Born in Israel, now based in London, singer songwriter Irit is set to release her debut album, ‘Hello’, on 23 March. The album comes on the back of a successful UK support tour, which garnered massive praise from both audiences and critics alike, as well as a fantastic UK headline tour in late February this year.
Like most young people growing up in Israel, Irit served in the army, where she trained as both a soldier and a sniper. Additionally in her very idiosyncratic life she’s acted on stage as part of Israel’s most prestigious theatre troupe, hosted a TV talk show, and worked as both a documentary maker and a comedienne – as well as many other things. Music and singing however have been her ever-present companions, with Irit’s breakthrough coming with her electronic covers band, Last Of Songs, which she formed in Tel Aviv. She gained a lot of experience through playing with the band, but felt her personality was never truly reflected in her music.
“I felt as if I were wearing a pair of tights that were far too small for me, and everything was just broken inside. But I was walking normally and smiling so no one could tell, pretending it was all perfectly fine.”
Irit started writing her own songs, and discovered herself gravitating towards a more organic sound, drawing her inspiration from elaborate Middle Eastern scales and rhythms she’d heard growing up. She also took from pages of her own life experiences: from religion, sexism in the theatre industry, and relationships that hadn’t gone to plan.
Additionally, Irit found a catharsis in fiction writing; her music, as in the theatre, had allowed her to wear masks and take on characters. “Music is theatre, and it’s cinematic.” An acerbic injection of Irit’s personality has left many of the songs filled with a hefty dose of satire, cheek and light-hearted cynicism. She’s someone whose dark humour will make you laugh and cry in the same breath.
Irit went searching for the perfect producer to help her with arrangements for her music, armed with nothing more than her voice and a head full of ideas. She met with producer Jonathan Quarmby, known for his work with Benjamin Clementine’s Mercury winning album ‘At Least For Now’. An intuitive relationship formed quickly, and Jonathan and Irit successfully created the perfect arrangements for the beguiling ideas Irit was forming.
Irit’s inspirations range from Bjork to Kate Bush, but at the same time the playful sound she has developed with Quarmby has been described as something like the Latin jazz of Astrid Gilberto possessed by the soul of PJ Harvey.
Irit will be performing at this year’s Cornbury Festival in July. Tickets are available here. She’s also performing at The Pheasantry, Chelsea, on 9 April. Tickets and further information can be found here. You can find Irit online on Twitter and Facebook.
