Iris Bonet is a singer, songwriter, and producer from Jacksonville, Fl. Having grown up with the sound of 90s R&B, her music is infused with the essence of it. She embraces nostalgia with a modern twist. Iris has been writing music for film, tv, and ads, and most recently has had songs on VH1 and with Google. She has several projects in the works and will be releasing new music over the next few months.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Iris Bonet, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Nice to chat with you as well! I was born into a musical family so I've been around music my whole life. I decided I wanted to pursue music professionally when I was around 13 years old. It's be a LONG journey!
Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.
My favorite part of being a musician is of course the creation, but really it's writing lyrics that resonate with people. I love when people tell me they can relate to a verse or a whole song. The worst part for me as an indie artist especially is the marketing part! I always have a weird feeling about pushing out my material because it feels so spammy, but I know it has to be done and there's definitely a right way to do it! It just feels a little icky.
Your latest song is 'Still Here'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
'Still Here' actually started as a beat that I was going to sell, but I was feeling a little discouraged about my music journey at the beginning of the year. So I opened up the track to finish it up because I had started it last year, and these lyrics popped in my head. I thought "maybe I'll make this the first single of the year instead." It gave me a direction to go.
Where do you get inspiration for the very original photos you post on your social media?
Honestly, I used to be a photographer, so I do most of my own photoshoots. I love candid and lifestyle portraiture so I try to incorporate that style into my photoshoots for my singles and albums.
Where are you from and do you have a stable home or do you prefer travelling?
I am from Jacksonville, Fl. I definitely prefer travelling, but for right now I'm in one place. A lot of things in my life are sporadic, so it feels good to have a stable home right now.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
My music is definitely pop, but is heavily influenced by 90s r&b. It's just a genre that I grew up on and I don't really do it on purpose, but it always appears on my beats and tracks. I guess it's just engrained in me at this point.
Can you write what was your best performance in your career? How do you remember it?
When I first ventured out into live performance, it was 2019 so it's all very recent. I don't know that it was the BEST performance, but definitely the most memorable. There was an open mic night at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, GA. It just felt very surreal to be on a stage where some of my favorite artists like John Mayer, Fatai, and Tori Kelly, had performed. Thinking like "Wow, they were here at some point in their career too. This is crazy." Still one of my favorite memories ever.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
Tori Kelly, hands down. I've watched her live and it's so incredible. She's so humble and I feel like her audience would be open to someone like me who is a little more low-key in their performance and just wants to sing and have a good time.
Who's your ideal musician to collaborate with and why?
My ideal musician to collaborate with is someone that is not married to their ideas. I feel like to have a good song, you have to be willing to let go of some things that maybe you thought would work but don't. Basically I can't deal with high maintenance, diva types.
What are your plans for the future?
I just want to keep putting out more music. I'm getting older but I still hold on hope to maybe one day touring, even if it's a short run. But basically I'll just keep creating no matter what!