The hype surrounding the upcoming release of Iris Long's new album "Rebirth Melodies" was due to several factors.
First was that it was the piano version of the already successful "Rebirth" album.
Second was that it would be accompanied by a complete piano songbook which was of great interest not only to pianists but also to other instrumental musicians as well. Even to those who weren't musicians but were Iris Long fans, especially the Black Stars, the songbook was a great collectible.
Third was that it was an album intended to be released internationally right from the start.
Fourth and the biggest factor of all was that the album was first announced alongside the bombshell about Iris Long being appointed as official composer for an as of yet unknown film.
These were the reasons why it broke pre-order records for instrumental albums in the country's music history.
