Syd, tell us more about how you got into music & songwriting?
I have always absolutely loved listening to music ever since I was little.
I moved so vigorously along to the beat of the records my parents used to play in the car that I actually broke my car seat!
As I got older, I kept getting more and more interested in music and that led me to begin playing the flute for my elementary school band when I was about eleven years old.
Ever since then, I expanded my understanding and appreciation for music through playing with others in the band, and listening to anything and everything I could get my hands on.
The day I got my first iPod when I was twelve years old, was probably the most exciting day of my life up to that point.
I soon became obsessed with the art of writing and producing music, and I began writing my own songs when I was around twelve as well.
The theory, knowledge, and musical ear I developed from jazz and concert playing with my flute really helped me understand the core concepts of music and I just kept experimenting from there.
I eventually picked up guitar, piano, and singing which only gave me more tools to write my songs and understand music.
I now attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, where I'm majoring in Music Production and Engineering.
The atmosphere there is extraordinarily inspiring and full of creativity, with an endless array of artistic influences stemming from the students, the professors, and the people of Boston.
I hope the education and experience I acquire there will help me make my way to becoming a successful artist and music producer.
What does your creative process look like when writing songs?
When I write, an idea usually comes to me really fast and I have to get it down in the next 15-20 minutes before I lose it.
I don't mind if the lyrics sound rough when I first start; I just get literally everything I can think of down in my voice memos and/or my notes app.
I used to beat myself up over writing down a silly line and then spend a lot of time trying to fix it, losing my momentum, but now I don't really worry about it.
I focus much more on getting as much out of the idea as I can when it comes to me.
Then, after the idea has run its course, I usually let the song rest for a day or so before I come back, edit it, and refine everything; shaping out verses and choruses and chord progressions.
I know it's fairly unusual for people to write the words before the beat and sometimes I do end up writing the beat first as well, but the overwhelming majority of my music comes words and/or melody first.
After I get the basic structures of melody, chords, and lyrics refined, I move on to making an acoustic recording to make sure I preserve the core sound of the song that I'm able to come back to later.
I often post those acoustic recordings on my Instagram page.
After that, I begin to fully produce the song on my laptop and record live guitar and vocals.
I often use samples from Splice to create my beat, and add in synthesizers and/or piano, bass, guitar, and vocals as needed for each song.
I feel like producing is the most challenging part for me because I'm such a perfectionist, and because I'm fairly new to technologies like Logic and ProTools compared to my peers.
However, I absolutely love producing and both because I find it so fascinating and because it is essential to releasing professional sounding music, that is the path of study I chose at Berklee.
Your style is such a vibe! How would you describe your sound & songwriting?
My sound is fairly unique because I have a lot of musical influences from different genres.
I love Hip hop and R&B artists like Childish Gambino, Daniel Caesar and Kanye West.
They make insanely good beats.
I'm also really into alternative and soul artists like Kyle Dion and Rex Orange County, with their amazing lyrics and chord progressions.
I also have a soft spot for more folksy artists like John Mayer.
With my sound, I'm hoping to combine the beautiful melodies and lyrics of folk and pop with soul and lo-fi influenced beats.
I don't want to make anything generic, and I think a blend of the styles I love is a great way to mix up my sound and simultaneously stay true to the core of who I am in my music.
Do you have anything new or upcoming we can expect to see from you?
Yes!
I'm working on releasing my first single on all platforms NOW.
I'm almost done producing it, so stay tuned!
My debut single is coming out on September 25, and it’s called, “Coffee in September”.
It’ll be available on all streaming platforms!
I put my heart and soul into this one, so make sure you go listen once it's out!
In addition, I post new videos of me singing and playing on my Instagram, every couple of days.
I also use my YouTube to post covers, and many more videos are coming to my channel soon.
I'm doing the best I can to constantly engage with the people I'm able to reach on social media, and continue to produce new content to share.
Follow Syd:
Instagram: @Sydrosemusic
Facebook: @Syd Rose
SoundCloud: Syd Rose