You think you’ve heard this story before: a reality show contestant dazzles on screen, drops a debut single, and fades into the endless churn of “next big things.” But Nini Iris isn’t following that script. If anything, “Release Me” proves she’s not reading from anyone else’s book.
This is not the post-Voice single meant to satisfy casual fans or rack up easy streams. It’s a defiant, soul-etched declaration of identity. A line in the sand. And Nini is standing barefoot in it, bruised but unbroken.
Where many Voice alumni chase commercial polish, Iris dives headlong into the mess. “Release Me” is a diary entry set to a slow-burning score. Her delivery isn’t just emotive—it’s exposed. There’s a war going on inside this track, and she doesn’t hide the casualties.
The production is sparse, letting silence do some of the heavy lifting. It starts like an echo in an empty room—introspective, intimate—but it builds into something cinematic without ever losing its raw edges. Strings quiver like nerves, subtle electronic flourishes shimmer and crackle, and Nini’s voice moves like it’s dragging history behind it.
There’s a lived-in ache to how she sings, as if she’s not just recalling heartbreak, but reliving it in real time. “Made me feel lost, lost and unknown / When I finally found who I truly was…” These aren’t metaphors—they’re milestones. This isn’t poetry for effect. It’s a post-trauma map drawn in ink and saltwater.
It would be easy to call “Release Me” a breakup anthem, but that undersells its scope. This is about reclaiming space. About walking out of emotional wreckage with your hands still shaking but your head held high. It’s less about the person who hurt her, and more about the power she refuses to let them hold anymore.
Raised in Tbilisi, steeped in the ancient textures of Georgian folk music, Nini carries something elemental in her sound. It’s not just technical ability—though, yes, her range and phrasing could floor a room—it’s an emotional intelligence you can’t teach. You either have it or you don’t. She does.
If “Release Me” signals the beginning of Nini Iris’s next chapter, it’s clear she’s not interested in playing the fame game. There’s no trend-chasing here. No overproduced hooks engineered for virality. Just an artist digging deep, refusing to look away, and daring us to do the same.