From her childhood playing classical piano in China to her emergence as a multilingual pop talent, Irène Schrader has used music to bridge the various cultures she calls her own. Traveling from her current base in Paris back to her familiar former home of Amsterdam, it was the pivotal moments experiencing the Dutch capital's electronic scene, her parents' varied music taste, and their occasional "tough love" that gave her the confidence to pursue her artistic passion full-time.
In this episode of Dam Yankee, host Zack Newmark sits down with Schrader to discuss her latest EP, Eclipse, and the trilingual identity that defines her sound. Writing in English, French, and Mandarin is a natural extension of her "Third Culture Kid" upbringing; as Irène explains, "I started realizing that what felt more intuitive for me was to write in multiple languages because that's just how my brain works. I just, cannot stick to one language mentally, so then I figured I as well try that out with music."
Growing up enjoying French singer Françoise Hardy, but also Mandarin pop music, she said the time spent living in Shanghai affected her art greatly. "I think it was probably one of the first places where I got to discover some hybrid-ish genres, for example, Shanghai jazz, which is well, it's Shanghai jazz. It's like Chinese music, but with some Western sounds that just came from expats in the 20s and 30s that brought their jazz sound from the U.S."
Schrader also gets candid about the "imposter syndrome" that comes with balancing a multifaceted career in modeling and brand management. She recalls a transformative production workshop at the 2023 Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) that gave her the "boost to be like, okay, actually, I am a producer."
From the "temporary confusion" that inspired her new music to her definition of home as "the places where I felt the most ranges of emotion," this conversation explores the heart of an artist who refuses to be pinned down by a single border or category.
Listen to this entire episode of Dam Yankee on all major podcast platforms, or watch the full videos on YouTube. Irène Schrader shares music on several platforms, including Spotify, and frequently shares updates on TikTok and Instagram.
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Amsterdam, Paris, France, Shanghai, China, Irène Schrader, Noord-Holland, music, French, Mandarin, Groningen, Amsterdam Dance Event, journalism, modeling, fashion, Germany, music, pop music, Dam Yankee, podcast, Podcast Interview, entertainment, Zack Newmark, social media, multicultural, ethnically diverse, diversity, University of Amsterdam, marketing, communications, Noord-Holland
