IYLA: TRANSFORMING GRIEF INTO POWER WITH WEEPING ANGEL
In our exclusive conversation for The UNTITLED Podcast, visionary alt-R&B artist Iyla opens up about her fearless and deeply personal debut album Weeping Angel. Co-written and executive produced with longtime collaborator Kadis, the 13-track record channels the loss of her mother into a lush, cinematic exploration of love, spirituality, and self-renewal.
With Weeping Angel, the Los Angeles–born artist steps boldly into a new chapter defined by vulnerability, confidence, and emotional alchemy. Across the album, Iyla merges ethereal vocals and sharp lyricism with the fearless sensuality that has made her one of contemporary R&B’s most captivating new voices. Songs like “Corset” and “Pledge” shimmer with Y2K-inspired rhythm and unapologetic attitude, while “Blue Eyes” and “Cotton Candy Clouds” reflect the spectrum of grief and grace that shaped the project.
Having first turned heads with acclaimed EPs War + Raindrops, Other Ways to Vent, and Appetite for Disaster—and after touring with Demi Lovato and headlining her own sold-out North American run—Iyla delivers her most personal and fearless work to date. As she shared in our interview, Weeping Angel is more than an album; it’s “a way of surviving, of making art from the wreckage, and discovering new parts of myself through it all.”
You can listen to the full conversation now on The UNTITLED Podcast hosted by Indira Cesarine, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major streaming platforms.
Indira Cesarine: First of all, I just want to congratulate you on your recent New York City performance at Fly Fish Club. I was actually at the event and saw your incredible performance of “Corset.” I loved seeing that live — it was so good!
Iyla: Thank you! It was so fun to do it live. I hadn’t sung that song live before, so it was a really exciting moment for me. That was such a fun night.
Indira: How did the show feel for you overall? It was quite an intimate venue!
Iyla: It was. That venue was so beautiful. The show felt a little therapeutic, honestly. It had been a while since I’d performed, and getting to perform both an older song and this new one, “Corset,” was just awesome. Everyone was really present — the energy was so good, and that always helps!
Indira: I thought it was incredible. Hearing you live, your voice was so strong, and the song is so catchy. I think it’s going to do really well. That performance was also celebrating your debut album, Weeping Angel, which just dropped — very exciting! How does it feel to finally have it out in the world?
Iyla: It feels so good to have it out. It’s been so many years in the making. In a lot of ways, Weeping Angel feels like it’s been my whole life in the making because I’ve released other projects and singles, of course — but as an artist, that debut album moment, a full-length project, it’s just next level. It feels really special, and having it out there also feels therapeutic in a way.
Indira: I can imagine. From my understanding, it was also quite an intense creative process with this album. I want to circle back to the beginning — I know you grew up in the San Fernando Valley. Tell me about your childhood there and how growing up in that environment shaped your work as an artist?
Iyla: Yes, I’m from the San Fernando Valley in L.A. It’s really cool to grow up in a place like L.A. because there’s so much opportunity, especially in the entertainment world. It’s also challenging because there’s so much struggle — so many people fighting for a dream. A lot of people come here to live out their dreams, and my parents did that as well.
I grew up in a really creative environment. My parents — and my extended family — were all different kinds of artists. Many of them used art as a way to get through hard times and express themselves. I was surrounded by that: painters, my mom made dresses from scratch, and my dad is a singer-songwriter. There was just so much! I feel very nurtured by all of that — art, and where I’m from — it was a combo of all of it.
Indira: I understand you were deeply in the process of creating and recording the album when you lost your mother, which must have been heartbreaking. How did you deal with that during such an important time in your life? I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been — and I’d imagine it impacted the album quite profoundly.
Iyla: Absolutely. I had a good chunk of the songs done when my mom passed. She had been sick, and I was her caregiver, so I was balancing a lot. But she wasn’t diagnosed as terminal, so it was shocking when she passed. She got to hear a lot of the album, but my whole world flipped upside down. She was my entire world — it was shocking and painful.
