We caught up with the brilliant and insightful IIWAA a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi IIWAA, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My upcoming release Scared Of The Dark (June 16th) may be my most meaningful work yet – I’ve had this irresistible dance music stuck in my mind the past two years and creating this album was my opportunity to finally explore those sounds. The album relays my experience as an artist, a journey that isn’t always as glamorous as it may seem and filled with personal sacrifice.

IIWAA, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My first experience as a professional musician was a songwriting internship in 2017 for a band called Urban Doxology. I spent that summer in Richmond, VA writing music every day and in those few months I rekindled my childhood dreams of being a touring Recording Artist. There have been different manifestations of that since then, but most recently as IIWAA. During the stillness of the pandemic lockdown I created this new persona and wrote my debut EP, Dysphoria. I released that record in 2021 and as restrictions lifted I began performing as IIWAA throughout the southwest.

My primary focus as IIWAA is to bring healing through movement and music, holding space for marginal communities with my live shows and advocacy work. I think joy is such a powerful agent for healing and I try to share that through music. I represent the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona & with that comes the understanding that I’m an ambassador for the people in everything that I do. My identity as an Indigenous person is integral to my music career and creative process.

I’ve also continued to develop as a songwriter and recently had the pleasure of writing some songs for ESPN. Hearing the music during the NBA playoffs makes me feel like reaching for the sky might not be high enough.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I’m going to bring my artistry to mainstream music. Not to represent all Indigenous people because culturally we are so diverse, but certainly to be a representative from my tribe and community. I do hope that in the process I can inspire others like myself and be someone worth believing in. There are so many gifted Indigenous creatives who don’t have the same resources or connections to the industry as other artists, myself included. When I get where I’m going it will be because of my belief in the work and the realization of my dream world. If I can crack the ceiling for others, that will be my true legacy.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Most artists are so intentional about what they give to the world. Speaking for myself, the songs on my next album have been inspected from every angle; several songwriting edits, pouring over demos and different mixes, doing the homework to work within different genres… all to make the recordings perfect. The people I hire are all thoughtfully selected and I give my stamp of approval before anything is “finished.” I have to ensure that everything associated with a release tells the story as intended.

Artists that are attentive to detail to this degree create entire worlds to enter into. There’s depth to the work. Personally those are the artists that grip me, have me scouring the internet for interviews or clamoring for front row tickets to their concerts. That’s who I want to be for my fans.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sorrowcircle.com
• Instagram: @queen_iiwaa
• Youtube: iiwaa – official
• Other: @queen_iiwaa on TikTok.

Image Credits
1: Immortal P-One 2: Ben Zappa Dover 3: Shawn Martinez, pictured: DJ Tribal Touch 4: Ben Zappa Dover 5: Noah Bernardo 6: Anthony Conley