Aimee Iris Releases “Afraid Of The Dark” and Connects With Us for a Powerful, Revealing Interview
- STAFF
- Sep 1
- 9 min read
By: Staff
An electrifying, cinematic triumph, “Afraid Of The Dark” is Aimee Iris at her boldest and most brilliant.
Aimee Iris has just released her striking new single “Afraid Of The Dark,” and with it comes a surge of emotion, tension, and quiet triumph. Wrapped in sweeping arrangements, haunting vocals, and lyrical precision, the track doesn’t just tell a story, it beckons listeners into an intimate world where fear is not avoided, but examined, embraced, and ultimately transformed.
From its first few notes, “Afraid Of The Dark” feels like a descent into something unknown and tender. But what begins with a flicker of nighttime unease quickly deepens into a stirring meditation on emotional courage. Rather than choosing the obvious route, Aimee leans into the complexity of what it means to keep moving forward when everything inside you wants to run. The track builds slowly, deliberately, until it reveals its full shape, bold, breathless, and quietly defiant. A choir of close friends and family adds to the resonance, not just musically, but emotionally, weaving real-life connection into the very heart of the production.
We spoke with Aimee Iris about the origins of this song and how a moment of late-night fear became the spark for a song that speaks to resilience in its truest form. Our conversation moves through the creative process, the power of understated confidence, and how she finds strength in vulnerability. She also opens up about how her genre-blending sound, part cinematic pop, part folk storytelling, part theatrical fire, came to life through experience rather than intention.
This is more than a song drop. It’s a glimpse into an artist finding her voice not through noise, but through depth, honesty, and the courage to try once more.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview:
Hello Aimee Iris, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview! We've had an amazing time exploring your music and diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more intrigued to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.
Q. When we heard “Afraid Of The Dark” we were blown away. Your soaring and powerfully delivered vocals really made an impact on the listener. Plus your lyrics over the intricate and resonant musical arrangement are so exciting. When did you first realize the power of your voice and creative expression? What moment in your life transformed it from a personal, intimate expression to a tool for sharing your story with the world, ultimately laying the foundation for the quickly growing career we see today?
A. Thank you so much, I’m so glad it resonated with you. I have always loved singing, it’s always been when I’ve felt the most like me. When I first started writing songs, they were very personal and I didn’t really share them publicly because they were meant for me. It wasn’t until I started doing gigs and singing other people's songs that I realised how lucky I was to be in a position where people wanted to listen to me and hear my voice. I decided I didn’t want to waste this platform that I had and started sharing my own songs. If my music can help people to feel understood and seen then it’s all worth it for me and the more people who tell me they connect with my music, the more I want to write.
Q. What core message were you hoping to express with “Afraid Of The Dark”, and how do you hope it resonates with the people listening?
A. For me, I wanted to remind people to focus on the things they can control. We can worry about every tiny thing that may or may not exist in the dark and spend our lives living in fear, or we can focus on the problems that we can actually see and let go of all of that extra worry! I really hope that people use this 3 ½ mins to let their hair down and remind themselves that life is hard enough without putting extra pressure on ourselves.
Q. “Afraid of the Dark” started with something as small as a 3am noise in your flat, but it became something much bigger. When did you first realize this song had evolved from a passing fear into a statement about emotional courage?
A. In all honesty the chorus of this song existed for a few months before the rest of the track and it became a sort of mantra for me. It wasn’t me telling everyone else I’m not afraid, it was for myself, self talk is powerful and the more I said it, the more I believed it. When I sat down to write the rest of the track I realised that there was so much more I wanted to say about being brave.
Q. You’ve said that the choir on the track includes some of your best friends and your brother. What did it mean to have those specific voices alongside yours on a song about fear and resilience?
A. It meant the absolute world to me to have them on the track with me. It feels like I’ve got some of the most important people in my life echoing my message, supporting me and facing their own fears at the same time.
Q. You described wanting the track to reflect “the positives of the journey” through fear. What’s something you’ve discovered about yourself in the process of writing music from vulnerable places?
A. I’ve found that the more honest you are as a songwriter, the more people relate to your lyrics, because as human beings we are imperfect, we are flawed and that is something that we all share. Being vulnerable and admitting that, at 3am when I hear the wind rattling the windows, I find it quite easy to fall into a spiral of overthinking, has not only made people laugh along with me but it’s also really connected me with so many people who feel the same way.
Q. The line “Courage doesn’t always roar, it’s that take-a-deep-breath and I’ll try once more” feels like the emotional core of the song. How did that lyric come to you, and has it changed how you define bravery for yourself?
