Indio Downey 'Going Through a Transformation' as He Celebrates 18 Months of Sobriety and His Upcoming EP (Exclusive)

The musician and son of actor Robert Downey Jr. will release 'Cigarettes in Bed' in January 2024

Indio Downey has always leaned creatively into his own suffering.

“I think a lot of good art has been written about it,” Downey, 30, tells PEOPLE in a recent interview. “I feel like what I am going though, there's a lot to say there.”

And the singer, songwriter and son of Robert Downey Jr. said he says it all within the span of the five songs that will make up his debut EP Cigarettes in Bed, set for release in January of 2024.

“I was in a place of suffering when making [Cigarettes in Bed], but I was also praying and meditating and trying to find a way to overcome that,” says the alt-rock newcomer, who broke onto the scene in 2022 with his first single “Headspace.”

And while Downey seems hesitant to go into much detail regarding what he went through during the making of his upcoming project, some of the details seem to come through in songs such as his emotionally raw single “Dume.”

“’Dume’ is about past addiction,” reflects Downey of the song he co-wrote alongside Don Omelio, & Jonny Shorr. “’Dume’ is my biggest fear, but within the context of a song. It's a metaphor for the fatal attraction to self-destruction. I hope people who hear the song remember that there's beauty in the darkness.”

It’s a beauty that Downey has been feeling as of late, as he celebrates 18 months of sobriety. “I feel I'm going through a transformation,” explains Downey. “I'm trying to push myself to just improve in a lot of areas that I haven't done that need improvement. I'm changing slowly but surely.”

There was also an undeniable beauty in the life of Downey during the making of Cigarettes in Bed. “I was in a relationship, and I was in love,” explains Downey. “I think that also had a big impact on my writing as well.”

Unfortunately, Downey says that love he was in has since subsided.

“She and I actually broke up,” he says. “Badly.”

He draws in a deep breath.

“I really try to just write from a place of truth, and more often than not, that's kind of what I'm going through,” says Downey. “I've been through a lot in the past, so I also try to take from the past and turn that into a story of about suffering or love or whatever. I also like being able to tell a story.”

Downey’s own musical story began when he got a guitar at 12 years old, while also being infatuated at the same time with the likes of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. “I got a guitar and started playing the guitar in the first band I was in, and actually wound up having a really positive experience,” says Downey. “I wound up feeling like I knew that this is what I wanted to do.”

Related: Robert Downey Jr. Speaks Out About Son Indio's Addiction 'Chasm'

Certainly, his father also played a role in that love for music.

“My dad actually really inspired me to play music when I was young,” says Downey, whose mother is Downey Jr.’s ex Deborah Falconer. “He sings, and he has an album as well that I listen to a lot. I was very fortunate to grow up in an artistic family, which allowed me to develop my creativity and my talents.”

He continues, “I'm very grateful for all the opportunities and possibilities I've had in my life, which allowed my hard work to pay off. Fans of my dad have always been supportive of my music career as well, which I'm hugely grateful for.”

Related: Robert Downey Jr. Celebrates 18 Years of Marriage with Wife Susan Downey: ‘Love Still in Bloom’

In fact, Downey says he's grateful for the life he is living at this very moment, a life which has Downey praying and meditating daily. “I feel like doing those things that really allow me to overcome suffering and joyfully participate in life,” says Downey. “I get to just enjoy life so I'm really grateful for that.”

And one of these days, he hopes to sing with his famous father.

“I definitely hope so,” says Downey.

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