Melis of IYES goes it alone on stark solo debut "Love Song Idea"

As one half of Brighton-based pop duo IYES, Melis Soyaslanová cut her teeth writing and performing sparkling electro-pop tunes like "Glow". After spending some time working on her solo material between Berlin and Prague, today she shares the first taste of her solo musings.

"Love Song Idea" is a stripped back demo of sorts - as Soyaslanová explains below its completion was halted by a hard drive failure. Her crystal-clear vocals weave around the track's minimalist production as she paints a picture and tells a story, through this raw and emotional love song.

We caught up with Melis on the eve of her first release to see what she's been up to and what we can expect from this new project in the not-so-distant future.

What have you been up to since IYES?

I can say that I’ve done a lot of growing up as a human being since IYES, that’s for sure. I’ve spent a lot of time figuring myself out and thinking about what kind of music I want to create and share with the world. I’ve also done a lot more of the actual writing process too!

It's been a while since we heard from you, why the wait to release solo material?

To be honest, I just wasn't ready when it came to my vision and my writing… it has been a long learning process the last five years. There was no rush, no pressure from anyone thankfully but I simply needed the time to process things and just live life for a bit. With IYES there was always compromises to be made since it was a duo, but with my solo material I wanted to be 100% certain about my identity and my songs before putting anything out under my name.

Can you tell us about this demo you've just released?

This is a song I wrote very spontaneously on my guitar, playing just two strings. It’s basically a dialogue between two people who are in a relationship that is unconventional yet raw. The characters are completely fed up and frustrated with their love, despite still caring for and understanding one another.

It's really stripped back, why did you choose to share it in this form?

I did "Love Song" in my bedroom. I recorded the vocal in one take on a shitty microphone. Everything was good and I couldn’t wait to work on it properly with a producer, until my hard drive crashed and the file got deleted (damn!)... so this is the only recording I have left of the song. It’s unfinished and far from perfect but I think there’s some beauty in that… that kinda sums up a true love song, doesn’t it?

Is this what we can expect from future releases?

No. I’ve actually been working on a proper recorded EP which I am very excited about and proud of and cannot wait to share. It’s delicate, it’s what I dreamed of all along...