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Troi Irons sings like a woman on fire. While that phrase is so often used to indicate brightness, contentment, and victory — word to Alicia Keys — Irons is burning in a different way.
Named Troi Alexandria Irons for the twin forces of the ancient city of Troy and its frustrated, would-be conqueror Alexander the Great, it’s unsurprising that she’d be drawn to combat similarly deadlocked forces in her music. Irons uses pop’s subtleties and rock’s untethered rebellion to continually grapple with the forces that seek to overpower us, offering a blazing strain of musical defiance that’s all her own.
Irons’ Turbulence EP is the first thing she’s released as a solo artist, though she has collaborated with the likes of Lupe Fiasco and many others in the past. Turbulence came out last week, and in conjunction with its release, Uproxx Music is premiering an accompanying video for the final track off the EP, “Today,” which plainly and painfully expresses a daily struggle with suicide.
Band of Horses fans will notice a musical riff that is reminiscent of “Funeral,” another song that uses the tiny brittleness of a melodic hook to stand in for the enormity of feelings like this.
Here’s what was going through Irons’ head when she wrote the song, in her own words:
“I think people tend to glaze over what they feel, and we’ve got this culture that doesn’t really deal with their problems. I always thought emotion was a sign of weakness. But when I finally sat down to feel what I had to feel, that’s when I was strong enough to get through it.”
Finding strength in vulnerability might not be paradise, but it’s pretty damn close. For anyone out there who is facing a similar struggle, I hope you find this track as uplifting as I did. Listen above.
Troi’s Turbulence EP is out now via Def Jam. Get it here.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, you’re not alone. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 and you can find more information at Lifeline.
