ivri Is Building a Universe One Project at a Time — and “evidence of you” Is the Latest Chapter

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

There are artists who make music and there are artists who build worlds. ivri is firmly, unmistakably the second kind. If this were 2004, ivri would be the name scrawled on the inside cover of someone’s notebook in silver Sharpie— the kind of artist whose music would leave you closing your laptop an hour later wondering how you’d never heard of her before and immediately burning a CD to play on the bus the next morning.

The Florida-born, Brooklyn-based alternative artist started posting music online anonymously as a teenager — quietly, in the way that people do when they’re not sure the world is ready for what they’re making yet. Her breakout came when SadBoyProlific sampled her vocals on “Alone” and the track went viral, blowing the doors open on a catalog that had been waiting for exactly that moment.

In 2025, “tower of memories” did what only a handful of songs manage to do — it became a cultural moment, racking up nearly 4.5 billion video creations on TikTok and SoundCloud and cementing her as one of the most interesting voices in alternative music right now. That momentum carried directly into her acclaimed 2025 album “the theory of you,” and in 2026 she returned with “evidence of you” — a six-track EP out now via Mercury Records, executive produced by frequent collaborator TK The Architect, that draws on shoegaze and neo-psychedelia to explore a separation within herself that stretches across every project she’s ever made.

She’s currently on the road with her North American headline “Evidence of You Tour,” which kicked off at Louder Than Life in Louisville and has been making its way through cities across the country — selling out venues along the way. I caught her at a sold out show at Paper Tiger in San Antonio, right before she hit the stage.

Rorrie: This is a sold out show tonight. How are you feeling?

ivri: Amazing! This show has kind of exceeded my expectations, honestly.

For someone discovering you tonight for the very first time — this is their first introduction into your whole world, your whole lore. How would you describe yourself?

The world that I’ve built is kind of interesting — there’s a lot of lore to what I’m doing. But I think the music I put out is just whatever I want to put out, whatever I want to try. I feel like I have something for everyone. If you’re feeling soft and chill, I have songs like that. If you’re feeling heavy, there are songs like that. If you want to dance, I have that too. Whenever you’re feeling something, I probably have it.

Your music really does feel like a whole world. I know you’re really into sci-fi and worldbuilding — when you first start a project, does the world come first and the songs fill it in? Or do the songs reveal themselves as you’re sitting inside the world?

I definitely keep the lore alive — in the artwork, in having the story. But also, it’s just my life. The lore is literally my life but a more imaginative version of it. It starts with “Star Factory” — that’s your brain, your thoughts. Then you walk out and you’re in a forest, and that’s just growing up. And there are creatures, like Mr. Brain Gobbler — he’s a personification of depression, anxiety, things like that. The theory of me became the evidence of me, discovering myself along the way. That’s the entire story.

Everything I’ve put out is connected in some way — the artwork, the merchandise, the music videos. I love how people decipher it. The fans and the community are so deep in it, keeping track of everything. It makes me happy that they know too.

There are so many threads running through it. Mr. Brain Gobbler, for example — people met him in your 2025 album, but he showed up first in 2023.

Exactly. You saw him and you met him in my 2025 debut album, but he was also seen for the first time in the 2023 music video carrying me out of the Star Factory. And the fear of annihilation — that came out in 2023, but you hear me talk about it in the album. There are a lot of different things that are connected. It’s a puzzle.

I want to talk about the “evidence of you” cover art because it’s so intentional. You’re kneeling in a circle of candles, there are mirrors, it feels almost ritualistic. What’s the story behind it?

That cover art is more connected specifically to the song “Unrecognizable.” We are still in the forest. The journal in front of me is “the theory of you.” And in the music video, you also see three mirrors — I’m going through these mirrors, lost, following something. There are a lot of pieces and a lot of meaning to it. There’s also an alternative cover art that right now is only available for VIP people coming in for the meet and greet — it’ll be available soon. It’s fully drawn, done by an artist named Nicolas. And the photos were shot by my friend Mitch. I love keeping it in the family like that.

The real Voyager Golden Record carries portraits of humanity — images, sounds, everything. If you made one to represent your universe, what would be in it?

It would literally just have all of the music and all of the artworks and the music videos — but also it would have the missing pages of the journal. That’s the only thing I think people need to know. It’s like a puzzle.

You went from “the theory of you” to “evidence of you” — in sci-fi terms, what’s the next stage? The conclusion?

A whole new mystery. I’m already working on the album coming after this and I’m pretty excited — “theory” and “evidence” are connected, everything is still connected, but we’re kind of in this bubble right now. We’re about to be in a whole different realm. Something does come next. I just don’t want to say too much about it yet. :)

Anything you want to shout out to your community before we let you go?

We’re working on the album and lots of cool stuff coming next year. Lots more shows and festivals happening. And — thank you for supporting me. Genuinely. <3

Final Thoughts, My Starlights

I’ll be honest — I was listening to “The Golden Record” on the drive over to Paper Tiger and I cried. There’s something about ivri’s music that just pulls you in completely without warning, and sitting across from her for ten minutes before a sold out show only confirmed what the music already tells you: this is someone building something that matters, and she’s nowhere near done.

“evidence of you” is out now via Mercury Records. The new album is coming. Get familiar with the universe now — because something tells me the next realm is going to be a lot to take in.

Full gallery from Ivri's sold out show in San Antonio below!