Music Q&A: Iyves

What informs your music and songwriting?
I am mostly inspired by the environment that surrounds me and often like to find the juxtaposition in that. I have been living in New York going on five years now and this city has been extremely influential on my songwriting and production. The sounds, bustle, smells and energy of a place like New York just infuse themselves into my creative process. I have also found myself looking inward to the nostalgia of my Colorado roots and have pulled a lot of inspiration from the west. I miss being close to the great outdoors and mountains so I tend to put that flair in my writing and soundscape these days.

How have you evolved as an artist over the years?
I have found great evolution in my sound and voice over the years, from working with different collaborators to being in and out of love to adjusting to being in a huge city like New York. This has caused me tremendous growth and evolution and I am here for it! I feel like I keep pushing myself to get better and more vulnerable in the music I am making.

What are you up to at the moment artistically?
I am working on some really, really exciting stuff! Lots of new music in the works – it’s bit of a turn sound wise. I’m very excited to share this next era of Iyves work.

How did you come to create Chromatic?
I started writing the songs for Chromatic in 2015 alongside my great friend and collaborator, Zach Lipkins of Refs. He and I shared a really strong connection and created some pretty deep and vulnerable material. I was going through major life changes and heartbreak, and together we were able to find the words and melodies to convey that. It was a very cathartic experience to be recording over such a tumultuous time. There was no greater therapy!

What are the messages or feelings you are looking to put across with this body of work?
I hope this body of work will resonate with listeners who are going through or have gone through love and heartbreak but also have gained a whole new understanding of self love. This is a multidimensional EP where I wanted to focus on the different kind of relationships we experience at one point in time – with ourselves and others.

What song do you wish you’d written?
I wish I had written I Can’t Make You Love me by Bonnie Raitt. That song is so spot on and heart-wrenching every time I hear it. It’s so personal and relatable.

What’s your worst lyric?
“My way or the highway.” Never released that song!