Favorite Children with Troi Irons

Cover photo from TIDAL Magazine

Name: Troi Irons

Pronouns: they/but honestly call me whatever

Age: 25

Zodiac: Taurus

OFF THE RECORD: Talk to us a little bit about your latest single, “Miss U Now”. What was the inspiration behind it?

TROI IRONS: I needed to tell myself that it is okay to cherish/mourn the past. But realize that that’s what it is—the past. The present is a new adventure waiting to be lived. Accepting these facts makes you lighter and freer and more powerful—able to enter the grand new chapter waiting on you.

OTR: You often talk about your experience in moving to Los Angeles at a young age and starting college at thirteen—how was that? Your experience is much different than what the typical teenager goes through. Is there ever anything you regret about starting college so young? 

TI: I was homeschooled up until I went to college, so I actually just wanted to be a normal kid. I would have given anything to go to a real high school, but now I guess I’m grateful for the experience. I don’t know how to assimilate, and I’m finally at a point where that helps me more often than it hurts me.

OTR: What is it like being an independent artist in 2020? Are there any specific roadblocks you face because you are no longer behind a label?

TI: I think the biggest roadblock will always be the old bloods running things. When I was on a label, it was old marketing guys pushing corny images and trying to make me “viral”. Now that I’m independent, the roadblock is old white guys who run the playlists and will add a blue-eyed kid with a rap/reggae song to their alternative playlist but somehow claim my acoustic song with upright bass “doesn’t fit their format”. There’s a common denominator here: Old men are getting in my way, and I’ll figure out how to get around them eventually.

OTR: This is sort of like asking for your favorite child, but what is the song you are most proud of writing? 

TI: Oh, I fully support favorite children, and I aspire to be one. I tell my parents all the time, my name better be all over the will. I think I’m proudest of a song called “Am I Happening”. It’s a new song on the album, and it’s the first time I’ve ever openly talked about my toxic relationship patterns. That level of introspection took some real growth, and the lyrics are amongst my most brutally honest. I think a lot of people will be able to see themselves in the song.

OTR: Was there ever any comfort in coming from musician parents—like knowing that you had their support in your musical endeavors?

TI: I didn’t really see it when I was younger, but yes—my parents’ support is a huge part of why I’m able to do what I do. Last week, I drove to Los Angeles and rented a bunch of gear to shoot a music video. I went back and filmed in Vegas at my parents’ home (I’ve been staying there since quarantine started). I was exhausted after the shoot, and the house was a mess. My parents saw I had a migraine from not eating/staying up three days in a row. They actually loaded all the gear into their car and drove it back to Los Angeles for me. I am incredibly grateful, and I can’t believe they did that.

OTR: I’ve read you’re inspired by “80s stadium rock” and the “production-heavy rock of the 2000s”. Which musical artists from those two eras have you studied the most?

TI: I think at that time, I was just getting an idea of the song structure and melody that I liked. I was zoning out to classic rock; I didn’t really build an attachment to specific artists. It’s like language: you grow up around English, it’s your nature. You get a handle on English, and you go study French. So I grew up on KISS, AC/DC, Cinderella, and—like any 00’s kid—Evanescence. The stuff I actually studied with intent was Bjork, Korn, and Sufjan Stevens.

OTR: If you could only pick one song of yours to introduce people into Troi Irons—like a song that you would say encapsulates your music as a whole—what would it be? 

TI: “Lost Angels”.

OTR: What are your favorite colors?

TI: Grey. If I ever have a kid—God forbid—I’ll call it Grey.

OTR: What are your opinions on Friends, the TV show?

TI: I belong to the obnoxious genre of person who doesn’t watch TV or have a Netflix account. I prefer books. So yeah, I missed the Friends phenomenon, but I’ve heard Phoebe is great.

OTR: What is your spirit animal?

TI: A rubber ball named Cody.

OTR: At the moment, what would be the theme song of your life?

TI: “Going to a Town” by Rufus Wainwright.

Thanks again, Troi Irons, for chatting with us! Make sure to check out their Spotify below!