Irene is a multifaceted talent and dynamic singer and songwriter. She is not only the creator of Irene’s Entropy: The Identity Project but also the proprietor of Irene’s Entropy – a venture dedicated to aiding individuals in their journey from trauma to success.
Irene employs the art of storytelling through lyrics and melody, guiding her audience on a path of self-discovery. Her personal narrative is one marked by hardship, fury, transformation, and personal development. Growing up ensnared in a manipulative environment and conditioned to harm herself, Irene had an epiphany at the age of 21, realizing that her entire life had been built on falsehoods.
We talked to her about her latest release ‘Identity’, a song that represents the precipice of the rupture of their paradigms and the gateway to a journey of self-discovery.
“Identity” touches on some deeply personal and challenging experiences you’ve faced. How and when in life did you decide to channel these experiences into your music?
I became estranged from my family and started my life over after I left the Mormon religion. I was dealing with my paradigm shattering when I started writing music as a therapeutic outlet.
What message are you hoping to convey to your listeners with ‘Identity’?
I hope it provokes every listener to ask what their addictions are, and what part of their identity is stifled because of those addictions. We live in a world with drugs beyond physical substances—social media, work, money, popularity, politics, religion—those addictions keep so many people in a haze of anxiety, depression, self-loathing, and bitterness. The song is meant to encourage self-reflection from the listener while promoting change and growth…the end chorus says, “To learn is to change.”
The song mentions something about spending twenty years of life in heaven only to find out it wasn’t real. Can you elaborate on that phrase in conceptual terms?
People often say cults feel like heaven when you’re in them, but they’re hell as soon as you leave. I wrote this line as a representation of that feeling…I was 21 when I left.
Could you elaborate on the significance of ‘being an addict’ within this song and the needle inside your veins?
Although I’ve never had an addiction to a physical substance, I’ve experienced addictions to other things like codependency and infantilization. I chased dopamine highs in a haze of obedience, drugged by the promise of priceless knowledge. Even after leaving Mormonism and my family behind, the damage from a lifetime of swallowing the same pills of ego, shame, guilt, and a predetermined identity left me crippled. I’ve had the opportunity to sit with recovering addicts of physical substances, and when we listen to this song we relate on a fundamental level of trauma, recovery, and identity shift. It’s a hard road, and you must be comfortable with the idea of starting over again and again.
“Identity” is the first release from your album. Can you provide some insight into the overall theme and narrative of the album, and how it relates to your journey of self-discovery?
Every bit of Irene’s Entropy exists to make me a better person and to facilitate conversations, thoughts, and actions for others who are looking to learn, change, and grow. My self-discovery and recovery are a pure reflection of this music and this album. I’ve written so many songs, but I’ve carefully chosen the ones that were placed on this tracklist. Every lyric has a purpose, and the production of every song tells an important chapter of my story.
Your journey has involved overcoming significant obstacles. How did you find the strength and motivation to keep going, especially during times of extreme hardship?
There are multiple answers to this question. Initially, I thought I wanted to prove to my family I wasn’t crazy for leaving Mormonism, but that quickly subsided into wanting to prove to myself I was smart and capable—that’s the period I decided to get my engineering degree. For better or for worse, I’ve always loved the feeling of an underdog. It’s great motivation. However, I think the greatest strength and motivation has come from my husband. He has seen me at my worst in every way as I’ve gone through healing, and shown me what unconditional love looks like. He makes me want to be a better version of myself, and his love and friendship have made all the difference.
Music often serves as a therapeutic outlet for artists. How has the process of creating this song and album helped you cope with the emotional and physical challenges you’ve faced?
I found myself while writing this album. The depth of self-discovery that resulted from writing these songs started me down a path of success. I wouldn’t be here without it. There’s no other way of saying it—if I finished this album and died tomorrow I’d be happy with what I left behind in this world. This project is not just my story…it’s an album to uplift, challenge, and change the listener.
Can you share any specific artistic or musical influences that have played a role in shaping the sound and style of “Identity” and your upcoming album?
If I had to make musical comparisons, you’ll find all sorts of rock influences on the album—from Paramore and Blink 182 (which are in the same ballpark as Identity) to RAGE and Temple of the Dog. It’s lyrical storytelling from the 70s with the attitude of the 90s wrapped in a unique modern finish. The goal is that people press play on the first track to hear good music and end on the last track having found a piece of themselves.
As you’ve been working on this album for five years, can you discuss any significant milestones or moments of personal growth you’ve experienced during this creative journey?
My entire life changed during the course of writing this album. I left behind my entire world, I found new friends, fell in love, got married, and became a stepmom. I got multiple degrees during the course of this album, started my career as an engineer in aerospace, started a band and a company, and created a brand… in doing all of this I also created my new identity. And with that came the milestones of learning how to love myself, find peace, and confidence, and own my life.
Your story is one of resilience and transformation. What advice would you give to others who may be facing their own demons and searching for their identity through art or self-expression?
In my experience, the most important demon I ever faced was myself. I think good advice would be don’t go looking for a journey where you’re conquering other ghosts of the past… focus on yourself in the present. Pay attention to your artistic desires. Our best offerings to the universe come when we connect to ourselves and create something that years down the road we look back on and think—wow—I was really trying to tell myself something. To rephrase, self-expression through art is often when we can find alignment that prepares a path to change and growth. Don’t stop it from happening, embrace it.
Let’s talk about the video, whose idea was it and how do you think the song relates to it?
The video is written and directed by me, Irene, as is the entire storyline for the music video series of this album. My husband has been a brilliant companion and storyboard partner, but in the end, every artistic decision has been mine to make. I’ll probably have future albums that are more collaborative in nature, but this is an artistic retelling of my personal story. I have to make sure the details in the lyrics and videos are tied to the reality of what I went through to get here.
We would like you to talk about the ‘Identity Project’, which is a super important space, in which people can tell their most painful experiences and do so anonymously. When was it born? How has that space developed and how many people has it managed to impact?
When I was at my loneliest stage I just wanted to find other people that understood what I was going through. I also wanted to find a way to turn trauma into something artistically beautiful. I started The Identity Project in August of 2022 as a way of collecting anonymous experiences of women with religious trauma. I contracted a graphic artist to help me portray the letters in a way that highlighted the strength of the woman behind the trauma. While the project itself is still small and has been on the back burner while I’ve been gearing up for the album release, it is something I hope to continue and expand for years to come. The messages I get on my Instagram and website from around the world have proven to me that holding a space for something like this is important. It keeps me grounded in purpose.
Looking ahead, what can fans and listeners expect from the rest of your album, and how will it continue to explore the themes of self-discovery and personal growth?
Expect a story. Expect easter eggs. Expect to be challenged in your own identity if you really listen to the songs. And more than anything— expect some incredible new music to add to your playlists.
Irene promises to make music that challenges the mental and emotional status of the listener and perhaps without leaving aside her interest in empowering others to experience a personal transformative process.
