Troi Irons is a greatly skilled musician with talent and technique oozing out of every note she shreds and sings. Irons developed a love of music under the nurturing encouragement of her musician parents and musician grandparents. She delved into the world of classical music and classic rock, surrounding herself with formative influences that made her the focused and technical artist that she is today. Inspired by the rawness of what she heard she began writing her own songs after she graduated from high school at the age of twelve and hasn’t slowed down since. Troi Irons has departed from the traditional industry, and begun to pave a path for herself outside of the classical label restrictions that she said were a hindrance on her career. I got to interview Troi Irons and delve into her career and her influences.
What made you want to become a musician?
It’s the only thing that makes me happy and I have a natural knack for it. I have a knack for a few things but this one opened up instantly when I was younger and I knew it was the best way to live the type of life that I want. My goal is to always learn and always travel and spend time with people who are the best in their fields whether that’s metal work or literature or set design or numbers.
Is there a particular reason why your influences vary so greatly?
The most important thing my mom taught me was how to learn. That’s really my favorite hobby — music is a means to that end.
A lot of your music ties in the sound of the ’90s, is there something about that era, in particular, that is intriguing or important to you?
Not at all. I mean I guess the ’90s were cool but I’m too young to have paid attention to any of that stuff. Generations get 10 years ago and 10 years ahead. Meaning the 90s was not yet important enough for it to be legacy; I studied the stadium rock chord progressions of the 80s and I studied the melodic production-heavy rock of the 2000s, so I guess when you average them out, that makes my music sound like the 90s.
Why did you name your album, Lost Angels?
My album is called Lost Angels because I moved to Los Angeles when I was 12 to go to college and then the industry sucked me in. I knew who I was but everything around me was changing and not to be trusted. I couldn’t trust industry snakes and I couldn’t rest thinking I was accruing thousands of dollars of debt for no good reason. I was lost and I did “lost” things.
How did you train and hone your craft?
There was a year where I did three writing sessions a day. That helped a lot. Otherwise, I do a lot of studying. I’m always trying to find music and art that will evolve the way I create.
What’s the most difficult part of being a musician, to you?
The startup fee.
You come from a family of musicians – did that ever create any pressure to follow in their footsteps?
I’m pretty stubborn, I like to do my own thing.
Do you still feel any restraints or pressure to conform to any industry norm, even though you no longer are part of a major label?
Absolutely not. I let my hair down in every way.
To keep up with Troi, make sure to follow her on Instagram and listen to the freeing sounds of Troi Irons across all streaming platforms.
Featured image courtesy of Troi Iron’s team at BlackBox.
