Following up from her debut NEFERTITI XXI, Inanna is now deepening the environmental message of her project, with her powerful and genre-bending second single On Fire.
After several projects in Italy and Spain, Inanna has taken her music to Los Angeles and the world stage, with a mythical image and a mission for the future, giving a voice to nature and the voiceless in these troubled times for our planet. Her music blends electronic soundscapes and distorted pulses with Middle Eastern rhythms and haunting vocals.
On Fire, written by Inanna and produced by DC-based producer Joshua F. Williams, takes the protest song to a new level, being both a call-to-action and an adrenaline-rousing anthem with war-like drums, inciting lyrics and mysterious background atmospheres.
On Fire was originally inspired by the viral footage of an orangutan trying to defend its forest against a bulldozer tearing it down. It can also be heard as a warning call from the burning Amazon, being a dramatic, poetic and urgent response to climate crisis and habitat destruction. Released parallel to the Global Climate Strikes of September 20-27, the song has the power to fire up engagement and simultaneously going further in drawing the arts into the defense of Na.
In this follow-up interview, I speak with Inanna about the inspiration behind On Fire, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I am originally from Italy, I lived in Spain for about 10 years and I moved here to Los Angeles about a year ago. I am loving California!
I like calling my genre an eco-ethno-electropop experiment, because of the all-environmental and animalist lyrics and the Middle Eastern influences (I have been bellydancing for about 15 years).
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
Last year I asked myself “what do I REALLY want to talk about as a musician?”, “what change do I want to create?”, “what trace do I want to leave behind?”, and the answers were clear, now more than ever: I want to speak up for Nature and animals, I want to sing for them, in these delicate times of change for our planet. I want to be a voice for the voiceless in a time where the arts should do all they can to support the actions against climate change.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
This new release, “On Fire” is an even stronger piece, even more environmental than “Nefertiti XXI”. It explicitely talks about deforestation, land abuse and habitat loss for animals. It was inspired by footage of an orangutan who was trying to fight a bulldozer tearing down its forest. A heartbreaking video I will never forget. I sing for that orangutan and all those animals who are losing their territories because of human activity.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Marketing and promotion! it is definitely the most difficult and challenging part, to be able to reach people beyond your close circle. But I hope this project will have the power to reach people’s hearts and unite them, in spite of their differences, to speak up for the Earth.
Technology helped me a lot in these last years because I learned to self-produce my demos, so I feel that the tracks are really my own creation and my own voice now. My producer Joshua F. Williams is great at fixing my demos and taking them to the next level.
What was the last song you listened to?
I am loving Grandson lately. It was probably Blood // Water.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Definitely MP3, no more stuff around. Even if not among the youngest, but I am a millennial 😉
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I can’t really compare because I have only used Spotify so far and I love it 🙂
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
You can find all the social media links on www.inannaworld.com. I post regularly and th website is always updated with new releases, tour dates and videos.
Anything else before we sign off?
Thank you for having me! I hope to inspire many others, and especially artists, to come together and collaborate to take care of our home, planet Earth.
