Iman
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| Iman Picture taken by Aidan Brooks (UK) |
Interview & Review
To be honest, I really didn't know how to begin talking about this talented artist from the UK. However, I read the following quote and instantly realized just how much making music meant to her... I thought it was so inspiring that I had to add it to the introduction: "I remember when I was 5 or 6 (years old) my primary teacher was asking everyone to stand and say what they aspired to be. Everyone was going around saying 'I want to be a doctor, a vet' you know stuff like that. I got up, very matter of fact and was like 'I’m going to be a singer'. It was something I was totally drawn to. I was always mesmerized watching singers on TV and was constantly putting on little shows, singing and dancing at every chance, my dad would have to tell me to shut up sometimes!" This quote should be inspirational to anyone who doesn't know where to start or go in their life, especially if you are where I am in my life. Why you may ask? Well, I say that because everyone should follow their dreams and remember that it's never entirely about the money. Yes, you need to make a living. Yes, there's more to life than just dreaming. But trust me, if you do what you love then it's all worth it. Iman continues to be proof that the struggle is worth it.
Iman is an upcoming UK artist that I had the pleasure to talk to through her friend Josiah, who is very involved in her promotions and management. To say the least, the people she keeps in touch with and connects with online and in person means a lot to her. Networking isn't the only thing she values, she also holds her fan's connection to her music close to her too."Connections (are) everything to (my creativity), most of my joy comes from being able to share what I’ve written and I get that mainly from my live shows. I love that connection and when people come up to me saying they can relate to my lyrics I know then that I’m doing a good job as that’s the type of artist I’ve always wanted to be."
Iman is an upcoming UK artist that I had the pleasure to talk to through her friend Josiah, who is very involved in her promotions and management. To say the least, the people she keeps in touch with and connects with online and in person means a lot to her. Networking isn't the only thing she values, she also holds her fan's connection to her music close to her too."Connections (are) everything to (my creativity), most of my joy comes from being able to share what I’ve written and I get that mainly from my live shows. I love that connection and when people come up to me saying they can relate to my lyrics I know then that I’m doing a good job as that’s the type of artist I’ve always wanted to be."
"I’ve written songs about domestic abuse to songs about struggling with money and also one about when I was once stood up. I think when people listen to my lyrics they can relate very much (to) my lyrics as I don’t tend to beat around the bush or am abstract with them. My songs are much like stories."
On the 12th of December 2011, Iman released the single Only You containing a remix by Rack n Ruin and the original song that seems to be talking about feeling comfortable in a stable relationship. With this single, I really think Iman was doing exactly what she wanted to do; releasing relateable and honest music. Therefore, Only You is a great first track for her career, and I even like the remix!
5 years later Iman released an electronic-pop track called Give My Best with Tony Tokyo. Give My Best seemed to be a slightly separate road she wanted to take, which isn't a new thing for pop artists. The only reason why it isn't a 5-star song on my list is it is kind of repetitive (but that's common for electronic-pop songs so I won't be too hard about this going forward).
Continuing on her electronic-pop path, Wishing came out a year later (if you lost track that would make it 2017). Like the single Only You, Iman also added remixes to the album (one by One Bomb and another by Matt Jam Lamont & Scott Diaz) and now is being played in certain parts of the world (including Australia) and continues to be her most successful song. I enjoyed these tracks a lot more than Give My Best since it had a more unique sound to it, and the song seems to be an introduction to other tracks that follow the same beat. 5 months later Matt Jam Lamont & Scott Diaz and Iman released their extended mix of Wishing's remix. This didn't really change opinion about the album at all, however.
