Talking about Folk Music + Heartbreak with Sydney J

Words by Staff Writer: Aditi Acharla | Photos: Hytide Photography | Model: Sydney J

With her latest release of “angel baby,” indie-folk musician, Sydney J, offers an intimate perspective on love, and missing someone through her grounded acoustics. Blending warm vocals with soft instrumentation, guitar, and elegant strings, she gives a preview of what’s more to come – and all that we can be excited for. The track is part of a continuing rollout of her upcoming album in August, and I had the pleasure of speaking to Sydney about it, and everything about music that she feels connected to. 

*(The interview has been edited for clarity.)

How has music cemented itself, and shifted in your life to where you are now?

I think it cemented itself in my life at a really early age because I started taking piano lessons when I was five, and then I started playing violin at age eight. I’ve been playing some sort of instrument since I could walk. Music is woven into all my memories, especially with my brother.  He plays any instrument he can get his hands on. We grew up playing together, singing, and making songs. Now, I feel it’s changed because it’s less of feeling like this is something that I enjoy doing, and [less of] a way that I connect with people. I have to focus more on – I wouldn’t say the business aspects since I’m in school – but trying to create art while on a time crunch. Also, figuring out how I’m going to promote myself. So, it’s trying to find a balance between oh this is something that I enjoy? but also the technical aspects of music. 

What’s been a fond memory of music so far?

Oh, that's so hard! Let me think…when I was in high school, I was in a band called Four on the Floor. It was my brother, my cousin, and then another one of our friends. Every Friday night, we would all meet at our house, and just play music for hours.  It was so loud. My parents wouldn't even stay in the house, and they just let us go at it. But, you could hear us down the street. There was one time that my neighbour heard us playing.  They were like, “Oh  my God, is Jimmy Hendrix in your house?” because  like, we were lighting up a neighbourhood. That was so fun.

Speaking of Jimmy Hendrix, who are your key musical influences? 

I love folk music. Like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Paul Simon. I find a lot of inspiration from especially the 1960s, the whole protest song movement. Modern day, it’d have to be Adrienne Lenker.  I love her so much. 

What themes encompass your music? 

I'd like to say that I think that it changes, but I'm gonna be honest.  It doesn't. It’s mainly heartbreak in any facet that it comes in. Sometimes, there's like a half song here, and there, but it’s about heartbreak. 

Why do you gravitate towards heartbreak specifically even with the ‘negative’ emotions?

In music, heartbreak is discussed, but there's so many different layers to it. I focus more on breaking it down to specific layers because while it can be seen as surface level, there’s just so many things about it that I keep discovering that I feel are really important to talk about. Sometimes, people brush it under the rug because they’re hard emotions, and emotions that we don’t want to deal with. So, being able to put it into song format or any musical form, have someone actually listen to it, and maybe find some comfort in it is really important to me. 

How do you approach songwriting, and how has that changed since first starting? 

My process has definitely changed a lot as I’ve gotten older. But, mainly now, I write things down in my Notes app, or I keep this little book with me all the time where I draw. I’ll mainly come up with my ideas when I’m walking, listen to music while doing that, look around at nature, and just write. Then, I usually write on guitar too. 

You’ve said that a lot of your creative process happens when you’re walking around Manhattan.  What are some of your favourite places there? 

I love Central Park. It's one of my favourite places. There’s this little turtle pond that I always go to to get a sense of peace.  Also, Riverside, it’s beautiful. I was actually there before this interview! Usually, I go there to sit, and look at the water. 

What is the connection you have to folk music in particular? Where did it stem from, and what about it draws you in?

One of my bandmates who's actually in the band I was talking about earlier, he used to send me tons of old folk music. At first I was like, I don’t like this. I don’t get it. But then it started to really grow on me, and it just became my music of choice. I thought, if I’m walking around, what am I going to listen to? It was folk music. Then I started learning all of those songs with my guitar, and writing in that style.  It felt so natural to me. 

How would you describe your two albums,  sydney jenkins, and  folk songs, in the way they complement each other, and in the way they contrast? 

Complement: I feel there’s some songs on my first album that are kind of similar to the world of folk songs. I’ve been thinking recently, I kind of knew what my sound was but I was still trying to experiment. I was young, figuring things out. Hearing snippets of what I tried was what I ended up doing. I kind of knew in the back of my mind what I really liked. 

Contrasts: Honestly, my first album feels like I was going through the motions. I personally don’t connect with many of the songs. I think it was just experimentation. But folk songs was something that when I put it out, I felt very proud of it, because it felt so authentic to me. 

Who would be your dream artist/band to collab with? 

That's so hard. Okay, dream collab would be Young Miko,  she’s a reggae artist. She's so cool. I don't know how we would play the folk with the reggaeton, but we can make it happen!

What have been your main creative challenges and how do you overcome them? 

The thing that I mainly do is butt up against myself a lot. I was working today, and sometimes my self-critique can be very quiet.  Then, other times it can be super loud, and consuming.  You just forget why you went into the studio to record in the first place because you feel that everything you do sucks, and is horrible.  It starts to spiral out. So, staying conscious of that is important. Also, sometimes, I worry about when I put songs out, how they’ll be perceived by people, or what they think of me. Those two are the main challenges. For the self-critique – I’m very close with my listeners, and  I’ve spoken to a couple of them. They’re so sweet. I try to think of them, and think of how I’m making things for them. That it’s not about me. That really helps me, when you just think about the reason why you’re doing something or the purpose behind it. It  has more meaning than wanting to just get it done. As for worrying about how I’m perceived, I try to remind myself that art is so subjective. People shouldn’t be worrying about my feelings, or whatever the song is about. It’s all about them connecting with their own emotions. I try to really think about that, and communicate it to my listeners. I don’t tell them what my songs are about. I try not to mention it at all because I feel like when it becomes more about me, the listener misses the whole point of the song. 

Do you have anything planned for any new releases or any music coming along the way? 

I am working on a project right now. This is a really interesting one because it just keeps flip-flopping. One day, I’m thinking, This is how it’s going to be! The next time I’m like, I have no clue what I’m going to do. So, I’m still trying to figure that out but I’m really excited about it. I think it will be a different side to me, which I’m hoping for. 

My album is coming out in August. It’s called love songs. All proceeds from my new release single “angel baby,” which is on the album, and from love songs is going to be donated to a farm called Bluebird Gap Farm in Hampton, Virginia, where I’m from. It’s a public farm but they do a lot of work with children. I want it to be for them, and it’s just nice to have an outlet for kids. 

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You can enter the creative world of Sydney J via her website, Listen to her latest single ‘angel baby’ via Spotify or Apple Music, and keep an eye out for ‘love songs’ releasing August 22nd.