Honestly, I had a lot of moments of, “How will I survive this, let alone keep making art?” My whole life, I saw people make art from pain — some of the greatest artists of all time have expressed themselves that way. I thought, I’m this far in. She would hate it if I didn’t finish this. I wouldn’t have even gotten to the point of making my debut album if she hadn’t loved me and encouraged me to follow my dreams.
That definitely shifted the album. A lot of the fun songs on the album were done before she passed, and those were the ones she loved — she hated sad songs! She was not that girl! So finishing the album afterward was my way of putting myself into it — of expressing where I’m at now. The fun parts are really what she would have loved. It all feels very genuine and like a full-circle moment.
Indira Cesarine: I understand that you’ve said your music became sparkly and ethereal despite the heaviness you were feeling. Was that a conscious decision to balance the darkness of what you were going through emotionally, or did that just happen naturally?
Iyla: I think I became more like my mom when she passed. She was sparkly and ethereal, and maybe I became more like her during the creative process — it wasn’t intentional. Or maybe she was also working on this album and thought, I’m going to put my stuff in there. I think my lust for life and the way I looked at the world actually became more colorful after she passed because I could see how precious it is to be here. So, for a few different reasons, that’s just how it evolved — and it’s so real.
Indira: I love that. I also heard you mention tapping into Y2K vibes for the album. You’ve said you’re a nineties girl — tell me a little bit about some of your musical influences.
Iyla: I love Brandy — I’ve always loved her. When I was little, the live-action Cinderella came out with Brandy and Whitney Houston. They were just magical to me — so ethereal — and their voices really guided me through my youth. I also loved, of course, Britney and Christina and all those fun artists. I’m such a nineties baby and early 2000s girl because I was born in ’93, so I’m right in that era. It’s such an inspiring time — that whole sound and energy really influence me.
Indira: I understand you collaborated with your producer Kadis, who you’ve worked with for many years. You two really make magic in the studio!
Iyla: Thank you! I met Kadis about ten years ago, which is crazy. He was the first producer I ever worked with who really saw me for who I was. He told me, “Who you are — the music you want to make, whether it’s R&B or jazz — it all works, and we can do this together.”
The music industry can be tough, even on the creative side, because people constantly want to put you in a box. From a young age, that’s something I experienced, but Kadis never did. That was refreshing. Having him in my life has been such a blessing, and growing together over this long has been incredible.
For both of us, this album feels like the best thing we’ve ever made. We challenge each other — we’re both perfectionists, which can get intense — but we challenge each other to keep getting better. We’re never satisfied! He’s a great collaborator.
Indira: Tell me about how the album evolved for you creatively? Were there any songs that completely changed, or perhaps tracks that took on new meaning?
Iyla: Absolutely. “Strut” was one of the songs that was finished before my mom passed, and she loved it because it was disco-inspired. She’d been telling me forever that I needed a disco song — she was born in the seventies!
We also had a song on the album called “Ghost.” She had heard it and loved it — it was a ballad, a love song, a little on the sad side. When she passed, my team suggested, “What if you took ‘Ghost’ and rewrote it about your mom?” And I said, “No way. I can’t write anything ever again.”
But a couple of months later, on New Year’s Eve, I decided to take a stab at rewriting “Ghost.” In about fifteen minutes, the lyrics poured out of me, and “Ghost” became “Blue Eyes.” It was the first song I made after she passed — and the hardest I’ve ever written or sung.
That’s a great example of a song that transformed — something that was once one thing became much more important and a lot sadder. A lot of the songs did. Her passing made me feel more connected to myself and to her, wherever she is. There are a lot of spiritual elements that have been poured into the album because, for a long time — and sometimes still — I feel like I’m between this world and the next, reaching for her.
“Join Hands” is another one that came from that space — I wanted to take things to another level spiritually while still being playful in the lyrics.
Indira Cesarine: It feels like the record really captures the full spectrum of being a woman — strength, sensuality, vulnerability, spirituality — all of it. There’s a real duality in the songs; you’re encompassing light and dark, spiritual and sensual at the same time. How did you bring all these themes together so seamlessly and fearlessly?