On March of this year (2018), Iman released a song with New York producer/DJ Yarley G called Forget You. This song is by far my favorite track that has been released so far. The song has a great bass and aromatic beat, and the song has a little bit more pop in it which was slightly more obvious. 5 days after releasing her first US collaborative single, Iman came out with a 4-track single (For You). Along with the original and acoustic versions, the single also included remix versions by naBBoo and Dim Chord. While the original song sets a good tone for the single album, the acoustic track is a more soulful version that compliments the meaningful lyrics. naBBoo is my standout remix on this single, making it on my Electronic (and obviously on UMB's) playlist on Spotify. The only reason I didn't rate this rather positive album 5-stars, is because I simply did not like the Dim Chords remix. To me, the electronic club beat did not match the tone of the song, and it made the chorus annoying to listen to. However, I do like how the vocals seem to fit into the off-beat instrumental introduction.
5 years later Iman released an electronic-pop track called Give My Best with Tony Tokyo. Give My Best seemed to be a slightly separate road she wanted to take, which isn't a new thing for pop artists. The only reason why it isn't a 5-star song on my list is it is kind of repetitive (but that's common for electronic-pop songs so I won't be too hard about this going forward).
Continuing on her electronic-pop path, Wishing came out a year later (if you lost track that would make it 2017). Like the single Only You, Iman also added remixes to the album (one by One Bomb and another by Matt Jam Lamont & Scott Diaz) and now is being played in certain parts of the world (including Australia) and continues to be her most successful song. I enjoyed these tracks a lot more than Give My Best since it had a more unique sound to it, and the song seems to be an introduction to other tracks that follow the same beat. 5 months later Matt Jam Lamont & Scott Diaz and Iman released their extended mix of Wishing's remix. This didn't really change opinion about the album at all, however.
On March of this year (2018), Iman released a song with New York producer/DJ Yarley G called Forget You. This song is by far my favorite track that has been released so far. The song has a great bass and aromatic beat, and the song has a little bit more pop in it which was slightly more obvious. 5 days after releasing her first US collaborative single, Iman came out with a 4-track single (For You). Along with the original and acoustic versions, the single also included remix versions by naBBoo and Dim Chord. While the original song sets a good tone for the single album, the acoustic track is a more soulful version that compliments the meaningful lyrics. naBBoo is my standout remix on this single, making it on my Electronic (and obviously on UMB's) playlist on Spotify. The only reason I didn't rate this rather positive album 5-stars, is because I simply did not like the Dim Chords remix. To me, the electronic club beat did not match the tone of the song, and it made the chorus annoying to listen to. However, I do like how the vocals seem to fit into the off-beat instrumental introduction.
Over time, fans of all ages have been slowly drawn to Iman's music. She says, "I’ve noticed my fan base ranges from teens to older adults. I’m grateful that my music connects with people from so many different backgrounds. I know this because I connect with them personally over social media and meet some of them at my shows."
Iman compliments the UK music scene by saying they seem to "(encourage) you to stand out as opposed to being a carbon copy of another artist. I appreciate that on the radio and charts there will usually be a variation of genres within the top 10. In some territories this isn’t always the case, sometimes the same 5 acts will always be rotated on playlists and that can be disheartening for upcoming artists."
She was fortunate enough to work with mainstream artist and friend (I'm told) Ed Sheeran, "writing with him was brilliant, we had a four-hour session and wrote two songs. He is an absolute talent and truly a super cool guy."
Iman says in 5 years she "truly (sees herself) touring all over the world constantly! I just want to share my songs with as many as I can". But for now, she is working on her next songs, working on her skills with the guitar, and even have started DJing. "I’d like to get some collaborations/features going and am really I’m focused on building my fan base through social media and gigs in order to get more and more people to reach my music," she says. When I heard from Iman, she was working on her single with Yarley G (Forget You) and her other single (For You). She also has 2 songs due to be released by a US-based label (it's unknown if For You and Forget You were those two songs), and additional songs that were going to be released in Greece and Cyprus (being in the US, I obviously don't know if they were released yet). "I’m also looking to have some releases out in Germany and of course the UK too!" Iman remarked.
Iman tells me, "you can join my journey by signing up to my mailing list. On there I post, new pictures, videos, gig dates and you also get a chance to free download a secret song that I’ve never posted or even perform. It can only be heard by being a member via my site - www.imanmusic.co.uk." You can also follow Iman across social media: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Soundcloud.
