By: Shayla Lee
Hailing from Berlin, IAN LATE is a melancholic pop singer that will give you Coldplay, Kodaline, and Ryan Adams vibes. His music is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea on a chilly day while sitting on a balcony wrapped in a fuzzy blanket.
Ian recently released his latest track ‘All That I Am’ which is nothing short of beautiful and he has a stunning music video to match it. We had the chance to interview Ian and we chatted about his newest single ‘All That I Am,’ touring, and his upcoming EP. We can’t wait for it to be May 4th!
FEMME RIOT: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Did you always know you wanted to be a musician?
IAN LATE: I’m a singer, guitarist and songwriter from Berlin and for the past 2 and a half years I have been working on new record with my band (which we also produced). The idea of being a musician came up quite late, at the end of school. I was very much into sports but music changed my life the day my sister brought a guitar to our home.
Where do you draw inspiration for your music? Do you have any musical influences?
From listening to other artists and from playing some chords or riffs on my guitar and working with my band. My most important musical influences are Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead and Ryan Adams.
You have toured in most of Europe, as well as Australia, Shanghai, and the US. How was your experience touring?
Touring has always been a very exciting and beautiful experience. I combined it with traveling and visiting friends abroad, especially the concerts outside Europe. In Europe, especially in and and around Germany I tour with my band – packed in one car with us and all the instruments. It’s not much about traveling but mostly playing live every night and trying to win new listeners. It can be exhausting but it’s always worth it!
Your newest single ‘All That I Am’ is amazing and we love the video! What was the inspiration behind this song? Can you explain the creative process of the music video?
I was brainstorming with Henning Malz, the video director and a befriended actress until the idea of me walking through Berlin as an astronaut came up. The character longs for a change of thinking in society regarding our earth and he desires actions instead of just talking and reporting to save the world’s beauty and values. The chorus “All that I am, just a simple man” can be understood as self explanation. The song was written in a barn outside the city where my band and I spent a weekend on making music.
You have an EP coming out on May 4th- we can’t wait! What can we expect from this EP?
It’s an album with 9 tracks on it, from drifty Brit-Sound to melancholic ballads and 80s wave sounds. It’s very diverse. I guess my most important musical influences merge on the new record.
Do you have anything else planned for 2018? Hopefully we will see you in Vancouver sometime soon!
We will release 2 more singles and play a release show and some tours. I guess now it is about reaching more people, spreading our music and opening new doors. Hopefully that will take us to Vancouver and the rest of the world soon!
What 3 songs are you currently listening to?
For me it is more about artists and their records. Lately I’ve been listening to The War On Drugs, Ryan Adams and Broken Bells.
We want to thank Ian for doing this interview! The cover photo in this article was shot by Patricia Haas. You can follow Ian’s musical journey on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Watch the stunning music video for ‘All That I Am’ and listen to Ian’s entire collection below!
FEMME RIOT 