An Interview with iivory

This week, Shimmer Media was able to sit down with Austin Bennett to talk about his new music under the name iivory. We discussed his upcoming single, his refusal to confine himself to any one genre, and his plans post- quarantine. This young man is confident in his sound, born out of an early love for Coldplay and alternative rock. Bennett says, “I wanted to make whatever music I wanted to make in the moment. That being said, I make music that sounds like whatever I’m interested in at the moment. I’m influenced by everything. For better or for worse!” 

Currently, Bennett is inspired by The Neighbourhood and The Weeknd. However, he refuses to limit himself and his sound artistically. “If you don’t branch out and listen to new things, you’ll never know what you’re missing,” Bennett explained. Two songs from the aforementioned artists- “Daddy Issues” by The Neighbourhood, & “Starboy” by The Weeknd- are powerful influences for his new track “on my own.” Alongside R&B artist/producer, Jubaa, Bennett has masterfully created a dark electronic sound with pop influence. “My choice in having Jubaa on the record and having him lend a hand in the production really influenced how the song came to be. I think we may have created a new genre/subgenre (not to sound too arrogant) because it’s really hard for the both of us to strictly define what it is,” Bennett said of the new song. 

For Bennett, music is about more than just communication. It’s about connection. “[Music] is where the memories are made. Whenever I have a really good memory I can always recall what songs I was listening to at that time and who I was with.” 

Bennett also had some great advice for other aspiring artists. “The best advice I’ve ever been given is to fail fast so you can succeed faster. Failure and mistakes are the foundation you build upon whenever you try something new. The faster you can be wrong, the sooner you can be right. It sounds super backwards but that mindset is crucial, especially in the music business.”

He went on to offer some wisdom, saying, “If you need help actually finishing your songs and putting it out there’s a solution for that. Set a deadline. Setting a deadline allows you to put pressure on yourself to get your music done by a certain point. Otherwise you’re never gonna get it done and you’re gonna tweak it to death while making little to no progress. There’s a principle I always tell people that struggle with this called Parkinson’s Law which basically states that work will always expand to fit the time given for its completion.”

        Bennett continued, “I would suggest in addition to posting on your socials and telling your awesome friends to listen and share your music, writing press releases and submitting them to music blogs (like SHIMMER!) is the next big step! It’s tough being a truly DIY musician/artist these days given the overwhelming sea of music that exists on the internet and all the people that are trying to “make it “and be heard. This business isn’t an easy one but if you keep at it, continue to learn, and continue to grow, you’ll get where you want to go.”

With Bennett’s clear passion for music and artistry, we were curious to know what his personal music taste looks like. We asked him to pick one album to listen to for the rest of his life. After a long debate and some tough decisions, he answered with British rock band’s The 1975’s album, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. “I immediately fell in love. They’ve easily become one of my favorite bands. Matty Healy is such a clever and talented songwriter and that coupled with George’s production is something only they could make,” Bennett gushed. 

On the topic of production, Bennett gave us a bit of insight into how crucial the production of his music to him.“I pretty much produce everything you hear. I fully produced my first two singles, “nc <-> ca” and “i will always be” from the ground up in Ableton. On my newest single however, I had the amazing opportunity to work with R&B artist/producer, Jubaa,” Bennett continued. “I brought him the song last December and asked him if he wanted to co-produce it with me and fortunately he said yes! I was looking to lean into a more hard-hitting R&B style with this record and after hearing some of his music I knew he was the guy this song needed. I was originally just going to co-produce it with him but he’s got such an amazing voice that it only felt right to have him sing on it too. It was my first experience ever really collaborating with someone across all parts of the song and we both worked really hard to present this song in the best way possible. Hopefully that comes across!”

As far as his post- quarantine plans, expect big things from Bennett. “I would love to play some live shows after quarantine! I don’t have any officially scheduled right now but that’s something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while now. I actually haven’t performed under the name iivory yet. I don’t wanna do anything halfway though. I want to make sure that the first show is gonna be one to remember.”

We cannot wait to experience iivory live, and we are more than excited to hear new music from this talented individual. You can find iivory’s music, including his newest song “on my own” on Spotify. Make sure to follow his socials @iamiivory for more content.