Inspired #74 -Sylvie
Sylvie has returned with her brand new single ‘Ice Me Over’, she took a moment to talk to us about Moulin Rouge, New York and all the inspirations behind the track.
Who are you top three musical inspirations?
I'm always going to have to say Lady Gaga on this one. I've been a bit of a super fan for about 10 years now, and she's the reason I started writing pop music and combining my piano and singing into songs. I could talk about her all day... Other inspiration changes constantly. Currently I would say it's Caroline Polachek and The 1975. I admire everything about what both of them do, from songwriting, lyrics and production to visuals etc. Artists that create conceptual worlds/albums/EPs for their music to live in are the kind of people I latch on to.
Is there a certain film that inspires you?
Probably Moulin Rouge, although I can't watch it very often because I find it so so sad. I'm a sucker for musical theatre anyway - break into song about the way you feel at any given moment and I'm all for it. It's the whole fantasy of a great love affair portrayed in such a a grandiose, weird and wonderful way, it feels very self indulgent and I think that's how a lot of songwriting feels too.
What city do you find the most inspiring?
It might be a cliche, but I visited New York this summer and loved every second of it. Maybe its just being so far from home, but I would go back in a heartbeat. It was like London, but times 1000 in every aspect. Also the sweets are great.
Who is the most inspiring person to you?
Depends in what aspect... for music it's obviously Lady Gaga again. In life, it's my little sister Gabriella. She's only 9 but she's the sweetest little thing. I'm very grateful to have her in my life being just herself as children are. You meet a lot of insincere people in music and in London in general, but when I play my songs to her or teach her new things on the piano it's totally the opposite. It's so nice to be able to leave London and go home to see her be totally relaxed because that doesn't happen often.
What are the key inspirations behind the track?
I wrote Ice Me Over after going for a late night walk with a friend. I wrote in my phone "The weather has reminded me of you", and built the song from that. It's really a follow up from my last single, Grey Hour, in that I've moved on from that unhealthy, adrenaline fuelled, self indulgent life style - but I still look back on it often, and mostly at the good parts. I one collided with a particular person and it was a total whirlwind, in both good and bad ways, and this song is basically a world of nostalgia and desire around that whirlwind.
How would you like to inspire people?
I'd love to encourage people to take control of their creativity and realise that being original is always a good thing. I've been surrounded by 'pop' musicians and writers since I went to university and the pressure to follow formulas and stay inside the box is immense. It's only when I started to write and produce more freely that I felt like I was hitting my stride with my music. I'd also hope to help fill a fairly empty space in the music industry for queer womxn; there's a lot of us, and I think having that representation in music is great. Womxn, and queer womxn are out here being amazing singers, perfmorers, producers, musicians etc - so let's celebrate that!
Photo Credit: Jay Singh