Irene Nelson - Review and Interview

I recently got the chance to interview Irene Nelson and to review her new single, "Sunrise."

"The theme of trial by fire, rebirth and redemption has been constant in Nelson’s life: born in a poor village in Siberia, the difficulty of being deprived of much during her childhood has implanted resilience deep in Nelson’s psyche. Upon completing high school, Nelson said: “I wanted to pursue musical education, and had to quietly escape away from my parents to the capital of Siberia, Novosibirsk. I didn’t know any one when I arrived, and I had no money, so I would go door-to-door seeking shelter,” Irene explains. “I was accepted to one of the universities to study piano composition and theory, but I was too poor to afford to rent a piano, so I drew a keyboard on paper, and would unroll my “piano” and practice daily.” Joining a jazz/big band after finishing school, Nelson spent the next few years touring Europe, participating in festivals and winning various awards."


Before going solo, Nelson was part of the group Reflex, the most successful group of Russia, the band released 8 albums and successfully toured Europe, the U.S. and Asia. While being a member of the group, Reflex and Nelson earned several awards including:
* Reflex was awarded the giant Svarovsky Crystal for Russia’s most fashionable artist on Fashion TV in 2006.
* Reflex earned 3 Russian Grammy Awards
* Irene was named one of FHM Magazine’s Top 100 Sexiest Women on the Planet




At the end of 2008 Irene wrote the lyrics to “Sunrise”, produced by Vlad Tyurin, in both English and Russian. This became her first solo work which raised interest in England and United States. Vlad Tyurin and Irene are currently in the studio finishing up the album which is expected to release late 2009.

I really like her "Sunrise", it has a nice feeling to it. The song has been stuck in my head ever since I first heard it! I also enjoy the video because it is so beautiful and creative! I also liked the special effects! It also shows Irene's wonderful sense of style! “Sunrise,” a mid-tempo homage to love and resurrection, was recorded in London at the George Martin’s legendary Air Studio by Steve Orchard (U2, Coldplay, Peter Gabriel, Dido). The accompanying video was filmed in a 50-room castle in Sweden and Iceland boasts a scenic, jaw-dropping panorama and awe-inspiring special effects, is destined to become one of the most viewed in 2009.

Her is her video for "Sunrise":



Here are the questions and answers from our interview!

What/who inspired you to write Sunrise?

"This song is about love, but this love is beyond physical feelings.

My heroes like saints
Right now humanity is going through a unique time.
People are changing in the blink of an eye while the revaluation of
values is taking place.
The interests that were once materialistic have now been overshadowed
by spirituality
The feeling is very acute.
Like many others, transformation is happening inside my world.
And many things have changed in my life and are continuing to change."


How has it been working as a solo artist, compared to being in a group?

"Earlier on, I wanted to be a centerfold girl showing my sexuality and probably many other artists want the same.
That was a step that I had to take to get rid of my insecurity and complexes
Now I feel more stable and confident.
My solo project has a different conception and totally different
sound and the lyrics have a deep and serious meaning.
I'm still composing songs and generating ideas to inspire others."

Who/what kept you going through the tough times growing up?

"That's a very good question!
Sometimes I feel like I'm the one who makes barriers on my way just to
see if I can get through them.
Because I didn't have to change anything I could be working as I used
to but some weird power forced me to leave everything behind and
move to a different country to start all over again.
Besides that, my dream was to perform a duo with Michael Jackson on
one of my songs "Apples fall to the sky.""




Who is your favorite musician/band and why?

"As a singer I appreciate musicians with unique voices such as Nina
Simone, Chris Cornell, Janis Joplin, Nora Jones, Stevie Wonder, Billy
Holliday, Aretha Franklin.
But, there are many people who are not just musicians and make history ranging from John Lennon, Bono, Bob Dylan and David Bowie
Those two things are more important then just a successful one season song."

Where do you get fashion ideas?

"A guru of American fashion once said, "If I could I would dress a whole
world in black"
Black dresses in my music video are an extension of my inside world,
something unspoken, mysterious with fears of strange and unknown as
well being symbolic of an inside revolution and transformation.
Designers who have a bright outlook on life like Stella McCartney
are very interesting to me.
Works of fashion photographer Polly Mellen are very inspiring as well. From
young artists (fashion) I like Gwen Stefanie's brand L.A.M.B.
For my video the dresses were made by Iceland design company ELM."


When asked how she would describe herself in one word she said,
"Siberian Songbird. Had to use two on this question!"

Check out Irene-Nelson.com today!