New indie pop artist ‘Ice’, enters the music industry with a bang. With a newly released EP ‘Fabricated’ as well as sixteen years of music behind her and a decade of writing, she is taking the world by storm one stream at a time. She draws on influences from dark pop, psychedelia and alt-rock and can be recognized by her distinctive ‘aura branding’, viewing life, emotions and music as colours rather than mere concepts.
Website: heeyitsice.com
IG: @heeyitsice
Twitter: @heeyitsice
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do music for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
I don’t know if it was only one thing. My first memories are of singing and playing music. I told my parents this is something I wanted to do when I was 6 years old. I really started to take it seriously and focus on building a career when I started to like my writing. My first influence and inspiration as a kid was Alicia Keys. I was obsessed with her music growing up. A big influence of mine now is Lorde, especially as I’m getting more into production.
2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?
I think a big thing that separates me from other artists is the way that I brand myself and my music. Seeing music as colors is something that a lot of artists do, but don’t capitalize on enough. My entire plan is focused on color branding, and connecting colors to experience, and music, and everything I have released and will release. I think it’s something we don’t see enough.
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the kind of songs you write? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a musician?
I grew up in an unstable family environment, and that translated into a lot of my relationships. A lot of my songs are inspired by that, and the difficulty of navigating relationships after growing up with an inconsistent view of how relationships are supposed to go. I’ve had a lot of difficulty getting to the place I am as a musician, but the most difficult would definitely be the negative feedback I received for years on end. I’m glad I pushed through that and am getting awesome feedback with my new stuff.
4.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your song-writing and recording process?
When I write my more specific and emotional songs, I start by writing down a list of feelings and thoughts. Like a full page of word vomit, and then group those together into little phrases. Build some chord progressions and usually, the melodies just flow from there.
5.) Unfortunately the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed? Would you rather be on a major label or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regards to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?
It’s all about marketing, and I think my branding really pushes me to the front of a lot of people’s minds. Aesthetic really sticks with people, whether they notice it or not. I think there are positives and negatives to major labels, and I can’t commit to independence or a label just yet. I’m not sure where my career is going to take me. One thing I can say for sure is that I have a really specific vision and if I end up signing to a major label they have to understand that as well as I do, if not better. I don’t think there’s such a thing as a traditional music industry model, music is pop culture, and pop culture changes by the decade. The industry changes as music changes, and as pop culture changes, it’s just its own little cycle.
6.) Are you able to make a living with your music? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your music career? What advice would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in music?
Haven’t reached the point as of yet where I can make a living with music, but I’m super lucky to have such a supportive family who helps me in every step of my career. I rely on private investors and working and saving all the money I can. I think the #1 thing every artist should figure out before their first release is budgeting because that has saved me.
7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?
I think social media is super important for an artist, and I think it makes marketing so much easier. For me personally, I’m a little media challenged so it’s been a bit of a learning curve to be able to market myself in a productive and effective way. I think it’s possible to create a career without relying on social media, but it really lowers your chances.
8.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
I don’t think there’s a single artist that can ever be a sell-out if they’re making the music they want to make.
9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Just doing what I love, making music, and being who I wanna be.