Irya Gmeyner AKA April Snow
Irya Gmeyner AKA April Snow is an award-winning film composer, songwriter and music producer based in Sweden. She’s known for her expressive, suggestive music and colourful voice and has composed music for TV series, films, theatre-plays and choir. Her unique sound and creativity have led to collaborations with acclaimed directors, earning her
recognition for scoring award-winning films and TV scores. In addition to her film work, Irya is solo a solo artist under the name April Snow. Several of her songs have been featured in leading American and Swedish TV series. Over the years
Irya has collaborating with well-known Swedish singers and musicians as a songwriter, singer and producer. April Snow’s single, Shapes of Dreams, is a collab with the Norwegian songwriter Ane Brun. She has also written songs with Eva Dahlgren, Elias, Isak Danielson, Tusse Toussaint Chiza, Peter Bjorn and John, Anna Ternheim, Joy and Mapei among others.
Lately Irya has been collaborating as a film composer duo with the pianist Martin Hederos. They’ve received multiple awards for their film and TV scores, including the acclaimed TV series Thin Blue Line and the films Comedy Queen and Slow. Slow premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Director Award, and the duo was highlighted in the Sundance Composer Spotlight. Their latest works include scoring
for the TV series Pressure Point and Thin Blue Line season 3, which premiered in 2024. They are currently working on the TV series The New Force and a documentary Sverige & Kriget. Irya is also known for her collaboration with the internationally acclaimed contemporary circus company Cirkus Cirkör, as singer and composer for several of their international productions and has toured all over the world with her bands Irya’s Playground and Urga.
Additionally, she founded Gipomusic (Girl Power Music), an artist-run, female-led collective and record label aimed at connecting and empowering women in music.
Irya Gmeyner spent her early childhood in Newcastle, England. In the late 1970s, her English parents joined the Green Wave movement and moved to the small town called Delsbo in the Swedish countryside. She attended the Delsbo Waldorf School, where a Russian teacher introduced her to the balalaika at an early age. At 16, Irya moved to York, England, and
earned a living as a busker playing the balalaika in the streets. Intense playing led to severe arm inflammation, and despite pushing through the pain, her arm was permanently damaged.
A doctor told her she would never play the balalaika again. Irya then felt that her life was over. At the time, a former music teacher reached out and told her that she must use her unique voice. Irya hadn’t thought of using her voice as a singer but followed his advice and moved back to Sweden and started the band URGA with her childhood friends.
URGA quickly gained a reputation for their incredible energy and unique approach, singing in an imaginary language. Within a year, the band developed a large following and collaborated with Cirkus Cirkör, leading to years of touring around the world. Later, Irya founded her own band, Irya’s Playground, which also collaborated with Cirkus Cirkör on a
world-tour with a show called Inside Out.
After years of touring, Irya decided to settle down and focus on composing music for film and television and collaborating with musicians and artists, she also started her solo project April Snow. Perhaps because watching TV was forbidden during her childhood, Irya became obsessed with TV series and movies. In middle school, a film club in Delsbo opened the
doors to an entirely new world for her. Since then, film has been a passion for Irya. Over the years her desire to create film music herself grew stronger. In 2018, Irya composed the music for the TV series Systrar 1968, a story about youth rebellion and women’s liberation, together with the pianist Martin Hederos. Their partnership flourished, and the duo has since
continued scoring music for films and TV series together.