Iyla: First of all, I’m so glad you feel that way. That means the world to me. I don’t think it’s an original thought to say that being a woman is complex — but it’s true. A lot of times people want to put you in a category: you can be beautiful or serious, funny or smart — but if you try to be sexy along with any of those things, suddenly there are rules.
I’m all about breaking those rules. Human beings are made up of light and dark — whatever that means to you. For me, being a woman is about stepping into all those spaces. Sometimes that’s private, sometimes public. In my art, I showcase those elements so that women listening can feel that way in the mirror, or wherever they are.
This album was a time for me to explore that more deeply, and really go there. I always say grief is just loving someone so much. The heaviness of grief is love. So when I talk about light and dark, it’s really one and the same. I think as a woman, I embody both — and I want to encourage other women to embrace that too.
Indira: I’d love to talk about your song “Corset,” which you performed at the event. It has such an incredible sound — the beats, the rhythm — it’s seductive, and there’s tension in it. I understand the meaning behind it is about what we go through to find love and the challenges we face. Tell me, in your own words, what the song is about.
Iyla: I think “Corset” is about exploring your sexuality as a woman and feeling empowered in choosing to be with yourself — but also how hard that decision can be. When you’re with the wrong person and it’s toxic, you keep calling them back like a siren. Then, when they come back, you’re like, Oh right — this is restricting and I hate this. This man feels like a corset I just want to peel off.
That’s really what I wanted to write the song about. It came to me quickly because it was easy to talk about. I think a lot of women feel that — going back to the same person again and again because it’s comfortable, until you realize, wait, this is extremely uncomfortable, and I want to break out of this. “Corset” became an anthem to tell that story — but in a more honest way.
Indira: The video is so striking — visually, it’s like you’re an angel carved from stone, coming to life. It’s unexpected and so beautifully done and the makeup is really incredible. Tell me about the concept behind the visuals for that?
Iyla: Oh, I love that video so much. By that point, I already knew I wanted to call the album Weeping Angel. Since “Corset” opens the album, I thought, Wait — I should be a weeping angel statue! What’s more restricting than cement or stone? That idea of feeling trapped — in yourself, in a relationship, whatever it is — it came together beautifully. The shoot was definitely a process. I was in prosthetics and makeup for four hours — I had to totally dehydrate and couldn’t eat because once you’re in that statue, there’s no going to the bathroom or moving around. We filmed for hours, and it took almost two more to get everything off. But it was so worth it for the art. I’d do anything for the art, and I’m so happy with how it came out.
Indira: Did they use plaster for the effect?
Iyla: It was simple prosthetics to cover what needed covering, and then everything was hand-painted. They started with a base coat using a paintbrush, then added a custom-made headpiece. After that, I was airbrushed and hand-painted again to create cracks and textures so it looked aged. What a process. It was beautiful to watch like artists in another field doing their thing. It was magical.
Indira: The look is incredible — so dynamic, visually very catchy, and original. Tell me about the story behind “Pledge,” another major song on the album?
Iyla: “Pledge” is one we’d been working on for a couple of years, trying to get it just right. From day one, I felt it was a woman-empowerment song. Again, it explores that temptation to return to a relationship that doesn’t serve you — maybe both people made mistakes. I wanted to put that into “Pledge” as well, lyrically. At the end of the day, I need you to literally get on your knees and beg, and even then, it may not be good enough. I love “Pledge” deeply because I think “Pledge allegiance to my love” is what every woman deserves, honestly.
Indira Cesarine: I love that. “Blue Eyes” is such an emotional, gut-wrenching song. I understand it’s dedicated to your mother. Can you tell me about the song and what it meant to you?
Iyla: “Blue Eyes” is probably the most special song I’ll ever write—and also the hardest. I still can’t sing “Blue Eyes. I can barely listen to it. I recorded it at my mom’s favorite little motel in California, a really special place for her. I could only sing it about two and a half times down. I didn’t break it into verses or hooks; I just sang it down.
