Q: Your lyrics are empowering and speak about working hard to achieve success. What was the inspiration behind “Royalty”?
IONIKA: The inspiration behind the song Royalty was to showcase my confidence in myself and my ability to produce a well-polished, energetic record. The track itself was inspired by the music drama show “Empire”. I always loved how their instrumentals were so powerful and orchestral, but they still retained those elements of trap and hip-hop in their beats, so I wanted to take elements from that style and incorporate that into the track, and I was so surprised that I made it work. I’m always a fan of experimentation with new styles and merging genres.
Q: “Royalty” is edgy and gives us the push we all need while being wrapped up in a well-produced package. What did you enjoy most about making this track?
IONIKA: The best part about making this track was definitely the drums. The way you hear those kicks knock and the snare expand with a burst of reverb is like ear candy. The sporadic hi hat patterns you hear also make the instrumental so chaotic but pushes the track forward at the same time. In addition, the various drum switch ups like in the second verse where I use stomps and claps (I took inspiration from Queen’s “We Will Rock You”) creates this stadium like anthem to the drum beat that I’ve never done before and it adds this incredible energy that pairs with my vocals so well.
Q: Who would you most like to collaborate with, if it could be anyone in the world?
IONIKA: Oh, easy. XXXTENTACION. I know it sounds weird to want to collaborate with someone who’s dead, but his influence and legacy changed the music landscape to this day. His ideas and creative mind had no borders- no restraints. If he wanted to mix hip-hop and metal, he’d find a way to do it. And the energy in his vocals, oh man…there was something about his voice that nobody could ever mimic or recreate. He just had this incredible voice that touched everyone across the world because it was his true feelings. How he felt connected with everyone on the planet, and if I could, I’d absolutely love to be in the studio with him just to chat about how he inspired me, and make some dope music haha.
Q: In your own words, how would you describe the music that you typically create?
IONIKA: Definitely all over the place. BUT, it’s not so different that you can’t tell it was made by me. I think one thing that remains the same throughout all my productions are the little details I put in the record, whether it be small percussion instruments or alternate melodies- I always try to find ways to give the listener something different in the same song because let’s be honest, today people have SUCH a short attention span, so I have to make sure to keep the listener hooked throughout the entire song. So I think regardless what kind of music I make, the thing that stays the same would be my workflow on how I approach my productions which applies to any genre I work in.
Q: What do you do when you AREN’T working on music?
IONIKA: When I’m not working on music? Hm, I mean I do workout from time to time hahaha, quarantine really messed up my body so I gotta find ways to stay fit. I’m also still in school, so there’s classes and homework, ugh. On the side, I enjoy shooting photos, painting, doing graphic design. It’s kind of funny, like music is art and when I’m not doing music, I’m still doing art- it’s almost like it runs in my blood. If I’m not doing painting, I’m working on music, and if I’m not working on photos, I’m working on music…so everything goes hand in hand I guess. I’m just an artsy person!
