Tiff Randol, aka IAMEVE, on the ‘Unnerving’ Emotions of Pregnancy and Creating a Musical Motherhood Community

15 Oct Tiff Randol, aka IAMEVE, on the ‘Unnerving’ Emotions of Pregnancy and Creating a Musical Motherhood Community

By Marisa Torrieri Bloom

“I can hear you … I can feel you breathing,” Tiff Randol, the artist known as IAMEVE, sings with bittersweet longing, her voice filling the airwaves with goddess energy in an epic, windswept electronic soundscape. These are the first few minutes of “Unnerving,” a song and the video about bringing her child into a beautiful, dystopian world. I am spellbound, but I can relate. 

It’s a mixed blessing being a parent in the pandemic century, amid melting ice caps, forest fires, and climate displacement. 

Listening to “Unnerving” brings me to those thoughts, while evoking memories of my youthful EDM days with its au natural, euphoric digital vibe. We recently caught up with the new mom and Mamas in Music founder on how the transition to motherhood’s going – and what’s next.  

Rockmommy: Hi Tiff! For those who aren’t familiar with your music, how would you describe yourself as an artist (and do you prefer IAMEVE)? 

Tiff Randol: With IAMEVE, musically I tend towards a lot of ethereal, spacey, cinematic sounds with a combination of electronics, voice, and live instrumentation.  I am very visual and love creating stories and painting with sound.  My tendency with IAMEVE is to deep dive into the spirit and psyche, and the world of mysticism with my writing. This particular EP is called “Archetype” and explores spirit archetypes, like the inner child and Mother. Outside of IAMEVE, I’m also composing and work on a variety of projects for film and TV, along with 360/VR projects.  

Rockmommy: Can you tell us more about the song “Unnerving” (which you wrote when you found out you were going to be a mom)?  

Tiff Randol: I wrote and recorded “Unnerving” shortly after our previous president was elected. At the time I was newly pregnant and feeling so incredibly vulnerable and emotional. Hearing the trajectory of our planet with climate change and recognizing the dangers that the little human growing inside me would inherit, in conjunction with watching this disturbing rise of hatred and nationalism in our society, was a chilling moment. When I wrote this song it was very medicinal for me because the fear was (and is) so real and I really need to breathe into that fear instead of looking away to let healing happen. The song is a direct reflection of that interplay moving from those dark places to an overflowing unconditional love and hope. 

Rockmommy: Mamas in Music is a great outlet! I love that other mom besides me are making niche community sites. Can you tell me about the vision for Mamas in Music? 

Tiff Randol: Likewise! I love that you are creating visibility for mama artists and curating inspiration and content for us through Rockmommy — thank you! 

Right after having my child, I had the realization that there is virtually NO support for new moms in the entertainment industry and such a heap of stigma to confront. So I reached out to another new mama, Mary Leay, and we teamed up in dreaming of ways to create resources, programs, structures and start conversations to support moms in the music world. Ultimately the goal is to advocate for mamas in music and be a voice for change in the industry, so that more mamas are being seen, heard, hired, and supported — and to disrupt old stereotypes. 

Rockmommy: What are your plans for creating music, performing, or growing Mamas in Music? 

Tiff Randol: With Mamas in Music, we have a number of things in the works, but mainly at the moment, we are focused on connecting with other moms and creating a supportive network and working to build partnerships and teams to help the initiative grow. Musically, I’m excited for the release of “Archetype,” I’m doing some composing/scoring and have another release I hope to have out by the end of the year.

Rockmommy: How’s it going with balancing motherhood with work? 

Tiff Randol: The balance of being an amazing mom, keeping my mental and physical health intact, and work has been tricky. Especially during a pandemic, while moving around the globe for my husband’s job. It’s a lot of stop and go, finding new ways to make things work, but also so, so, so worth it even on the toughest days because the snuggles, laughs, sweetness, and heart-melting unconditional love makes me expand in ways I never knew was possible.  

Without a doubt, yes, becoming a mother has changed everything for me. Certainly, those days of sitting endlessly at the computer and tweaking away into the night with no one to care about but myself are over. Time is quite precious and so everything I do has to be really worth it. But in a way, I love that because it’s teaching me to prioritize, work quicker and be savvier. I don’t have time to muff about and drive myself crazy getting things perfect. The importance I used to place on things is just less now because I have this gorgeous being that is more magnificent than anything else I will ever do.   

It’s also caused me to experiment with being more minimal and limiting myself with tools, schedules, and knowing when to call it a day instead of endlessly obsessing over things. Also, I just don’t care as much about what other people think anymore, which takes so much pressure off. So while I may have less time and feel exhausted, I also feel freed up in so many ways. Ultimately, it’s making me a better human and a better artist.  

Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.