We picked the best take, which is why there’s so much raw emotion in the recording—because there was a point where I simply couldn’t keep going. I wanted to tell our story as honestly as I could. This song has connected me to so many people. I was 30, but she was only 51 when she passed. She was really young. Since releasing it, I’ve received countless messages from people—my age, younger, older—sharing that same experience of losing a parent too young. Sadly, it’s more common than I ever realized. Honestly, there never would’ve been a “good” time. I could’ve been a hundred, and she could’ve been 121, and I’d still be saying, please stay. But it’s the connections from this song, from going there, vulnerability-wise, that are so worth the risk it took to write it and record it. So yeah, it’s a heavy one.
Indira: I can imagine. And on the other end of that emotional spectrum, you have “Cotton Candy Clouds,” which was inspired by her favorite color, pink. It almost feels like an alternate universe to “Blue Eyes.” Tell me about that song and what it means to you.
Iyla: Yes! “Cotton Candy Clouds” is the kind of song my mom would’ve liked. She would’ve said, ‘Blue Eyes’ is way too sad—can we listen to ‘Cotton Candy Clouds’? I wanted to make a song that felt pink—pastel, fun, joyful, sexy, and free. A lot of songs on the album, even the fun ones, touch on darker themes. But this one, I wanted to just feel light and fun—the kind of track you play while getting ready in front of the mirror. I love that song. It’s another really special one, but it’s almost the other side of it.
Indira: That’s beautiful. Are you planning to make a video for it? It definitely feels like it would translate visually.
Iyla: Yes, I have some ideas in mind. I’d love to make something creative and avant-garde that still ties into the themes of the song. But mostly, I want it to be fun.
Indira: That’s exciting. Emotionally, it sounds like you went through such a rollercoaster during this process. You’ve mentioned that, in some ways, it made you fearless and built your confidence. It allowed you to take a step back and become less sensitive, for example. Tell me how you evolved personally through making this album?
Iyla: I feel like I’m a different person now in so many ways. For a long time after my mom passed, I kept thinking, How do I get back to me? I felt disconnected from myself. Eventually, I realized I wasn’t going to be the same person—and I do want my art to reflect, because we do change. It gave me a new sense of freedom. I stopped caring so much about what people think. I can be an overthinker and a perfectionist, especially with my art—sometimes to an extreme.
But when something that big happens, something you thought never would—your worst nightmare—it shifts everything. It made me less sensitive to opinions and more grounded in what actually matters. And honestly, that’s been really healthy for me as an artist. It was a different world to step into.
Indira: You’ve mentioned that it made you care less about what other people thought about you?
Iyla: I think walking through the world as someone who’s mourning or grieving is actually a big part of it. Most people would never know — if you saw me at a grocery store, for example, you’d have no idea — but it feels like walking around with an open wound. That alone changed how I move through the world and how I handle people around me.
As an artist, it’s just the next level of that. I also feel like I know my mom is with me — the power I have, the strength I feel — I’m doing this for both of us. It’s not just me anymore. Honestly, it never really was. I always dreamed of doing things for her, like buying her a house one day, because she poured so much into me. Now my life and my art are how I tell that story, how I give back to her.
Indira Cesarine: I can definitely relate. My father passed away, and listening to your story resonated on many levels. It’s so difficult to lose a parent — especially when you’re not expecting it. It’s probably one of the hardest things anyone can go through.
Iyla: Yes. I’m so sorry for the loss of your father. Losing a parent alters everything.
Indira: It does. Do you feel that making this album changed the way you approach relationships — even your relationship with yourself?
Iyla: Yeah, I think this album reminds me to love myself better. It’s easy to tell other people to, but it reminds me to love myself better and to accept better love as well. I’m definitely very single, but part of that is for that reason. I hope this album does that for other people as well. It’s a good reminder to me not to settle with someone else or with yourself, you know?
Indira: I’d imagine after losing a parent, you’d want some “me time” for yourself — to focus on your creativity and goals versus giving yourself to a relationship that maybe can be emotionally draining. Relationships are not always easy!
Iyla: No, they’re not. Who has the time? Absolutely, I agree.