Iman says in 5 years she "truly (sees herself) touring all over the world constantly! I just want to share my songs with as many as I can". But for now, she is working on her next songs, working on her skills with the guitar, and even have started DJing. "I’d like to get some collaborations/features going and am really I’m focused on building my fan base through social media and gigs in order to get more and more people to reach my music," she says. When I heard from Iman, she was working on her single with Yarley G (Forget You) and her other single (For You). She also has 2 songs due to be released by a US-based label (it's unknown if For You and Forget You were those two songs), and additional songs that were going to be released in Greece and Cyprus (being in the US, I obviously don't know if they were released yet). "I’m also looking to have some releases out in Germany and of course the UK too!" Iman remarked.
Iman tells me, "you can join my journey by signing up to my mailing list. On there I post, new pictures, videos, gig dates and you also get a chance to free download a secret song that I’ve never posted or even perform. It can only be heard by being a member via my site - www.imanmusic.co.uk." You can also follow Iman across social media: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Soundcloud.
Edited by Soapbox editors (6/12/2018)
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(11/28/2018)
Iman's success on Spotify has exploded, her newest songs Freedom (produced by Showdown) was released earlier this Fall has popped up to become her new most popular song with over 200k listens! LOVE is the newest song release from around late Septemeber and early October has almost 30k listens. Get the Feeling was the first to be released for the second half of the year and is also a great song! I am so impressed with these releases, and I am looking forward to next year's releases!!!
Individual thoughts on the tracks:
LOVE: Iman continues to come out with tracks that perfectly mix her pop and soul influences, and although there are definitely many artists from past to present who have achieved this (such as Elvis Presley and John Legend)... I have yet to hear an artist release songs with consistent success like she is having from today. Oh, by the way, LOVE is her second most popular song on Spotify...
Freedom: A lot of credit has to go to Showdown for working in sounds and beats that perfectly fit with Iman's style. Collaboration between EDM and pop musicians are very popular nowadays (such as Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay, Wolves by Marshmello & Selena Gomez, and Oceans by Martin Garrix & Khalid). But not often do you see an artist such as Iman bringing in an influence of soul into a pop track. It may seem irrelevant, but this element of the song makes it sound a little different than just another EDM/Pop track. I really admire this song for this reason other than the fact that the flows so well.
Get the Feeling: Although this track hasn't gotten a lot of traction as Freedom or LOVE, it is yet another good track. It stays consistent with Iman's sound, and so does Somi Jones' remix. I suggest if you enjoy this individual track, that you definitely check out that remix as well! It's more of a club mix of Get the Feeling.
Individual thoughts on the tracks:
LOVE: Iman continues to come out with tracks that perfectly mix her pop and soul influences, and although there are definitely many artists from past to present who have achieved this (such as Elvis Presley and John Legend)... I have yet to hear an artist release songs with consistent success like she is having from today. Oh, by the way, LOVE is her second most popular song on Spotify...
Freedom: A lot of credit has to go to Showdown for working in sounds and beats that perfectly fit with Iman's style. Collaboration between EDM and pop musicians are very popular nowadays (such as Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay, Wolves by Marshmello & Selena Gomez, and Oceans by Martin Garrix & Khalid). But not often do you see an artist such as Iman bringing in an influence of soul into a pop track. It may seem irrelevant, but this element of the song makes it sound a little different than just another EDM/Pop track. I really admire this song for this reason other than the fact that the flows so well.
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| Freedom (feat. Iman) (2018) by Showdown |
L.O.V.E: ★★★★★
Freedom: ★★★★★
Get the Feeling: ★★★★★
For You: ★★★★1/2
Forget You: ★★★★★
Wishing (Extended Remix): ★★★★★
Wishing: ★★★★★
Give My Best: ★★★★1/4
Only You: ★★★★★
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