What is your names?
I’m Sydney Wright.
What is your genre of music?
It’s usually a pop base mixed with whatever influence I feel like following. ‘Experimental Pop’ are some words.
Give us a little bio about you.
I grew up in Snyder, Texas to super sweet parents. I’ve got three sisters and and grandparents and cousins galore. I’ve played piano since I could reach the keys. I learned guitar in high school and started writing country songs. Then I went to college and studied different musics across cultures which changed my writing considerably. Now, I live in Austin, Texas working as a solo artist and live sound engineer. I’m releasing my first solo album next month, and I can’t wait to have something out there to push.
What made you go in to music?
I’ve always been into music. My parents invested in piano lessons for my sisters and I since we were very young. I really fell in love with performing when I learned guitar and started writing my own songs. Taking ownership of what I play really launched me out of the rigidity of only reading other people’s music and into a way express the things I have to say.
Are you a signed?
I’m not, I’m an independent artist, partially funded by listeners via Indiegogo campaigns for specific projects and Patreon.
You released your new single Time Of Night, tell us more about it.
This is one I finished up in the studio. It’s about Denton, Texas, where I graduated college. I met some of my best friends there. We were real good at turning the weekday cares into that weekend flare:) ‘That time of night’ is after the bars closed when we would stay out and keep visiting under the stars and streetlights on the town square. We got the background vocals on this one from my live loop arrangement.
What was the writing process like?
It was long. I usually marinate lyrics for a long time. I started with the doo-wop idea. I borrowed some of it from ‘Come Softly to Me’ by The Fleetwoods. It’s a song my parents listen to. I mixed the ‘oldie’ vibe with a ‘hip-hop’ish beat and looped vocals. The story of the song is light-hearted and carefree. It’s about going out with old friends and making new ones. Parts of the verses are written from what is primarily a female-perspective. For instance when there are thirsties around she says, ‘I won’t be with you when you leave, could have been my brother but you misconceive.’
What was the recording process like?
I got to record this one with the rest of the songs on the album at Sonic Ranch near El Paso. It’s also a pecan ranch that’s surrounded by perfect symmetrical rows of trees for miles. I feel lucky that I got to work with such incredible equipment and with such kind professionals in such a serene place for my first album. I’m glad that my first rattle out of the gate set the bar high.
What is the message you want listeners to take from the single?
I hope that listeners can identify with the story because they have friends and a support system to connect with. I hope the bits that are driven by a commonly female experience will be heard and understood by listeners that can benefit from insight into that perspective. I want it to be communicative not divisive. I want it to promote solidarity and camaraderie based on friendship and human connection with no ulterior motive.
Describe the track in two words.
yay friends!
You also released the music video, how was creating the video and filming?
Yeah, the last music video I put out was for the title-track to my forthcoming album, ‘Seiche’. It was so much fun. It was my first time writing my own treatment and putting together a team for myself. I learned a lot about producing film, and I also got to learn a lot about Final Cut during editing.
Any memories from the shoot?
Yeah, lots. I remember having fun creating things with my friends. I also remember hauling a mirror up Enchanted Rock in a race with the sunset. I was extra sweaty and trying not to damage the beautiful gown and mirror mask that my friend Danielle (www.dashe.co) created for me. My camerabud/director, Brencito, and I had about a 15 minute light-window and one chance to get the ‘syd smash’ shot and we nailed it! It was very gratifying to smash that heavybass mirror.
You are also set to drop your debut Album, what is it called and what can we expect from it?
Yes, I am. It’s drippity dropping on November 9. It’s called ‘Seiche’. Seiche is a French word that means ‘to sway back and forth’. Hydrologists use it to describe a surfing wave on top of a lake. They’re unnatural under normal conditions, and they’re caused by violent, sudden changes in atmospheric pressure or seismic activity. It forces the water to slosh back and forth to regain equilibrium. That transcendent imagery really resounds in the title-track, and throughout most of the stories told in the songs.
Describe each track in two words.
You Can Stay – get out
TIP – later gator
Time of Night – tha clurrrb.
Seiche – strength, transcendence
Let You Let Me – muy triste
Something – single lyfe
Tool – Brad Reed
Let Me Stay – call it
Dragonskin – growing pain
Underwater – check yourself
Wait for the Wave – keep afloat
Did you work with anyone on the Album?
I worked with Stefano Vieni and Alex Ponce at Sonic Ranch Recording Studios near El Paso. Then I pulled in my Austin-based bandbros, Fred Mandujano(drums), Justin Schneider(bass), and Jacob Hildebrand(guitar). I got to have Gerardo ‘Jerry’ Ordoñez of Sonic Ranch mix ‘Dragonskin’ and ‘Tool’. I also got to collaborate with people I wasn’t able to meet in person. Odilón Chávez, a composer and orchestrator from CDMX, arranged the incredible string parts for ‘Seiche’, and Daniel ‘Dantron’ López mixed ‘Let Me Stay’ and ‘Something’.
Do you have gigs coming up or a tour in planning?
My album release show is on November 9 here in Austin. All the bands on the bill are my good friends, and I’m stoked to celebrate this with them. After that, I’m going on a short run through west Texas and up to Telluride in December, and I’m working on a tour after the holidays. My full calendar and updates can be found at www.sydneywrightmusic.com or on Facebook.
Do you have any collaborations coming up with any up coming artists?
I wrote a song with my friend Kalu (https://www.kaluandtheelectricjoint.com/), and we laid it down in a session with our friend, JT. I like it because I get to sings one harmony and the chorus is like ‘Slow down. Be good to yourself. Hit the lights, put the bottle on the shelf, we’re bouta get so high….’ It’s very fun to sing.
Would you be up for collaborations if other musicians wanted one with you? and who would
they have to contact?
Absolutely. Hit me up on FB or my website.
Do you play any instruments?
I play with piano, guitar, mouth sounds, ukulele, loop pedal, drums, lighters, and anything else I can make noise on.
Who are your influences?
Songwriters and friends mostly. Carole King, Glen Hansard, Sara Bareilles, Patty Griffin, Ed Sheeran, and Kimbra are pretty important to me because of the way they tell stories with their songs. My friends influence me by being the characters of my stories lol.
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
I experience things and rhyme my thoughts. There’s inspiration in everything when you want there to be.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
I see myself only doing work that I want to do.
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
I practice yoga and work as a live sound engineer.
What;s the best advice you have ever been given?
My dad always says ’98% presentation, 2% content’. It’s the best marketing advice I’ve ever received from a cattle rancher 🙂
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
Be innovative. Connect with the audience by giving them something special and real. They’re starved for it.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage them.
Your coming off tour;
1/ Where do you go first? Home
2/ Who do you see first? My fish Nathan Explosion
3/What do you eat first? Taqueria Chapala
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Phyllis Graham
November 16, 2018 at 12:28 pm
So glad to see you getting the recognition you so greatly deserve and all your hard work paying off. My fondest memory of you is in your sophomore English class when I first heard you play the guitar. You have paid your dues, and now it is your time to SHINE!!!! Love you.