Indira: Let’s talk about your plans for touring. You previously toured with Demi Lovato, which must have been an incredible experience. What are your plans for bringing Weeping Angel on the road?
Iyla: I’m so looking forward to it. I don’t know exactly what it’ll look like yet, but I know it’s going to be beautiful. Getting to see the fans — the listeners — is the most special part of all this. Hearing which songs they connect to and hearing them sing them back, that’s everything. That’s probably what I’m most excited for next: getting back on the road. Hopefully, within the next few months.
Indira: It must be exciting to get that real-time feedback — to see what becomes a fan favorite, what gets the crowd moving.
Iyla: Exactly.
Indira: Are there certain songs you’re especially excited — or maybe nervous — to perform? I imagine “Blue Eyes” might be a tough one for you.
Iyla: Yes. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll be able to perform “Blue Eyes” anytime soon — maybe in a few years, but I would be shocked if I’m doing it in a couple months. But who knows? What’s nice is that I have such a supportive audience. If I ever started to sing it and couldn’t get it out, I know there would be so much love in the room and I’m lucky.
But I will say “Corset” is probably my number one – I really want to get into my Weeping Angel vibes doing it live and kind of get weird and go there! “Corset,” “Strut,” “Cotton Candy Clouds,” and “Pledge,” those are really fun. Kind of refreshing with how I’m feeling now. You know what I mean?
Indira Cesarine: I understand you closed the record with “Boogeyman.” Tell me about the story behind that title — it’s such a striking way to end the album.
Iyla: Yes! So “Boogeyman” is technically a cover of a Mos Def song. One of the writers I worked with on a few tracks brought it to me — it’s his favorite song — and I had never heard it before. We decided to flip it, and I fell in love with it. It’s so simple lyrically, but so real and in your face.
It ties into a lot of the same themes I explore throughout the album — the idea of being put into a box. As a human being, if you’re religious, you can’t do this; if you’re spiritual, you can’t do that. I think what makes me me is that I can appreciate and love so many different things that connect me to God, to the universe — to all of it.
At the end of “Boogeyman,” there’s a clip from an old film talking about witches, which I love. There’s also this idea for hundreds and hundreds of years that if you were a strong or powerful woman, or if you did things differently, or even like my case, a redhead, you were labeled a witch. If you were different at all you were put into these categories.
For me, it just felt really empowering to be like, Call me whatever you want, but I’m me and I’m going to be different. I’m going to be avant-garde. And I’m going to believe in lots of things at once!
Indira: I love that. That’s a really powerful way to end the album. It makes such a statement, doesn’t it? What’s next for you creatively? I imagine you’re deep in visual mode with potentially working on some of the videos for the album. Anything else that you have happening at the moment that you’re excited about?
Iyla: The tour is something I want to prepare for and make it as amazing as I can. I’m already starting on that. Visually, I want to see what songs listeners are leaning towards and then make music videos based on that. I’m such a fan of the music video. People often say, “Don’t do them anymore,” or “It’s all about short-form content now,” but I think as an artist, it’s my job to make timeless work — wherever that lives. That is my goal. I’m so immersed in this album right now. I’m definitely not working on what’s next yet because I need to be so in this, in order to create and come up with these ideas. There are probably a lot of things, but we’ll see.
Indira: That’s so exciting. Well, congratulations and thank you so much for sharing everything your story and the making of this album, which I imagine was a really heartfelt, difficult process, but at the same time cathartic to get it out into the world. It’s such an incredible journey. The music really flows and tells a story; there’s a narrative that runs through it that I think is very powerful. It’s such a pleasure chatting with you today. I really appreciate it.
Iyla: Thank you. I appreciate that — and thank you for being such a safe space. This is hard stuff to talk about. I really appreciate you.
Indira: Thank you so much. I can’t wait to see you perform the full album live — I’ll definitely be in the front row.
Iyla: Absolutely. I can’t wait!
Interview by Indira Cesarine for The UNTITLED Magazine and Podcast.
Photography by Bonnie Nichoalds
