Story / Erica Russell
Photos / Jules Slutsky
Art direction / Lee Levy
Hair + Makeup / Katya Daniliuk
Styling – Susan Ricker of Off Broadway Vintage
She may look like a discotheque queen, but iDA HAWK’s glossy, booming alt-pop leans way more funk than pure disco. Twirling at the intersection between Adele’s big, stadium-filling croon and Marina and the Diamonds’ glam-pop theatrics, the Brooklyn-based artist crafts the kind of dazzling pop music that makes you want to throw glitter in the air and dance until dawn—a.k.a. the best kind.
In the colorful Chloe Aktas-directed video for her kitschy new single, “Out of Focus”—a funk-soul bop that would make even James Brown get up offa his thing and hit the dance floor—the singer-songwriter’s soaring, soulful vocals manage to retain their rightful place center stage, even amid a kaleidoscope of dizzying, sparkling visual frivolity and fashion-forward posturing: iDA poses in ‘60s go-go boots, dances in a ‘70s diva kaftan and serves fierce retro glamour in the clip.
Speaking to us about the song, iDA shares, “My best ideas for songs come when I am in motion. I love to walkabout New York City (or wherever I happen to be) and improvise melodies. I turn left when I feel like turning left and I turn right when I feel like turning right. NYC is an exciting place to write because you cross paths with so many people. Everyone has a story to tell. Things change so fast from corner to corner and you experience all different types of energy… which can be overwhelming at times, but also incredibly magical. Each new environment I experience inspires melody ideas. I wrote the melody for ‘Out of Focus’ on my daily walk at dusk in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I was improvising for a few minutes, and the notes for the song came out in one full swoop!”
In addition to opening up about the track, the artist also penned a short poem about “Out of Focus,” which she’s sharing on LADYGUNN today. “It expresses the meaning behind the song best as I like writing lyrics that are somewhat abstract so there’s room for the listener to come up with their own interpretation,” she tells us.
“They say that love is blind. But what about the the type of love created by our minds? Do our our minds love blindly? Sadly, not always. See, our minds can over-analyze. Powerful illusions may over-ride the most beautiful possibilities for love in our lives.
We don’t alway see what’s in front of us clearly. We don’t always hear what’s inside. Like a flip of the switch, on off on off, we can choose to see the glow or we can choose to capsize. I believe we have the power to decide. To let love fade or to let love rise. I believe we have the power to decide. To see in or out of focus with our eyes.”
Watch the infectious video for “Out of Focus,” premiering exclusively on LADYGUNN. The single is currently available for free download on iDA’s website. “Invincible,” her song co-written with Big Wild, has garnered over five million streams online and is available to listen to on Spotify now.
