The Grand Rapids artist Empress Eyes who has released several singles this year talks about her music, her live performances and more in an interview with Local Spins. Plus, watch her latest music video.
Empress Eyes: Making connections and processing emotionally through music. (Courtesy Photo)
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Behind the musical moniker Empress Eyes is Grand Rapids songwriter Clare Crumback.
She is soft-spoken in conversation yet entrancing in mid-song. Standing behind a mini Korg synth, her fingers dancing over the keys, Empress Eyes’ keen melodic sense and ethereal voice float through the room.
With her desire to make music first starting in high school, it wasn’t until more recently that she resumed her craft of songwriting and performing, both as an emotional outlet and a craft.
‘Channeling Emotions’: Empress Eyes (Courtesy Photo)
“I love being able to process emotionally through music. I love connecting with other people. Sometimes it feels like I’m the only one who’s felt this way, but then you make a song that resonates with what so many other people have been through,” she says.
Performing is equally as expressive for Empress Eyes, who moves on stage fluidly, and with a kind of whimsical grace. She hopes audiences feed off of her energy and harness their own sense of freedom.
“I love to dance on stage, and make a fool of myself. I’m not a good dancer, but I want to be free and I want the audience to be free, to laugh, cry, dance, act a fool. Shows should be safe spaces where you can just kind of let your inner child shine,” she says.
“I want people to feel like they can be authentic, no matter who they are and what they’ve gone through.
“I want them to experience freedom and vulnerability and know that there’s space for every emotion.”
LISTEN: “Witchy Trap,” Empress Eyes
Empress Eyes has released several singles this year and recently completed recording an EP, titled “Press Reverse,” set to drop on Dec. 3. The EP was recorded at Beacon Studio with producer Alec Avery.
The tracks encompassing the album that embraces dream pop and shoegaze-hued synthpop are enchanting and musically lush, with ambient layers that spellbind the listener.
With songs about life’s heavy feelings, “channeling emotions” into the music throughout the recording process was important. The record grapples with themes of grief, feeling lost and eventually returning back to oneself.
“I feel like a lot of my music is about finding yourself. The process was healing to me because I got the chance to write about what I was going through (healing through loss and finding yourself),” she says.
“We would stay up late hours after work and do as much as we could. The record is about making things beautiful in your head and wondering if they ever felt the same when things ended.”
VIDEO: “Arcanum,” Empress Eyes, 16 Psych
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