After just having released her 2nd EP, Irish Songwriter Etaoin is taking a breather with this incredible cover version of Goo Goo Dolls' biggest hit. Stripping it down to its core, with only her arresting voice and a minimum of piano, Etaoin delivers an ardent performance of her all time favourite song.
"I remember the first time I heard 'Iris'," says Etaoin, "I was in the kitchen with my mum and we were listening to Magic radio. I cried at the kitchen table, it was the first song I ever cried to. I remember hearing the words 'I just want you to know who I am' and it resonated so much with me as a shy 13 year old who didn’t feel sure of herself in social situations.
As the years went on iris became a song I listened to when I felt like I needed alone time and needed a place where I could feel like I could truly be honestly myself. I’d listen to it when I wasn’t invited to a party, I listened to it when I flopped a test I worked really hard for, I listened to it when a boy upset me or when I was in hospital and feeling left out."
"It’s my favourite song of all time and the only song that could ever make me feel understood in any situation. I worked in a hat shop up to the age of 18 in London and saved up for my dream guitar and called the guitar Iris.
I wanted to do a stripped back acoustic piano version to really highlight the lyrics of the song, as that’s what always resonated so strongly with me. I wanted to really amp up the intensity and tell the story as truly and honestly as I could. My favourite bit of this version is the repetition of the phrase “I just want you to know who I am” as each time I sing it I feel as if I really am just saying how I feel. As a songwriter and artist that is really all you want. You want people to know who you are, on the inside, beneath all the niceties. You want people to really know your soul. That’s how this song makes me feel. "
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