A. I saw a poster years ago that read ‘being brave doesn't have to mean being loud’ and it really resonated with me. As scary as it is standing on a festival stage playing to loads of people, it’s also completely terrifying when you’ve been sitting alone trying to write a song all day and nothing is going the way you want it to. Bravery, to me, is all about how much effort you put in and how many times you try again without giving up rather than the end product.
Q. Your music often brings together cinematic pop with theatrical vocals and folk storytelling. Is this particular musical genre styling something you’ve always embraced from the very beginning of your journey, or has it evolved over time from influences or other genres you experimented with earlier?
A. It’s sort of evolved as I have, I guess. When I was younger I always wanted to be in the musical theatre world and so I have been influenced heavily by this for years but I love a catchy pop hook that stays in your head for weeks and I love using my music to tell a story. I think my mismatched genre has come from me writing how I want without thinking too much about genres and seeing how it sounds afterwards!
Q. You’ve been called “the human equivalent of sunshine,” yet your songs clearly aren’t afraid of the darker or heavier moments. How do you personally hold space for both lightness and depth in your creative and personal life?
A. I am a very smiley, bubbly person, but I have emotions just like everyone else. I think everything is a matter of perspective. There are a lot of uncontrollable things that happen to us all and these can be debilitating, but they can also fuel us to do amazing things and when they do it’s interesting to reflect on whether we would be where we are without them. You can’t see the stars without darkness, so I try to remind myself that we need a bit of both.
Q. You’ve talked about facing fear directly and choosing to see the strength in it. This feels like such a powerful message. Is there a fear you once had that now feels like an essential part of who you are?
A. I was scared a lot during high school (as I’m sure lots of people were), I was scared to be myself because it wasn’t ‘cool’ or it wasn’t what everyone else was doing. I now work part time in a SEND school with children who struggle more than most with fitting in and being able to make a positive impact on their school experiences means the world to me. Getting the chance to be an imperfect role model has shown me how important it was to experience my own fears at that age, giving me an opportunity to relate to and support them fully.
Q. A lot of pop songs focus on outer confidence. Yours seems more interested in earned confidence, the kind you build from within. Has that internal confidence come more through life experiences, or through songwriting itself?
A. I feel that inner confidence is so much more important than the outer confidence that other people see. This song was written as a result of life experiences and the need to remind myself to be brave. It also came about around a similar time to when I completed my mental health first aid course, which definitely played a part in where my head was at.
Q. Some of your lyrics have a quiet strength to them, nothing flashy, just true. We felt they stuck so hard to us. Do you find there’s power in understatement when it comes to expressing something real?
A. I think if something is honest and true you don’t need to say it a million times to make your point. As a songwriter I will say so many things that will get missed on the first listen but I like to think of that as little secret messages that I leave for those who need it. I had a lot of changes happen in my life in a short space of time and people who didn’t understand kept telling me that I had changed and it felt so negative. I knew that the changes they were referring to were vital for self preservation so I started correcting people and telling them that I hadn’t changed, I’d grown and it felt so much more positive, which is where the opening lyric came from.
Q. “Afraid Of The Dark” explores a lot of emotional complexity. In a world that can be quick to comment or judge, does it ever feel difficult to share that much of yourself through music, or do you find that vulnerability empowering in its own way?
A. It can definitely be nerve wracking sharing myself through music but I’ve come to notice that those who care about what you’re saying will truly listen and it will resonate with those who need it. If it doesn't resonate then they’ll carry on scrolling and if they take the time to stop and say something negative then you’ve obviously made an impact on them in some way anyway!
Q. Where does the magic of your music production usually begin? Do you start in a home studio, or do you prefer collaborating with an outside producer? And when it comes to finishing touches, do you handle mixing and mastering yourself, or bring someone else in to help shape the final sound?
A. Most of my ideas start acoustically at home before I bring them to the studio. I am lucky enough to work with an amazing producer called Florian Brey who brings all of my ideas to life. I work with him on every track and he knows exactly how to interpret my excitable ramblings and turn them into everything you hear today. He’s so patient and is happy to try every idea, we have so much fun in recording sessions and work so well together. I then have all of my songs mastered by the fabulous Martin Cooper to keep the sound consistent.
Q. Finally, thank you for sharing such honest and emotionally rich music. What’s next for you? Are there upcoming songs, stories, or directions you’re especially excited to explore?
A. Thank you so much for having me! I am currently working on an album which will include Afraid of the Dark along with a whole range of exciting new tracks. It's currently looking like this will be out next summer. I’m particularly excited to share the song ‘Lavender Sky’ as it’s very personal and emotional for me so keep an eye out for that one!
Aimee Iris, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!
End Interview
We’re happy to have shared Aimee Iris’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
