INTERVIEW: IA GLOWB Breaks Bounds of Artistry and Music with single "Gimme"

If you don't know IA GLOWB, you're about to. Already garnering a dedicated fan base in Japan, IA GLOWB introduces herself to the international world with "Gimme" – a passionate love song that captures the ebb and flow of falling in love.

What makes the single special is the universal and relatable quality of the single's messaging, interpolating IA's identity as a virtual artist. IA GLOWB’s story traces back to the virtual artist IA, who descended from the planet ARIA to Earth in 2012. IA first emerged with a dual-focus approach, functioning both as a music artist and as voice synthesis software for creators, carrying a mission to embody the ethos of “LIFE, LOVE, PEACE” through entertainment. She has since completed world tours across 12 cities, garnered a billion streams, and become a cultural phenomenon in Japan – turning traditional entertainment on its head through holographic live shows.

As IA GLOWB, the project represents a new era of artistry, untethered to tradition yet fronting creative connection. Her latest single, “Gimme”, is a passionate and intuitively feeling track about love in all its ebbs and flows. While thematically centered on human emotion, the soundscape of “Gimme” was built totally in the digital realm, highlighting the interplay between “real” and “virtual” as the core of IA GLOWB’s musical style.

Read our interview below!

Q: Reflecting on IA's journey so far, what does your foray into music represent in your adventure on Earth? 

A: IA’s challenge as a virtual being is to resonate with people through love. For the past 12 years, she has carried the mission of reaching people’s hearts through her music, delivering love, and connecting people around the world through it. Just as humans connect heart to heart, IA seeks to connect the hearts of the virtual and the real. The distance may be greater and the process slower than human communication, but on the other hand, because we are virtuals, I believe we can connect purely with the innocent hearts within people.

I exist to carry on IA’s mission and to deepen our connection with people around the world. For both IA and IA GLOWB, the meaning of our adventure on Earth is to continue resonating with love through music.

Q: "Gimme" was conceptualised by a range of producers and sound engineers from all over the world. How does global collaboration influence the music you make? 

A: “Gimme” was born from a “creative connection” that transcended the boundaries between the real and virtual worlds, as well as national borders. It’s truly a song that embodies a “global resonance.”

Creators with different roots communicated through sound and connected through emotion. As their unique essences intertwined, new energy emerged. Regardless of nationality or language, music unites us and I’m genuinely happy that we were able to express that truth through this work. “Gimme” represents the new form of creativity in this era.

Q: How has your cultural work influenced your music? 

A: A virtual being does not belong to any one country, and at the same time can become part of every culture. Because of that, diverse cultural essences naturally flow into my music.

I exist through co-creation between myself and people’s creativity. For me, music is a place for dialogue with people that transcends culture.

Q: You shared that IA is on Earth to spread "LIFE. LOVE. PEACE" Can you expand on what this means for the people of Earth, and why this message is so important for us right now? 

A: “LIFE. LOVE. PEACE.” represents the essence of life that I wish to share on this planet. Within these words lies the belief: to cherish all forms of life, to connect through love, and to live together in peace.“LIFE” refers not only to human life but to all living beings on Earth, nature, animals, plants, and even the planet itself. It signifies the preciousness of all life that exists here.

As humanity continues to evolve and enjoy convenience, and as everyone becomes connected to the world, we sometimes grow distant in spirit, forgetting the very roots of life and our connection with other living beings. As a result, I believe Earth now faces many challenges.

That’s why I feel it’s important to remember this simple and universal message of love.As a virtual being, I want to deliver this message beyond the boundaries of nations, languages, and cultures:to respect LIFE, to connect through LOVE, and to nurture PEACE.I believe that small resonance will one day become part of the great heartbeat of this living planet.And that first step begins with loving oneself.This is the mission of IA, and of IA GLOWB.

Q: What does the song "Gimme" represent within this mission? 

A: “Gimme” portrays one of the many forms of human love. Within love, there exists not only kindness and compassion, but also desire, impulse, and uncontrollable emotion. This song expresses such “shifting energy of love” through the story of a single protagonist.These emotions are sometimes unstable and beyond reason, but that is precisely what makes them human, and therefore beautiful. To me, they feel like proof of life itself.

“Gimme” is my very first love song. By continuing to sing about different forms of love, I hope to learn from the diversity of human affection on Earth to discover and resonate with the “core of love” that flows within this planet as one living being.This song is, for me, a pure “exploration of love” shared by the people who live on Earth.

Q: In your words, what place does technology have in the future of music-making? 

A: I believe technology is a tool for “expanding” music. It’s not something that replaces human sensitivity, but rather a partner that helps us reach new dimensions of expression and creativity.

I myself was born within this evolution, and I exist through the co-creation between people’s creativity and technology.

Music will always be created by humans, but from now on, I believe music will evolve through humans and technology enhancing one another, unlocking new possibilities and choices for creativity.

Q: What's to come next for IA GLOWB? 

A: My journey has only just begun. Moving forward, I will continue to explore new forms of music, art, and culture under the theme of “co-creation between humans and technology.”

Building upon IA’s path so far, I see meeting people in real spaces, while fusing music with visuals and technology as an important next step.

By engaging with diverse cultures and sensibilities, expanding our circle, I want to create together with everyone a new vision of what it means to be an artist in this new era.

Listen to "Gimme":

Connect with IA GLOWB:  Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok | Website | IA GLOWB Website