'The Ecstasy of Everything - The IAMEVE Story'

With the movie Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters now in theatres, actress Paloma Kwiatkowski gave her seal of approval to IAMEVE‘s musical interpretation of her on screen character Thalia Grace.

"I love the song! ‘To Feel Alive' perfectly captures Thalia's vulnerability that we don't expect from the brash and determined appearance she normally puts on. But that's exactly what she's feeling as she awakes - utter confusion and fear conflicting her fighter instincts. It's beautiful."

Indeed, ethereal pop singer IAMEVE’s ‘To Feel Alive’ is the movies end title track and is about the awakening of Paloma’s character in the movie. The track was written by IAMEVE and Canadian composer Andrew Lockington. The track was produced by Brian Liesgang (Filter,NIN, Smashing Pumpkins) and Cory Enemy (Ellie Goulding, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga).

IAMEVE's debut album is a pure example of a fierce independent spirit; a heroic tale of coming into oneself in the face of adversity. The Everything Nothing is living proof that love and willingness can triumph over anything. Musically it blends futuristic keyboards into cinematic soundscapes with an ethereal and energetic voice that channels something from another world.

And so with IAMEVE’s debut album The Everything Nothing set to debut later this year, and the song 'Red & Black' as the latest single from the album, Exclusive Magazine sat down with IAMEVE for a chat!

Reflecting back to your youth, what were you listening to as you grew up that suddenly made you realize you wanted to be a singer also? "When I was wee I had an eclectic rotation of 45's that included Paul Simon, The Smurfs, and just about every Motown Classic ;)"

And when did your musical alter-ego, the heroine Eve Ami first come to light? "It showed up in little pieces over time, but it really came to light summer of 2011 in a vivid dream where I heard the name IAMEVE and everything become very clear."

Growing up, were you always theatrical at school, performing in plays wearing costumes and such, perhaps? "Yes! I can't remember a time when I wasn't writing, performing, or singing. That was when I was always happiest."

With your debut album due out soon, please tell us more about why it was titled THE EVERYTHING NOTHING? "The Everything Nothing is what I call the world of IAMEVE, which encompasses the entire universe. Throughout the entire album, Eve is constantly transforming until she barely recognizes herself and in the end the world explodes into Stardust representing that everything is one and the same."

"A lot of this was inspired through a belief that everything in the world is a reflection of itself and therefore nothing is what we think it is. There is always a positive and negative, a yin and yang, an Everything and a Nothing to every situation. I think that we exist in a similar state as a pendulum, rolling back and forth, until one day we get to the center and its still. Everything is always moving and nothing is still for long. That's where The Everything Nothing comes from."

And what would be its running musical theme? "Musically I love dreamy soundscapes with tons of melodic hooks and electronic beats. There's also a lot of experimentation with operatic vocals layered in over deep harmonies to counter the leads. I think it has ethereal qualities, but it also has a lot of drive which compliments the story telling."

I was listening to some of your songs and found them to be very eclectic. So, as others have tried to "label you," how would you yourself describe your music? "Thank you! I think eclectic is a perfect description.. I love music from all parts of the world and have so many sources of inspiration that it always ends up sounding a little different. Creating out of complete chaos is generally what inspires me, so probably I would describe it as Esoteric, Fantastical, Chaos Pop."

And being that we can now hear your track 'To Feel Alive' in the new PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS movie, did you write the song specifically for the awakening of Paloma Kwiatkowski's character Thalia Grace - or was the song written a while back and the people behind PJ: SOM just now picked up on it? "Yes it was written specifically for the awakening of Thalia. It just was a perfect coincidence that the story of Thalia's awakening resonates similarly with The Everything Nothing."

Will it be on your upcoming debut album, perhaps? "It is currently available on the Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters Soundtrack, so not on the album. But I'll most likely release another version as well - possibly a bonus track on the album :)"

I am listening to 'Red and Black' as I type these questions so please tell me more about how this song came to be? "I had this crazy dream with fire and snakes and the chorus kept repeating in my head. The chorus chant felt like a force of nature and at first I wasn't sure if it could be turned into a song for this album, but when I brought it to my producers Jim Marr and Wendy Page, they were really excited about it. We ended up having so much fun building it into this trance-like, sensual song that feels so feminine and empowering - and it couldn't have been more perfect for that part of the story where Eve finally comes into her own power."

Please tell us more about how VoiceLive Play GTX has figured into your music these days? "I use it for every show and occasionally use it to experiment in the studio. It's fantastic because it gives me the ability to tweak and pre-program my vocal list for the entire set, as well as live looping, which I always use live for the song "Self Sabotage". It's quite fun, has a lot of flexibility, and makes travel and set up for live shows super simple."

It's been said that all your videos released thus far from Act 1 (the EP) and what's to come are all going to be linked so that together they will help tell a story. But what story can we expect to be told? "Each song has its own little twists and turns, but overall the story takes you on Eve's journey from self-sabotage and darkness to self-love and light, as she searches for the love of her life, Starman."

Your overall dress sense, for single covers and such is very, well, Lady GaGa-ish, so to speak! When did you start to understand that fashion would play a huge part in your musical direction "Fashion has always been a creative outlet for my live performances and images. It's always played an important role for me in creating an experience and telling stories. In The Everything Nothing the different looks for each portrait and song represent a different past lifetime that Eve experiences as she moves from darkness into light."

And do you design all the wonderful clothes and facial wear that we see online, perhaps? "I usually do the overall creative direction, but each image is the result of collaboration between some truly incredible, talented, generous people who have helped bring it to life."

I get the feeling you are an avid fan of fairytales and fantasy worlds - much like Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings, etc? "I've read the Tolkien trilogy 7 times and Game of Thrones long before it was a TV show. Yes - I'm smitten for them!"

Lastly, we here at Exclusive Magazine love penguins (the birds) - do you have any love for them or any funny stories about them, perhaps? "Penguins are one of the most playful and romantic creatures on the planet. It seems like the way they love, care for one another, and communicate has so much in common with humans on our best days. I especially love watching the way they play and goof off together :)"

Interviewed by Russell A. Trunk

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