By Jocelle Koh and Sinead

What better way to start off 2026 than an in-depth discussion with one of the most exciting artists from the Chinese diaspora?

Known to her social media followers for her unique covers of Mandopop favourites, Irène Schrader finished 2025 by releasing her latest – and most authentic – EP yet, ‘ECLIPSE‘.

The ‘atmospheric’ world of ‘ECLIPSE‘ explores the idea of movement, from love to loss, from city to city and from language to language, deftly switching between Mandarin, French and English lyrics – sometimes in the same song. This is all threaded together with the theme of space – shimmering effects and piano riffs drawing the listener into the album’s cosmic pull.

We caught up with Irène at the end of 2025 to discuss the story behind the album, her dual roles as a music writer and researcher, and the importance of multilingualism to her music.

1. Hi Irène! You have such a unique background and set of musical influences. Can you share a little about your heritage and upbringing?

Hi! My heritage, simply put, is German-Latvian and Chinese. I was born and partly raised in the French capital, so I also feel quite Parisian. I grew up in France and China, before moving briefly to Denmark and then the Netherlands for a few years. I am now back in Paris, and intend to stay here for a while! My parents are both very appreciative of culture (mainly in a literary sense), so I never underestimated the power of art in general, which definitely helped in my pursuit of a music career.

2. You have mentioned previously that you grew up listening to French chanson and are also inspired by retro Mandopop. What is it about these two specific genres of music that drew you to them?

My love for French chanson likely came from my dad, who grew up in the sixties and has a collection of older CDs. I really enjoy the poetic and storytelling qualities that chanson carries. My taste for Mandopop comes mainly from my mother, who loves campus music from the latter half of the twentieth century. I find the melodies of Mandopop especially captivating, as they often keep an Eastern elegance while drawing from Western influences.

3. French chanson music and Mandarin pop music are to the untrained ear very different and extreme genres. Are there any similarities between them that allow them to coexist in your works or any others you’ve heard?

French chanson is a narrower genre than Mandopop, as it refers to a specific wave of singer-songwriters that emerged in France around the 1950s, whereas Mandopop covers many different movements. However, I would say that both genres share a strong focus on lyricism, emphasizing storytelling, melodic accessibility, and nostalgic themes.

4. I understand you also have a background in music journalism and have done extensive research on multilingualism in music and how different genres such as French Chanson and Hip Hop intersect and influence each other. How did you come to develop an interest on this topic?

Wow, I am impressed that you know this. It has been a few years since I wrote my Bachelor’s thesis, but I became interested in this topic through my sociology classes. The concepts of “high” and “low” art and the potential chanson has to legitimize French rap intrigued me a lot. I wanted to debunk the myths that portray French rap as an illegitimate genre, expose unjust double standards, highlight the links between the two styles, and present musical analyses that connect chanson and French rap.

Multilingualism in music has become a more recent interest of mine because I relate to it deeply as a multilingual singer. I noticed that many emerging artists were singing in several languages and wanted to create a historiography of how multilingual practices have appeared over the past centuries, to show how our tendency to mix musical influences together has always existed in one form or another.

5. Coming from a music journalism/media strategy background but also releasing your own original music, how does your perspective change when it comes to these different interests?

What initially attracted me to journalism was my passion for writing and a need to document things. I really enjoy the research process and considered continuing down that path. My studies definitely helped me learn how to synthesize certain thoughts and organize my workflow when creating. However, I must admit that part of me also wishes I could have had more free time earlier to focus on music…

6. You just released a new trilingual EP ‘ECLIPSE’. Can you share how your musical influences and message differs from your previous works with this new body of work?

Although I produced most of the songs a while ago, the style of ‘ECLIPSE‘ feels more authentic to me than my previous work. My collaborative EP, Maladroite, with Múnro was an homage to 1970s French chanson, which I enjoyed creating, but only represents one part of my influences. My first project, Longing was my first step into releasing popular music, where I wrote the songs for fun without any real intention of refining them. To be honest, I could have kept them as Soundcloud demos, but for some reason decided otherwise. For this reason, I feel that ‘ECLIPSE’ is the first body of work that begins to bring my artistic voice together in a clearer way.

7. Could you select one song from the EP and share the story behind it?

I wrote “Éclipse” about a fling that deeply impacted me a few years ago. Although unlabelled relationships are often spoken of in dismissive ways, the time I spent with this person felt sincere and gentle. I used this song to flesh out the sentiment I was left with, of mourning a potential future I had with someone I genuinely felt affection for, without overemphasizing the ache I experienced when our story ended.

8. What do you most hope listeners can get from ‘ECLIPSE’, especially given that many might not understand certain parts of the lyrics?

I hope that listeners of ‘ECLIPSE’ can appreciate the little atmospheric world that I tried to build with it, as well as the sonorities of different languages, even if they don’t understand them. People from many backgrounds can connect with the same projects, and I hope this EP can do that. I hope that my songs form images in the minds of those who hear them.

9. Given your multilingual background, does writing bilingually or trilingually come to you organically when you are creating? What differences in languages do you notice that direct your artistry in different ways?

I used to limit myself to English when writing because of the language’s universality. With time, I realized that writing in several languages feels the most natural to me, since my mind never stays in one language when I think, dream, speak, read, or sing. I still do not fully understand how the languages I know shape my artistic choices, but I have noticed that the country I am in when I begin a song, the influences I am listening to at that moment, and the person who may have inspired the piece all affect how it turns out.

10. You have spent time living in Shanghai, China. How have you found it compared to previous places that you’ve resided? Does it bring you inspiration in new ways?

I am actually based in Paris, France. I have not lived in Shanghai since high school, but I still hold it close to my heart. Shanghai is the city where I came to understand my cultural identity, as I spent all my teenage years there. The city combines past and future and blends influences from multiple countries. If I had stayed in Europe during that time, I likely would not feel as connected to my Chinese heritage as I do now.

11. As we’re nearing the end of the year, what’s next for you?

I plan to start performing more gigs and continue working on music-related projects. I will be participating in a few audiovisual exhibitions soon, which is very exciting! I hope to collaborate with more people and will continue producing new songs.

Listen to Irène’s latest EP ‘ECLIPSE’ on all streaming platforms.