interviewing Iris, and here’s what she had to say:
Q: Can you walk me through your creative and production process for “Nightmares”?
IRIS: So my songwriting process in general usually begins with a chord progression which I make on the piano normally. Then my producer will help me build out a basic track with drums etc so it’s easier to get a feeling and write to. Then I jump on the mic and record myself a few times just mumbling melodies. Then I will find the best moments within those takes and put them into one track. Then I will listen to the melodies and see what feeling it gives, sometimes I kind of already hear words within the melodies that in turn inspire where the lyrics go. In the case of nightmares, the opening ‘nightmares’ melody is what came first as just an oooh sound and then my producer and I thought it would be cool if it was one long word as the hook. The theme of my upcoming album is me vs me, so once the name ‘nightmares’ came about, I wrote the remainder of the lyrics to express the metaphor of my mind vs me. The nightmare that lives in my head and I have to choose whether or not to listen.
Q: I thought your vocal range on this song was lovely! What was your vocal routine before/during the recording of this song?
IRIS: Thank you so much! I have been taking singing lessons on and off, I have a coach I work with now who really helps me with my breathing and belting technique. But to be honest, the biggest aid was my live streams. I perform my songs live on Tiktok and Instagram a few times a week and that really prepped my vocals for the final recording stage.
Q: “Nightmares” is part of your upcoming album, “Art After Dark.” What would you say is your favorite song off this album? Why?
IRIS: My favorite song from my new album would have to be “I Feel That,” which is actually my next single. It really strikes a chord with me emotionally. I tend to write songs about overcoming and this song in particular feels like it gives a message of hope. The melodies are unique too. I’m very excited for people to hear it 🙂
Q: At what point did you decide you want to be a musician?
IRIS: My dad was in a rock band throughout his youth and adult years (actually he is still in a band now!) so music was always playing around the house. Conveniently he and my mum also met in a record store so maybe the musical love spirit created me hahaha. No, but I’ve always had a strong passion for music and performance.
My youngest memory would be at kindergarten using my toy mic and amp and performing on stage. I would also regularly sing at family barbecues etc. And if there were any extra-curricular at school to do with music you can bet I signed up for all of them! But the moment I knew I really wanted to further pursue music was actually from watching Hannah Montana. I wanted to be a small-town girl turned pop star just like her. I’m sure it’s the same dream as millions of other little girls haha but it definitely became a catalyst for my future endeavors.
Q: What would you say is your best/favorite memory you have created on your musical journey so far?
IRIS: This is a hard one! I have so many. I think what is kind of beautiful about the journey is that I never knew what the outcome would be, I just knew I wanted to make music forever. I think the leap of faith traveling from New Zealand to LA in 2019 certainly was a memory I will hold forever. It was a trip filled with a lot of unexpected turns but it lead to me meeting the producer I have been working with till this day. So I will always cherish that memory.
Q: What aspect of your musical journey are you looking forward to the most this year?
IRIS: I think this album is a different, more mature step in my music career. Every time I put out music it’s closer and closer to the dream music I have always wanted to make. It takes making thousands of songs to really find that sound direction. This album I think has its own unique sound and feeling as compared to my past music which was a lot of genre dipping. My producer and I actually also filmed a movie to which the album is the soundtrack, so I am extremely excited to put that out into the world this year!
Interviewed by Zoey King
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