Hello, Irina. How would you describe your music in your own words for any person who has never heard it before? Irina: Probably depression you can jam to. I'd like to think that I write a lot of deep and introspective lyrics, and I pair them up with catchy and often upbeat melodies.
What’s the significance of your musical moniker? I: Well, Irina is my real name! And then, I came up with the name "Imme" a couple of years ago. I was told that my real surname, "Atanasiu," means immortal in Greek, so I took the "Imm" from immortal and merged it with "e," which is the initial of my other name, "Elena," to make Imme! Imme also sounds like "I'm me," which I thought was pretty cool when I came up with it.
What are your influences? I: Because my music taste is so diverse, there are a lot of musical influences from several different genres and time periods. I definitely took inspiration from Twenty One Pilots when it comes to the whole "deep lyrics and upbeat melodies" thing. Lyrically, Taylor Swift is a huge influence of mine. I also get inspired from bands such as The Beatles, My Chemical Romance, Nothing But Thieves, Radiohead, and artists such as Mars Argo and Marina.
What are your inspirations? I: My music is inspired by my personal life. The more "extraordinary" things that happen in my life or around me, the more songs I write, generally speaking.
If given the chance, what musician(s) would you like to collaborate with? Rather this is to either write a song or be featured on a track. I: I would love to collaborate with Tyler Joseph at some point, either as a producer or as a co-writer or even a duet. Additionally, I'd also like to collaborate with Taylor Swift; we could co-write a song and record it as a duet!
Which songs on the upcoming project were the most fun to write, and which were the most challenging to write? I: My upcoming project was originally going to be an album. However, now it's looking like it's most probably going to be another EP. It was a hard decision to make because this meant removing half of the songs from the project. To be very honest, most of the songs were quite easy to write because I wrote the songs for this project in a very emotional time in my life, so the words and the ideas just came very easily to me while in this state.
Do you have any favourites off the upcoming projects? I: It's hard to say at the moment as I'm still working on the production, but I'd probably have to go with "Not Enough." I was really happy with that song from the moment I wrote it, so keep
an eye out for this one!
What's the forthcoming project about, if you mind me asking? I: This project features a lot of sad songs. Songs about heartbreak, depression, and self-hatred. I guess it's an album about depression and hopelessness. I think it's important to release these songs because when the next batch of songs are released -which are definitely more positive- my fanbase will see that no matter how awful they may feel in the moment, just like most things in life, that feeling will eventually pass.
Do you have any favourite songs to perform live? Could be your own music or even a
cover. Any reason why? I: I really enjoy performing my original song "Rather Die" live. Partly because my fanbase really enjoys it and partly because it's just a very catchy and fun song to perform.
If you could perform a show this very second anywhere in the world, where would it be? Is there any particular venue(s) or city/cities that comes to mind?
I: Lately, I have a bit of an obsession with New York, so I guess I'll pick that as my city. Let's be ambitious and say Madison Square Garden!
What do you currently have planned for the remainder of the year? I: I’m currently working on a music video. As well as recording the songs for my upcoming EP. Asides from that, I want to play more live gigs as well. One thing that I want to do at some point is perform with a band since I usually play acoustic sets when I play live.
Thanks for the time today, Irina. Is there anything else you may want to add before you go? I: Thank you for talking to me. I just want to wish everyone that's reading this a great day, and I hope my upcoming music will live up to the hype!