Headstreams

About the Author

Chris Corner launched the independent project IAMX in 2004 after his foundational music group Sneaker Pimps went on hiatus. As X, Corner sought the artistic freedom that evaded him in the commercial music industry. His raw visual artwork, androgyny and confessional lyrics allowed him to transcend music and emerge as a simultaneously enigmatic and iconoclastic figure. Focusing on topics from sexuality to modern disillusionment, the act quickly gained a devoted international audience, touring globally and releasing six albums in its first eight years.

After a world tour in support of the 2013 album The Unified Field, Corner returned home and fell into a depressive and insomniac state. In an unprecedented fashion for the time, he openly shared intimate details of his depression with his online fan community through the blog Insomnia Schizophonica. Corner's brutal honesty about his struggles opened the door for many fans and followers to find support and to start conversations about mental health that would alter the direction of the project. After a move to sunny Southern California, IAMX released the cathartic album Metanoia (2015) and its addendum Everything Is Burning (2016) as a reflection on the darkness he fought through. These were then followed by four more albums as IAMX, including the transformative record Alive In New Light (2018) which reflected his healing, and the long-awaited fourth Sneaker Pimps album, Squaring The Circle (2021).

In addition to his work as a musician, writer, and visual artist, IAMX has become known as a devoted advocate for mental health awareness, and an outspoken champion against the stigmatization many people face when trying to seek help. With assistance and drive from his long term collaborator, label manager and live band performer, Janine Gezang, IAMX began to host in person gatherings on the topic while on tour and started the mental health podcast, Headnoise. The gatherings and podcast have intimately connected him to his fans around the world and have collaborated with organizations like The You Rock Foundation, and individuals as diverse as super producer David Bottrill and iconic electronic musician Gary Numan.

In 2021, Corner moved the IAMX headquarters to San Diego County and, alongside Gezang, founded his own record label and production company, UNFALL, which he hopes will provide himself and other artists with the creative freedom that he has always pursued.