I always had very diverse musical inspirations.  I went through different phases like every musician.  I always liked music that had some kind of fusion and contamination in it.  Even among the Italian songwriters I would pick the
more influenced by Jazz, Blues and Ethnic music.  I like instrumental music, specially fusion (Pat Metheny is a great example), fingerpicking guitarists (Michael Headges, Peppino D'Agostino, Tommy Emanuel, Pierre Bensusan,etc.), and piano players (I love Keith Jarret). I like classical guitar.
One of the most influential artists has always been Sting.  I believe he is a complete artist.  I like his concept of music. In his music there is a simple sophistication, his melodies are strong, but under that there are many layers, the more you listen to the songs the more you discover about their complexity, this way you never get tired of them. This is also my goal, actually. I listen to Ani Di Franco, Tori Amos, Bjork, Jeff Buckley, Shawn Colvin, Massive Attack, St. Germain, Rickie Lee Jones and many others. I love Brazilian music too.

What kind of messages are in your music?

I mostly talk about love in my songs. Somehow I have always been inspired by suffering. Breaking up is always good for creativity. Don't get me wrong, I don't break up in order to write a song.  Lately I've been writing more about myself, about what I'm going through in my daily life, happiness, sadness, self discovery.
I want to share more my real self. I'm getting involved more and more with health for example and I'm trying to share this too. That's the reason for my involvement with Alok, who is a Holisic Health Counselor.

How do you create a song?

When I feel like writing I usually start from the instrument (my classical guitar), and exactly from the harmony, in the mean time I'm already singing something, and that's going to be the melody. The lyrics are the last part. I can write them even months after I wrote the music. I get inspiration simply by what's happening in my life.

When did you know that this is what you wanted to do as a career?  Had you performed as a child?

Yes, I performed as a child, but just in this "Coro dei Piccoli Cantori di Torino."
It was a choir of kids, from seven to 16 years old. We were singing classical music. We were also participating in operas, whenever they needed kids on stage. That was a lot of fun for us (costumes, make up, etc.). I started to write music as soon as I started with my guitar lessons (eight years old), but I wrote my first real song when I was 18, and just recently I decided to seriously pursue the career as a songwriter.

Where do you perform?  Any upcoming performances?

I have regular gigs in some New York City places such as C-Note, Bar/B, Bar On A, and Bean. I enjoy performing in holistic health events and
parties that combine healthy food, lectures, and healers. Upcoming gigs are posted on the web site www.IreneMastrangeli.com.

Do you have a CD out?

Yes, I do have a CD. It's called (take a wild guess) "Irene Mastrangeli."  You can purchase the CD at my gigs or on the web site where you can also
listen to some of my songs for free.

Anything to add?

Yes, my name is pronounced ee-re-ney, not Irene. Yes, it's an Italian name.