IAMEVE has won several awards for her short music film “Starman” and is currently in production on a 360 Fulldome show. She has been featured in numerous TV shows and Films, most notably for the theme song “To Feel Alive” in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters with composer Andrew Lockington and Nicholas Dodd on Sony Classical. She has performed with many celebrated artists, notably as a guest vocalist for Moby, The Today Show, Fox Good Day NY and is featured in TC Helicon’s “The Ultimate Guide To Singing”.
Described as “… if Alice took Ziggy Stardust’s hand and followed him down the rabbit hole to a world guided by the twists and turns of ethereal and colorful vocals,” by The Huffington Post, IAMEVE is a singer, songwriter and storyteller. Her evocative sound tapestries are inspired by a world of a supernatural nature full of hypnotic vocals, spacey sounds, and surrealism.
What is the message behind your art?
I’ve always been fascinated by the magic of the world and constantly questioning, poking, and exploring anything I don’t understand. So this is a place where I get to play with all of those curiosities musically and visually. Most of this particular series is focused around archetypes and the conscious collective.
What are some sources of inspiration for your lyrics and storytelling?
When I began this project I was going through some pretty major shifts. I had just moved to LA and had a life altering accident that threw me into a very vulnerable place. It made me rethink how I wanted to live my life and how I wanted to create moving forward. That set me on this journey with IAMEVE exploring the mysteries of the Universe and our consciousness, as well as a whole new direction in producing and composing. I do write a lot from my own experiences, but I’m also captivated by the stories of women throughout history and the human psyche. Imagining all the ways we evolve collectively and our individual experiences that make up the whole is fascinating to me.
Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?
As far as newer artists, FKA Twigs is fascinating and is doing a lot of deep work. I also adore Sufjan Stevens. His writing is so soulful and effortless – it reminds me of classic artists like Simon & Garfunkel.
What was the record or artist that changed your life?
So many albums and artists created moments that opened me creatively, so it’s hard to pin down one in particular, though Bjork “Homogenic” is one that jumps immediately to mind. The sound, visuals, and concept threads of that record hit me like no other. I think she is one of the most exquisite creators of our lifetime.
Tell us about Unnerving and how it came about.
When I recorded this four years ago, I was pregnant and the climate in the US both politically and environmentally was in the early stages of our current crisis. I remember the moment I saw one of those political rallies on TV: all the chanting, laughing at vile jokes, pretending climate change wasn’t real: it was unnerving. History is shown to repeat itself and bringing a precious being into the world and watching it unfold felt very scary and heartbreaking. This song is about those feelings and finding hope in such a state of despair.
I was trying to find some type of understanding and what is plain to me is that too many of us are living lives that are fearful, malnourished – and both our planet and society are deeply in need of love and nourishment. We are at a cracking point. Our society, education, systems, and food chain are failing causing physical and mental illness, and our planet is a ticking time bomb. And while I know it is easier to turn a blind eye or check out, we are at a critical time and cannot afford to look away or push it under the rug. Our children need us to be ferocious right now, so they have a planet they can live on. It’s all we should be talking about, frankly.
In any case, when I was writing “Unnerving” and feeling into all those fears, I was also searching for hope and a way to build a bridge across the divide so we can have productive conversations and make change. These lyrics came out:
“All the right words spill upon your hurt. Love is mine to give.
And I wanna make it right…. (deep breath)
So I’m gonna make you right.”
It’s not easy to validate a perspective that feels so distant from your own, but acknowledging the scared inner child in each of us and finding it within ourselves to be generous can open pathways that aren’t possible otherwise. As a mother, I have learned that there are times to hold my screaming toddler no matter what, so he knows he isn’t alone – and there are times I lovingly walk away to give him space to work through it. That’s not always easy to do when you’re exhausted and at the end of your rope or eyeballing a timeline – but that’s the best we can do is hold space with love and hope they make the right choices. And I think we have to find a way to do it for one another and as a society.
You seem to be fusing several musical genres. What inspires your sound?
Yes! The music I listen to is all over the place, so I think a variety of influences find their way in in unexpected ways… When I’m listening for comfort and relaxation, I tend to listen to albums I’ve heard a hundred times, so I don’t have to think. Some go-to’s:
Billie Holiday, Getz/Gilberto, Sufjan Stevens, Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, Chopin, Agnes Obel, Peter Gabriel, Bowie, Bjork, Steve Reich, Ravel, The Pretenders, D’angelo
If I’m looking for production or composition inspiration, it almost feels more like “research” – like I listen for some sound or part that strikes a chord etc. Lately I’ve gone down the modular synth rabbithole and that is sparking a new world of sound that I’m finding incredibly exciting.
How would you want people to feel while listening to your music?
For Unnerving, I hope people feel a chill in the bones and a lot of love spilling over the wound. I’ve shed a lot of tears and emotion through this song and it’s meant to wake something up and touch a nerve.
Where are some things you really want to accomplish as an artist?
Right now, aside from continuing to write, record, and release new songs, the things I’m most focused on are continuing to write songs for film and tv, and moving towards scoring. I’ve been developing a feature length Fulldome show, which is a big priority. I’ve also been building an organization called “Mamas In Music” dedicated to changing stigmas and working environments for mamas in entertainment.
What inspires your style?
This is pretty fluid depending on my mood or whatever feelings or experience I’m sitting with.
I often compose with colors and pictures in mind, which is why I think I’ve found myself working so often in film and tv. I just love working with visuals and if I’m not writing to picture, I’m usually creating one in my mind. Lately I’ve also been exploring modular synthesis and creating my own sound libraries, which is exciting territory for me. The sounds I’m creating there are so unusual, which fuses beautifully with the otherworldly aesthetics in IAMEVE.
Was there ever a moment when you felt like giving up?
At least once a year 🙂
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
Be gentle on yourself and others. We are all doing the best we can and we are all in different places. Not saying to just give the world and ourselves a free pass when we mess up – we have to hold ourselves and others accountable – but we will get a lot further and feel more joyful if we choose to be generous.
Where do you think the next game changer will be in the music industry and entertainment scene?
There’s been a lot of motion in the development of immersive experiences and we’re still exploring ways to tell stories in those mediums. I definitely see that becoming the next big wave. Personally, I am more inspired to create experiences that have a deeper sense of purpose and am also more compelled to get out of the house for a unique experience that has fresh ways of combining artistic mediums. We’ve been in isolation for a long time and most of us have had perspective shifts on how we live due to this pandemic.. And while we are all eager to get back into communal settings, I think many of us will be looking for things that are more meaningful.
