Folk-pop artist Eden Iris is originally from New Zealand though is now based right here in Los Angeles. She’s preparing to release her debut album in 2020, and has a date at The Other Door in Hollywood right at the start of the year, so we chatted…

L.A. WEEKLY: When did you start singing, writing and performing, and when did you know it could be a career?

EDEN IRIS: I knew I wanted to be a musician when I was 12 years old, when I first started playing the guitar. I played in some rock bands when I was a teenager, which was really fun. Then the whole singer-songwriter thing came later on — I think I was just looking for another way to express myself. And combining music with storytelling had always fascinated me.

Describe your sound…

Indie-folk with pop/electronic influences, and an ethereal quality. I’m a singer-songwriter at heart.

What is your proudest career moment to date?

It was really cool to have a write up about my recent single, “Worse Things,” in Billboard by Gary Graff. He has interviewed a lot of artists that I really look up to, so that meant a lot to me.

What can we expect from this L.A. show?

Definitely some crowd-surfing. Just kidding. I’ll be playing acoustic versions of my songs on my Martin guitar, with some harmonica. I like to share the story behind some of my songs when I play live, to give the audience some context.

What’s next? 

I’ll be releasing four more singles before my debut album comes out in May 2020. I’m also really excited to be performing at the International Folk Alliance Conference in New Orleans, January 22-26.

Eden Iris plays at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8 at The Other Door.

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