
Alternative pop artist and talented vocalist Ines takes inspiration from powerhouse women in music, such as London Grammar, Florence and the Machine, Muna, and Marika Hackman. And we can hear it. Originally from Brighton, Ines moved to London to kick off her music career and has blasted off since. She will play Islington Radio Festival this September, and currently runs Queer Off, an event demonstrating the emerging queer talent across the capital. Not only an incredible artist, but Ines is also an incredible person and an invaluable leader in the LGBTQA+ community.
Interviews┃Music┃ 27.08.2021
IZLAND interviewed Ines on her latest intimate and mystical track 'to love her', the push behind creativity, queerness, and being a female in the music industry.
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Interview with Ines
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We absolutely loved your latest track. Tell us the inspiration behind 'To Love Her'?
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Ines: Thanks so much! The inspiration came from staring my first queer relationship, the first dates and weeks where everything is anxiety filled, but so exciting. Where you wish you could read their mind and over think every little touch - all the beautiful intimacy that grows with someone new. It is also about just loving someone for them, and for no other reason than to love them - not for validation or boredom or other reasons that I have dated before.
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What pushes you to be creative?
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Ines: My identity as a queer person largely shapes my creativity- I felt like I didn’t see in colour before I started exploring my queer self, making queer friends and dating in a queer relationship. Everything about it inspires me, and the queer community I’m in is so beautiful I could write about it forever. Writing is also a real release for me, I’m someone who is very in tune with their emotions, some might say sensitive but I’m cool with that. I love to wear my heart on my sleeve and feel it all so there’s often lots to write about!
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Besides music, what helps you grow and maintain your sense of self as an artist and as an individual?
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Ines: As mentioned, I co-run an event in south London called Queer Off. It’s a monthly event where we showcase LGBTQ talent such as musicians, drag, comedians - you name it! Through that I meet so many amazing artists and creatives that it really helps solidify what I do and why. I also have my own radio show on Islington Radio called Queer Sounds where I play my fave tunes from LGBTQ artists. I love discovering new music! I suppose that is all music related, but it’s not making my own so I hope it counts! My whole life is music!
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Tell us about your experience both as a female in the music industry and as a member of the LGBTQA+ community?
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Ines: I have worked in the music industry for the last 3 years, as my 9-5 job. I have worked at recording studios and record labels and it has been generally a great experience, but I do see the disparity in experiences for woman and men and all the other intersections of identity. It can be tough to be the only female identifying person in the room, as well as the only queer person. I have worked hard to ensure I write music for queers and my whole life is shaped around this community where I do feel really safe. I know others aren’t as lucky, and in an environment that isn’t inclusive, I don’t feel the same way.
There is a lot of work to do, and I would like to say it’s moving in the right direction but I feel as though it’s the job of the non-minority to try and help with, and that doesn’t fill me with a huge amount of confidence. Ha!
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