If you haven’t heard of this artist yet then I’m glad you’re reading this article! When I heard her music I was blown away by her soulful sound and energy. Just to give you some background information, Sydney Jay was born in Montgomery Al and raised in Chicago. She emerged onto the music scene in the late 2000’s as an independent artist, searching for opportunities that would help her leverage in a highly competitive music industry. She was first acknowledge by Chicago’s #1 radio station WGCI in their “Chicago Teen Idol” showcase and she won the competition with her beautiful voice! Sydney’s most recent feature with mainstream artist Mayo on their single “Memories,” gained over 99.7k plays within a month of circulation. You can check out her single ‘For Fun’ below on soundcloud!
GM: How did you get started in the music industry? When did you know it was your calling?
SJ: Performing in general has always been a passion of mine since I was a kid. Whether that was dancing, acting,or even playing sports, I knew I was a performer. The moment I truly felt like I had a shot in the industry as a vocalist was when I won the “WGCI High School Idol” competition. Since then, I started going to the studio and things triggered from there.
GM: I hear that you have an EP releasing soon, what is your favorite track on the project?
SJ: I do have an EP releasing at the end of this year! It’s actually my first project EVER. My favorite track is probably “Fade Away”. Super funky, fun and represents my style the most I feel.
GM: How would you describe the album in 3 words?
SJ: The EP in three words?…oh man……Refreshing, versatile, and bubbly.
GM: Who have been some of your favorite people to work with in the past year?
SJ: In the past year, I probably have a top 3 favorite people that I’ve worked with.
Jabari Rayford, also known as “Jack Red” is the best engineer I know & actually did the entire EP. He’s just a super talented and creative artist in general and a great friend. Mayo is a dope rapper from Chicago but also one of the homies. We always have fun collaborating in the studio and have make dope tracks together. Micah Davis, also known as “Masego” is a just a genius. He’s a mad genuine person who’s sound is so refreshing and innovative. Can never go wrong when working with him.
GM: What kind of music do you usually have bumping in your headphones?
SJ: What’s bumping in my headphones is literally ALWAYS changing. Throwback 90’s are pretty much LIFE. Still, you’ll catch me getting crunk about 60% of the time because I LOVE hip-hop. lol Lately though, anything that takes me to a happy place. Hiatus Kaiyote, and Emily King are my new obsessions.
GM: Which artists inspire you the most when it comes to creating your sound and music?
SJ: The artists that inspire me the most are the ones who once again, take me to a certain happy place. Jessie J, Tori Kelly, Jazmine Sullivan and Kirk Franklin are all people who in my first time hearing them, I instantly had a lifted spirit. They created a sound for themselves that is beautifully, distinct and their talents are out of this world while they remain super humble. That’s exactly how I want to be- Grounded, but with a talent that sky-rockets.
GM: What other projects can we expect from you in the near future?
SJ: For the future, I’d definitely just say look for many collabs. I’ve already started working on my second project but the collaborations are what will probably come first!
GM: Is there any advice you can give to other aspiring artists on what you’ve learned so far being in the music industry?
SJ: I sat in on a music seminar a few weeks ago where I heard Kosine from the producing duo “Da Internz” say something that truly stuck with me. To anyone that’s aspiring to be in the music industry or anyone who’s going for their dreams in general, the best advice I can pass down is that you have to BLACK OUT in your craft. You have to grind non-stop. You have to master your art. Being good isn’t good enough and why wouldn’t you want to be amazing anyway? Create, practice, stay learning and expand so that you have no choice but to get where you want to be and further.
GM: What kind of music do you usually have bumping in your headphones?