A Chat with Igor (22.07.26)
Blurring the lines between hip-hop, R&B and pop in both English and Portuguese, singer-songwriter Igor explores identity, belonging, and human connections with moving melodies. We speak to Igor about his EP, The Curious Case of the Man in the Mirror, AI in music, production and much more.
OSR: A cliché question, but what made you choose to become a musician? What drew you to music?
Igor: Funny story that started 21/22 years ago: I had my first surgeries on my knees around that time, and I could no longer play football or do any type of sports. One day out of the blue, one of my school friends, Hywell Evans, said he was putting a band together and he needed a singer. I had no idea I could sing, but I just said I’ll do it. I sang the song that was hot at the time, which was Maroon 5’s ‘This Love’, and from there I shocked myself and everyone else. Suddenly music became something more than listening; it became being, me and music as one.
OSR: Born in Portugal but now living in London, how do you feel the different cultures influence your music?
Igor: Well, to be honest, I feel considerably lucky to be part of 2 countries – super multicultural. I try as much as possible to dissect music from both countries and beyond; being Portuguese has made me appreciate the folk, fado, French, Italian, Brazilian, pop, along with African genre music, especially of African countries that speak Portuguese. Living in London has opened my mind to classics of the Motown era, funk, punk, heavy metal, grunge and hip hop.
OSR: You recently released your EP, The Curious Case of the Man in the Mirror, that moves across several genres including a strong old-school R&B to frenzied dance, and hip-hop beats closing things off in ‘Lisboa Na Cabeca’. Do you think the EP is a good representation of you as a musician at the moment?
Igor: Yes, the EP I wanted to make felt as old school as possible with slight hints of modern music, but I did things in a back-to-basics form; even recording the entire album on the iPhone was something that brought me back to those days of recording in a garage on a cassette player.
OSR: After listening to the EP in totality, what do you hope listeners take from The Curious Case of the Man in the Mirror?
Igor: Look, honestly, I never make music thinking about what other people think; for me, music is my diary. I’m not interested in being popular or chasing fame. I always say if one person listens to or likes any of my songs, that’s already a success for me. I see this more as a release from things I hold inside, similar to when people talk to their therapist.
OSR: What does The Curious Case of the Man in the Mirror mean to you? What do you take from it?
Igor: This EP is me understanding myself a bit more, or at least trying to lol. Even the album cover, it’s basically me standing face to face with older versions of myself; the true reflection isn’t really in the mirror, it’s in yourself. The knee brace and cocktail of pills are the journey together with those previous albums.
OSR: One interesting aspect of the EP is that you recorded it entirely on an iPhone XS Max when recovering from chronic knee arthritis. How do you feel this use of technology differed from recording in a studio? What were the benefits and drawbacks of recording on an iPhone?
Igor: I saw 0% drawbacks; this was me in my everyday pain that I can never get rid of. Just doing things when I could and with no pressure from anyone else. Not in a booth riffing to impress the engineer or whoever is in the studio, no spending crazy money, just my imperfections, my Lego knees and my phone.
OSR: Speaking of technology in music production. What are your thoughts on the growing use of AI in the music industry? Do you think it’s a good or bad thing, or is it somewhere in between?
Igor: I think if you’re using AI to 100% perfection and releasing it as you, then you’re an imposter. If you’re using it with your own words, voice and minimal AI prompts for your instrumentals, then great, why not. There’s plenty of producers mad at AI for doing that, but the reality is if you charge £200 for an instrumental and an artist can’t afford that, then they will be going to look for cheaper alternatives that suit them – that I’m all for.
There’s plenty of talented people that can’t catch a break and get put off because they can’t find other artists to collaborate with, or when they do, they charge a ludicrous amount and suddenly talent gets wasted and we are stuck listening to the songs which are “popular” on the radio that sound all the same from different signed famous artists. I say be a Russ in this industry, don’t be part of the rubbish the machine gives us – dustpan and sweep the competition.
OSR: If you could change anything on the EP, what would you change and why?
Igor: I would change my vocals to work on days where I have less pain; sometimes it’s evident on the tracks, but it’s also a reminder for me of having the courage to do it in the manner I did it.
OSR: What advice would you give musicians entering the music industry today?
Igor: Be yourselves, don’t depend on your friends and family to tell you you’re good, don’t take notice of the bad, awful comments out there, people with nothing better to do than to put you down. Look at people who criticise you online as thanks for one more view, thanks for getting the algorithm to push my content out more. 🙂
OSR: What can we expect from you in the future? Any new music or tours?
Igor: Well, the only thing that is for sure is that the last EP was my last ever album. I will probably release a couple of singles now and then. I have 20+ years’ worth of unfinished material that needs some love. Tours are currently a no-go for me because my mobility is awful; I can’t be up on stage, and then suddenly I fall in pain doing higher notes than Whitney. I am on socials, so feel free to follow and message me; it’s always a pleasure getting to know new artists/fans.
Many thanks to Igor for speaking with us. Find out more about Igor on his Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
