Start Listening To: Iris Caltwait

Iris Caltwait crafts beautiful chaos through storytelling and emotional depth.

Hailing from Bergen, Norway, Iris Caltwait blends electronic and acoustic elements to create a unique soundscape filled with raw emotion and intricate storytelling. Her upcoming album, Again, for the first time, explores themes of vulnerability, personal loss, and reclaiming one's narrative. With a creative process that emphasises connection and authenticity, Iris invites listeners into her world of beautiful chaos, where every song is a heartfelt reflection of her journey. Expect an honest and cathartic experience that resonates deeply with the human condition.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

i’m Iris Caltwait, from the west coast of Norway, more specifically Bergen, a city surrounded by seven mountains. the music i make is a mix of everything i love and everything i am. it’s a universe of electronic and acoustic elements, tiny quirks, and details. it’s heavy on the words and the storytelling; i have a lot of shit to say, and i don’t always know how to say it. even in music. i think that’s why i write songs: to cut the words out of me. music is the closest i get to who i am. all this chaos of thoughts, feelings, and words that get stuck in my throat; i think it’s audible in the music. so yeah: beautiful chaos, wrapped in alternative pop-songs, made by a woman who is slightly insane (but comfortably-ish so).

Can you share the inspiration behind your single 'Serpentine' and how it connects to the themes explored in your upcoming album?

i ended up trusting someone i shouldn’t have. they had this control over me, my thoughts, my perspective, and when i finally realised it, i was drowning in fear, shame, and heartbreak. the hardest feeling to reach was anger. for a long time, i couldn’t write about it. their voice still lived in my head, making me feel small. i felt out of control of the narrative, and disappointed in myself for giving them that power. Serpentine was my way of taking the narrative back, with all the shame, anger, confusion, and heartbreak included

What was your creative process like while writing Again, for the first time, and how did it differ from your previous work?

intense. but beautiful. necessary, even. the process isn’t too different from before, it changes day to day, song to song. but the themes this time were heavier. for me, writing music is physical, it punches me in the stomach, plays out like movie scenes in my brain, makes me cry, sweat, laugh, feel sick. i learned to have fun again while writing this. nerding out on every detail with Askjell, challenging each other until everything felt right. the feelings had to be embedded in the song. some days we’d spend hours on one line, only to scrap it. other days, a whole song would fall out of us so easily.

How did collaborating with Askjell influence the sound and direction of this new album compared to your earlier projects?

we’ve worked together since my very first single in 2019. working with him is as natural as breathing. we connect on the most important things: taste, emotion, humour. we cry and laugh at the same stuff. he’s one of the most talented people i know, and when we’re working, it feels like nothing’s impossible. he’s curious, patient, and always challenges me. the vision for this album came from who i am and what i love, and he’s been the perfect partner in helping me uncover that.

Could you discuss the significance of including field samples and personal recordings in your music, especially in 'PINHOLE'?

when i was writing the album, i was deep in the trenches, many reasons why, but one of them was the loss of my grandmother. in PINHOLE, you hear her talking to me while she's fixing my hair. my family is everything to me, and while rebuilding myself, i looked backwards, to my roots, my upbringing, siblings, childhood friends.

after she died, i was terrified of losing everyone. it felt like everyone i love will die, and we’re all just here on borrowed time. using personal recordings was a way to immortalise them. they’re part of my brain. they’re my body parts, losing them would be like cutting off a limb. this album is deeply personal, it only made sense to put their voices in it.

What emotions or experiences do you hope listeners will relate to when they hear the songs on your new album?

i hope it gives someone a break from whatever’s eating them alive. but more than that, i hope it reminds someone to reconnect with their core. to stay curious about the world and the people in it. to be open-hearted and open-minded, but also remember to secure your own mask before helping others:)

i hope it reminds someone to love and comfort the child in themselves. writing this album helped me do that. it’s one of the pillars that now holds me up.

How do you feel your artistic identity has evolved since transitioning from your previous moniker to Iris Caltwait?

i’ve grown up. i’m a little wiser, and more at peace with my faults and stupidness. i’m still working on being fully artistically free, but there’s so much noise out there so i can get a little too much in my head about everything. changing the name felt natural, just “iris” started to feel too short, too innocent, like something was missing. now that i’m becoming a fuller human being, it was time to evolve and get a surname. also, it looks cooler.

Are there particular songs from 'Again, for the first time' that you feel especially connected to, and why do they resonate with you?

it's changing all the time, but right now it's 'Alchemy' and 'shaky'.

'Alchemy' is about accepting that maybe we’re not built to handle life, all this beauty and all this pain. i remember feeling so much relief letting this be the conclusion (living is not for the heart) and gave me a break from all the coping. I was constantly thinking that i should learn to cope BETTER, especially now, i'm 29 - shouldn't i know better how to roll with the punches by now?

'shaky' was cathartic to write. it’s about living with a nervous system on CRACK, a brain that betrays you. Instead of writing another sad, pretty song about it, i needed to scream a little bit. it begins very soft and then i get to let the anger out, and return to the softness again.

What role does your community play in your music-making process, and how do you engage with them through your art?

the music-making process is mine, it starts and ends with me; what i feel, what i want to say, what i need to process. i don’t write based on what i think people want to hear. if i don’t feel it, i won’t make it. BUT the connection that can happen after, when something i made from my own experience connects to someone else, that feels insane, in the best way. we’re all just living wildly different lives, but with so many shared emotions. and sometimes in a strange way a song can make a bridge between us. i engage with the community by just being a person trying to make her way through this messy, beautiful life. i’ve always connected the most with artists who gave me that. and it means the world if i get to offer it back.

Can you share any plans for live performances or tours to support the new album, and what fans can expect from those shows?

yes! i’ll be going on a little tour in january/february. and i’m coming to london november 12th (bring your friends and their moms). the shows will be different from what i've done before. raw and honest. come and check it out if you want to know more;)

What do you love right now?

madison cunningham, sudoku, and phone calls (normally hate them, but now???? can be kind of cute).

What do you hate right now?

intense question, but ok. three things that annoy me: passive aggressiveness, airports, and secrets.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

the beatles. always the beatles. so many of their songs open up a floodgate of nostalgia, and there are still so many of their songs i haven’t even heard yet. i could let them soundtrack my entire life if i wanted to. but in my childhood i’ve mostly listened to Rubber Soul and Abbey Road.

i remember “here comes the sun” being the first moment music really connected to me, and it was all mine. i was standing in my childhood bedroom, looking at our messy garden, when the song came on, and i could feel it like a ball of warmth opening something in my chest. it made me all giggly. strange stuff.

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?

i hope people hear that i squeezed myself completely empty for it. that it’s true. full of detail. something you might need to listen to multiple times, and from start to finish, to really get.

You can pre-order the vinyl here, and pre-save the album on Spotify here.