German songstress Iri Antler is an up and coming talent in the dark pop world, adding her own unique spin on the genre in her new single, Finish Line. We recently covered the track in more detail in our Girls to the Front review, but if you’ve somehow missed out, you can also find the brand new video for Finish Line at the end of this interview with Iri!
By Jane Howkins
You’ve just released a new single titled Finish Line. It’s an absolute banger of a track – what can you tell us about the song?
Hey, thank you! It all started with my broken coffee machine. At first I thought I’d make a fun techno loop, but the more I listened to that grinding sound, the more I thought, that to make it fun and techno, I’d have to edit the sound and I wanted to keep it as it is. It sounded almost like metal, so for the melody I used a scale that is common in heavier music and thought of the story the growling bass was telling.
I thought of the daily grind and how we’re rushing through our lives as if there’s guaranteed paradise waiting for us afterwards. How we’re treating our time as disposable. How we’re hustling to achieve things that don’t make us happier and are afraid to stop for a moment and ask ourselves whatever for.
“Running for your life/running from your life” as the chorus goes.
How has the reception to Finish Line been so far? All good I hope?
It’s good, but slow. I decided not to run any eta ads this time, because I had varied success before and it was too much to manage for not much impact. So far, this project exists mostly online and it’s cool to see strangers react to my music and videos. But as it often happens, my reach on TikTok suddenly dropped right before the release for no obvious reason whatsoever. So I’m yet to get a negative reaction.
Are there any plans to release any more singles in the near future?
Yeah, I’m recording 2 at the moment and one collab is waiting to be mixed and mastered. I hope I’ll have the next one out in September, but because I’m really DIY, when life gets in the way, I sometimes have to postpone things. Also I’ve been working with the same mixing engineer for 6 years now, so I also have to make sure that our schedules are aligned.
Can we expect a full-length album or EP from you at some point?
Actually, yes! That’s the reason I didn’t want to try out any other mixing engineers. Most of the singles I release will be forming an album next year. Also I’m planning a studio live session in September/October this year, but it will most likely take until January/February to be ready.
You’re a DIY musician – you write and produce your own music, as well as creating your own music videos. How do you manage to do it all? Do you have a day job as well?
Good question! It really takes up most of my time. I have a mini-job so far and teach music in a music school. I used to play street music to make a living, in the same place where the Beatles began their career. Then, I went to study music and now I’m actually very much in the beginning of my career. Luckily, I have a supportive partner – otherwise, I must admit, my mini-job wouldn’t have been enough.
Have you found it difficult to break out into the music industry as a woman?
Well, I’m still in the process. I can’t know if it’s more difficult as a woman, because I can’t try it out as a man. But I can tell, that as a man you seem to be able to get there by offering a bit less. Like be less put together and have a more relaxed kind of vibe, where if you screw up on stage, it’s less of a big deal, because it’s all chill and casual.
I’ve heard many stories from women guitarists that when during a soundcheck they can’t hear their guitar, the sound guys would ask them if they’d plugged in the guitar. Or the sound engineer women are asked, where’s the real sound guy. Also, some festivals never book you if you write as a woman and you need to get a man to introduce you to it to work, but I have not experienced it myself. I studied production in an all-female class, although our tutor was male, and he was the most supportive to all of us and also said that we were his favourite class.
Who/what would you say your main influences as an artist are, and what have you been listening to recently?
Oh, it’s a wild mixture! I got into music because of HIM, Nightwish, Evanescence, then I became a massive Placebo fan. I don’t listen to those bands as much now though, but I think they’ve been crucial to my world view and my ability to speak and write in English.
After them I had a phase, when I only listened to female artists like Regina Spektor, Florence + the Machine, PJ Harvey, Billie Eilish. Muse got me playing the piano. Hurts got me into production. My music uni got me into pop music like Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan. I also take inspiration from St. Vincent, Aurora, My Brightest Diamond and just the people I know, because most of my friends are musicians by now.
Recently I’ve been listening to the poppiest pop, because there’s a lot to do and it cheers me up. Like listening to Harry Styles’ new album, watching Dua Lipa live from Mexico, going to a Hurts concert in Germany.
You’re currently based in Hamburg. What is the music scene like in the city at the moment?
Hamburg has a lot to offer music-wise. Soon it’s Reeperbahn Festival time. It’s a massive event with many newcomers, stages, events, conferences, networking and pitching opportunities.
Do you have any plans to tour your music across the UK at any point?
I’d love that! So far, I once unsuccessfully applied for a visa and got denied entry, because they said I wanted to work there illegally based on my interview, which consisted of questions about my name, where I came from and my age. There was a form, though, where I did mention that I was a street musician, so maybe that was the part they didn’t like. But still, I’d like to play there some day. It’s probably even more challenging after Brexit, but generally, I don’t need a very big set up for the stage and my friends travel to play some open mics there.
Any last words for the fans?
A few days ago I put out a music video for Finish Line. The Big Bad Wolf is wearing a fur coat there. It was an idea that popped into my mind and I wan’t sure that it was possible to make it reality. But a quick search on the internet and we had a perfect coat for the wolf. So what I want people to believe, is that you should try, before you decide, that anything is impossible.
Also, the video is horror, glamour, salami and if you’re into DIY artists, you’ll love it.
Social media: Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok