Iris is a sing/songwriter residing in Los Angeles. Originally from New Zealand Iris discovered her burning passion for music at a young age. In her last year of high school, she won a songwriting competition that led her to Japan for 6 weeks. After the trip, she realized her true goal in life and began saving to move to Los Angeles. From there she established herself from the ground up. Her latest single “Dangerous” has amassed over 4.5 million views on youtube alone. Stay tuned for more from this ambitious and budding songstress!
“Dangerous” is a powerful and meaningful emotional ballad that anyone can relate to. Iris’ echoing vocals and hypnotizing melodies will have you captivated from start to finish. Iris is an expert at creating and performing music in such a way that her fans are hooked. The radiant sound, alluring backbeats, and melodies give off a chill vibe while still keeping the theme of the song relevant. “Dangerous” is a dream-pop ballad with some hints of subtle R&B in there. The fusion of genres blends effortlessly. Iris’ raw vulnerability and sheer vocal power prove that she is here to stay. Iris’ musical background, upbringing, and experience precede her. With so much success and natural talent, Iris is on her way to the top!
Check out “Dangerous” here and keep scrolling for our exclusive interview with Iris.
Welcome to BuzzMusic Iris! How did you gain the drive and ambition to make the trip to Los Angeles?
Thank you! I'm not actually living permanently in America yet, but the reason I went for the first time in September 2018 was purely driven by intuition. It was also because I figured if I was going to drop everything to follow my passion, why not go to the place where stars are really made - the city of angels. I wanted to feel like it was an all or nothing game, so I jumped in the deep end.
You’ve known that music is your passion since you were young, but what inspired you to be so involved with music from such a young age?
I definitely credit the people I was surrounded by. Your environment shapes who you are and I was lucky enough to be brought up by parents who loved music. My dad was in a rock band as a teenager so I guess his genetics passed onto me. My good friend Mia who I met when I was 7 is also a musician and she was the person who first inspired me to write songs. I carried on to play multiple instruments in bands after that, I was sort of shy when it came to singing so I hid behind my guitar haha.
“Dangerous” is an incredible track! What can you tell us about the creative process and the music video for this song?
Thank you so much. Well, this song, in particular, started off as an instrumental that my producer and business partner, Charles Lutman, made for me. He sent me the track and I instantly started running melodies into my voice notes. The melodies of songs always come first for me and I use the cadence of the melody to shape the lyrics around. The song is about being strong and overcoming fears to achieve your dreams. Charles is also a director and from reading my lyrics he pictured a story of two spies battling over an 'ex-lover.' For all of my music videos, there is a plot twist at the end so it's really funny to see how the fans react!
We know your back home now and traveling in between, but did originally moving to LA give you a different perspective on music?
100%. I used to write very jazz-inspired music. It wasn't bad, but it didn't showcase my voice the way pop music can. I used to be much more small-minded and thought I wanted to be 'alternative'. But Charles taught me that pop music isn't limited. In fact, writing a pop song is an art and it took me a LOT of practice to understand the mathematics of it.
You’re quoted as saying you won’t stop until you reach your full potential, what does that ideally look like for you?
I believe you can achieve anything you set your mind to. But my goal is to tour the world as an internationally successful artist, win awards, and hopefully inspire others to follow their own biggest dreams.
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