Brooklyn-born Iniko is one of the most celestial new voices on the soul scene. A gifted songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Iniko is leading an alternative soul revolution. Drawing inspiration from trap music, rock, movie scores, dancehall and soul, Iniko finds inspiration in almost every situation. As they continue to bridge the gap between dimensions, their voice will soon make its mark across this galaxy and the next.

In this interview, Iniko chats with Archer Magazine about their musical background and influences, their upcoming tour ‘The Awakening’, and their passion for art and plushies.

Archer Magazine: Hey Iniko! Congratulations on the release of ‘Armor’ and your upcoming worldwide tour, ‘The Awakening’! And thanks so much for chatting with me today. Can you tell us about your musical background and story so far?

Iniko: My musical background is kind of like a mixed bag. I grew up singing in church and had my very first solo when I was five years old. From that moment on, I started classical training and singing in choirs.

I was classically trained with Brooklyn Youth Chorus, which is like, this pretty renowned course in New York. I ended up leaving after training with them for eight years and making it to their intermediate level.

I was the only Black person in the entire class. I could tell that no one was going to talk to me because I was the only Black person, so why would I feel like talking to them, you know? I stopped going for that reason. I was tired of feeling alone. But I did gain a lot of knowledge from that training.

I’m mostly ear trained. I wasn’t really good at reading music. I would just memorise everything because my ear became so strong.

After that, I started going to a Christian school, which kind of ruined my childhood for the most part. During that time, I was listening to a lot of different music – anything that was able to portray all of the things that I was feeling inside but not given the space to feel in real life, basically.

AM: How does your identity as a queer, genderless Black person influence your music?

I: I think my music has some correlation and interconnectedness to the queer struggle because I struggle every day to be queer. I think a lot of people struggle to be queer because it is yet to be accepted. Everything that I make is a mirror, a reflection of my identity, because it comes from me.

Even though they kind of talk about different things, my songs ‘Jericho’, ‘The King’s Affirmation’ and ‘Armor’ are about my identity and peeling back the layers of who I am. And as far as being genderless and what that kind of means or my artistry, I think it’s really more than an identity.

I actually saw a tweet today that said, “a lot of people are gay, but not a lot of you are queer.” That’s the problem, and that’s what I’ve been saying.

A lot of people think that queerness has to do with who you love and who you like, but to me, that is not what queerness is. Queerness is more than a way of living, it’s a way of thinking. It’s a way of understanding the world around you. It’s realising that what we know isn’t everything; there are still things that we don’t know.

It’s important to always be open to the idea that what you know is what you know, and what you don’t know is what you don’t know. Queerness has always existed, and having a mind that’s open to the infinite possibilities of the human identity of understanding human beings is what it is all about.

AM: You have a huge platform on TikTok and Instagram. What has the online space been like in terms of connecting with fans but also being exposed to trolls? What was it like to go viral?

I: It’s definitely all new to me, and I’m incredibly grateful! I’ve always seen social media as an amazing tool for reaching people, and it’s wild seeing numbers like that come through.

I can say honestly that I’ve never sat down and really taken in the amount of people that have actually watched any of my videos or listened to my music. It doesn’t hit me until I see the people in front of me and I’m like, “Oh, wow, okay! That’s what’s happening. This is real!”

AM: You’re a fantastic multi-disciplinary musician, with your musical style often described as “celestial” and “ethereal”. Who and what are some of your influences and inspirations?

I: Gospel and reggae have always been a big influence for me since as long as I can remember. My dad always had specific artists and genres that he would listen to – from The Eagles, to world music and then Beyonce – and I never understood how he could enjoy them all together.

His taste was very all over the place, but that just was the music that he listened to. So in tandem, I listened to it all as well, which has really influenced my artistic direction.

AM: Tell us about your upcoming tour, ‘The Awakening’. What can people expect at an Iniko show?

I: You can expect a lot of new music from my upcoming album that I’ve been working on.

We’ve been working on it since 2019, so for a very long time. I’m finally sharing the music in a different way. It might be a bit unusual to be on an album tour when the album isn’t out yet, but I think it’s really cool. It offers a different experience to hear new music live that isn’t out yet and really let it soak in.

You can expect, essentially, a set list that takes you on a journey. An awakening of realising that everything that you have known is a lie, whether that be in your own personal life or within the systems at play, which keep people in shackles, and keep certain people in chains.

The awakening exists on multiple levels. It’s just a matter of breaking down those levels and breaking down those walls. It’s all connected.

This album and tour are about making those connections and getting those messages out. They’re about reminding people that they’re human beings, and they have to be human in order to remind others that they’re human, too. Because if we do that, then we start to treat people like they’re human.

I think at the core of all conflicts, we forget each other’s humanity, and our own.

This project is a culmination of everything that I’ve experienced in my life up until this point. I am excited to share that collective message of understanding yourself so that you can understand other people.

AM: Thanks for chatting with us, Iniko! Lastly, do you have any fun facts about yourself that you’d like to share?

I: I have a very extensive collection of plushies. I love plushies. I’ve loved stuffed animals since I was a kid. When I go on tour and travel, I make it a point to always get a plushie from every place. Especially if I see a plushie that I’ve never seen before. I remember when I was in Germany, we stopped at a gas station, and there was an otter plushie. I’d never seen an otter as a plushie before! It was so cute, so I of course had to obtain it.

Another fun fact is that I adore animals, specifically birds. I really love birds. I had a number of birds growing up and my dream is to have a sanctuary where I can take care of birds that might be endangered or need help or rehabilitation.

I also love drawing. I used to do it super often, and at one stage I even wanted to be a fashion designer, a sketch artist, and then an animator. Whenever the time comes where I have time to myself, I know I’ll definitely want a studio where I can sketch, draw and paint. As you can see, I just get hyperfixated on all the possibilities!

Iniko is touring Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane from 3–5 July 2024:

Wednesday 3 July
Corner Hotel
Melbourne | Naarm, Wurundjeri Country

Thursday 4 July
Factory Theatre
Sydney | Warrane, Gadigal Country

Friday 5 July
As part of Open Season
The Tivoli
Brisbane | Meanjin, Turbbal and Jagera Country

Get your tickets now