About Phoenix Ren

When did you start making music?

I wrote my first music pieces when I was 14 – a 4-voice Christmas carol, a piece for flute and piano, and a piece for soprano saxophone and piano. I’d been a violinist for 11 years from the age of 7, played the oboe for 5 years, piano for 3 years, and had vocal coaching for a few years. I played in various music groups and choirs from around the age of 7 until I was 19.

I then effectively stopped being involved in music until I was 29 when I met other musicians and DJ’s/producers in London and realised I wanted to create work as a singer/songwriter.

I’m from a creative family with various connections to the creative arts: live music, theatre set design, painting, pottery and acting. My mother’s cousin is Jeremy Northam, well known for several films and TV series and his brother, Christopher. Northam, wrote music used in Gosford Park.

What music did you grow up listening to?

I grew up listening to loads of different genres though early childhood was influenced heavily by classical music (especially Rachmaninov, Arvo Pärt, Mozart and Bach) due to my parents’ playing and teaching as well as 80’s and 70’s - Abba featured prominently, as did Enya and Clannad. I was also interested in the emotional spaces I found myself in listening to trad jazz, soul, rhythm’n’blues, and traditional music styles played in other countries, especially Scandinavia, Ireland, South America, North Africa, Spain, the Baltics, Central Africa and Russia.

At 8 years old, I discovered Depeche Mode (through their “Violator” album) and discovered a whole other world of music and a more melancholic style of songwriting which still influences my writing today.

As I got older the more alternative artists took my attention. I wasn’t really interested in boy bands, girl bands or grunge. I tended to like music that my peers couldn’t relate to or found odd at my age…I later discovered electronic music, EDM (deep house) and liquid drum’n’bass.

Teens & early twenties: anything trip hop, Pink Floyd, The Cure, Björk, Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Prince, Mazzy Star, Texas, Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead, Tori Amos, Kate Bush, James, Nine Inch Nails, Lamb, Olive, Paul Oakenfold, EBTG, Metric, Hooverphonic, Ibiza 90’s ‘classics’, Faithless, and other dance acts.

Where are you based?

Hampshire, UK but I’m originally from Stockholm, Sweden

What genre of music do you create?

I don’t think I fit into a ‘genre’ really but if I had to, it’d be alternative and dark (downtempo) electronica/electronic.

What other artists inspire your sound?

Depeche Mode, Hælos, Röyksopp, ARY, Zola Blood, Sigur Ros, Poliça, Thom Yorke, London Grammar, Moderat, Agnes Obel, Massive Attack, Lamb, Olive, Bonobo, Metric, Zola Jesus, Max Richter, Thomas Newman, Imogen Heap.

What artists do you align yourself with?

Hælos, Zola Blood, Poliça, London Grammar, Zola Jesus, Sigur Ros, Bonobo

Anything exciting about your previous releases?

My first single was a cover of Etherwood’s “Begin By Letting Go” which I started re-working when I lived in Switzerland and finished in the UK during Covid after I’d met my producer/engineer, Vaughn Jones from Media Recordings. I actually met Etherwood at a DnB event in Bern just as I was working on things and his record company allowed me to release my version just as I moved back to the UK.

What are you focusing on now?

I’m working on a new track which is more up-tempo and has a social commentary vibe to it.

I have lots of ideas to get down into a music form and have a few EP’s on my list – each having a ‘flavour’ or style of its own. So my future work may look quite diverse but collated into themes.

Do you have any awards to your name? Any accolades or achievements?

No, not yet… ;-)

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Releasing my first single of my own creation after what seems a lifetime, and receiving a lot of genuine interest from strangers who’ve listened to my work. Plus knowing it’s now the right time to get my music out there.

What inspires you to create the music you create (whether it’s producing/writing/singing)?

I always felt quite deeply and spiritually that my music was about my creative service to others, not for me or for money. It has a journey and a place all of its own. If it helps someone in some little way, my music has achieved its purpose.

With so much going on in the world and the impact on people and their emotions, my music is inspired to help people in whatever way it has relevance to them. Whether through my voice, the lyrics, chord progressions or whatever. I’m big on collaboration so I have a great relationship with my producer/engineer to help visualise my music in its final form, and follow the journey that takes me on.

My music inspires me to push my own comfort zone (I have massive stage freight with my voice) and allows me to connect with others. That’s the most important thing to me, to join with someone else’s emotional space at a given time.

Anything else that you can think of that is really important and you want people to know about you?

Symbolism: “Phoenix’ is clear regarding its meaning - the bird that resurrects, immortality, and life after death (metaphorically for me). “Ren” symbolises a virtue that comes from the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, denoting that feeling of benevolence you get when of service to others / being altruistic. The Chinese symbol for Ren “仁”can be seen in the tail of the Phoenix in my artist logo.

I fund all my own music production (through my day job) and the majority of the proceeds of my music generally go to charity, especially those concerned with mental health.

I write and connect with music emotionally, sonically, and visually rather than just through the actual sound it makes.

I am driven by the effect my music has on listeners. For example, if a listener feels inspired or healed in some way or resonates with what I create, that’s the biggest compliment I can get.