Bio:
Iris is a breakout pop artist hailing from the small town of Napier, New Zealand. She grew up listening to the classics; Led Zeppelin and The Beetles, but later turned to Rihanna and Ariana Grande who influenced her music today. A songwriter at heart, Iris shocked her little town when she won the New Zealand Peace Song Competition and flew to Hiroshima, Japan to perform at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and teach music classes. Soon after, she was offered a contract from Universal Music New Zealand, but turned it down in hopes of pursuing her career in Los Angeles as an independent artist. The now 21 year old singer has embraced the evolution of her sound and self with her debut album.

Mission:
Growing up in a small town, Iris felt pressure to conform to local social norms and social stigma. Her story shines light on overcoming pressures wherever you are in the world, even places far outside of the spotlight. This is not the story we’ve all heard of the artist outgrowing of their town to move to do something bigger and better. Iris shows that overcoming the pain and stigma of her town are just as real as the stigmas of LA. Her little town, Napier, wasn’t something she outgrew, it was something that caused damage – just as much as any major city we may hear about in the media. But, like many people in small towns we haven’t heard of, she suffered in silence. Because of this, she developed an eating disorder, constantly viewing herself through a distorted set image and too scared to fight for her confidence. After creating music and using it as an outlet, Iris felt she was growing into herself. A new form of coping and growth came into place as Iris then wrote music she could grow into. Even in her music videos, you can see a physical change alongside the evolution of her music from singer/songwriter to pop. In the same way girls and boys in any city or small town facing whatever very real pressures, can have the confidence to create an image of a happy, healthy, and empowered self to grow into when listening to Iris’s music.

Song Description for Newest Release – Lay with You:
Iris has evolved from her soft-spoken and fragile indie sound in previous singles into a soulful and unapologetic pop powerhouse with the arrival of her first studio album. She describes her transformation as “shedding layers” which is apparent in her warm and relatable, yet dancey new single “Lay with You” from the debut album. The song is a sensual anthem that nods to the simple things in love – finding that unique touch and connection that feels so good, it could only be a miracle. Iris highlights the rarity and complexity of that perfect match that somehow feels unmistakably effortless. Her song “Dangerous” amassed over 4.5 Million views on Youtube and 250k streams on Spotify. Her songwriting has earned her international recognition, winning the New Zealand Peace Song Competition where she travelled to Hiroshima, Japan to perform and teach songwriting classes as part of the prize. Iris is no stranger to major labels; she was offered a contract with Universal Music New Zealand in 2018, but turned it down in hopes of pursuing music in Los Angeles as an independent artist. As Iris picks up momentum, she’s set for an upcoming interview with iHeart Radio Australia to talk about “Lay with You”.

Breaking Barriers:
Iris, and multiple industry veterans and artists, describe the music with one work: different. Anyone who listens to Iris’s music find themselves grasping for something to compare it to or a box to put it in, but always fall short. Iris has an eclectic range of influences that inspired and were manifested into the song "Lay with You”. The music is hyper-inclusive, blending different styles and time periods. For instance, she feels the 2000’s were full of songs you couldn’t get out of your head and she wants to bring that back with her new music. This explains sounds like the synths and piano in the song which channel the nostalgic feelings that anthemic records from the 2000’s would evoke.

Comparisons: “Lay with You” can be compared to Avicii, while other music on the upcoming album can be compared to the instrumentals of Post Malone and Kanye. Vocals are reminiscent of Ariana Granda and Selena Gomez tonally, while channelling the lyrical power and force of Rihanna.

Future:
Iris hopes to perform at major festivals and sell out stadiums, working with the artists she was inspired by. She wants to expand her platform to further her message and help people believe in themselves. Iris dually wants to use her platform and influence for environmental advocacy (as she’s directly affected by climate change with the Ozone hole over New Zealand) and hopes to speak at health centers and publicly in an effort to spread mental health awareness and help fight the pressures that led to her eating disorder in the first place.

Hope for This Article:
The hope this would get organic circulation, would contribute to getting Iris verified on instagram, catch the attention of other people who may want to interview Iris, earn credibility with the DSPs, and drive traffic to Instagram and Spotify.

Website: irisofficialmusic.com
Instagram: @irisofficialmusic
Genre: Pop
Top 3 countries: US, Germany, and Norway
Demo: 18-24 with a 50/50 gender split