Daily Discovery is a feature that will highlight a new or recently discovered artist that we’re excited about. See the rest of our Daily Discoveries here.
In a soundscape filled with blips, synths, machine gun hi-hats, and vocal effects, hearing a single voice over a gently plucked banjo is a change of pace—a very nice change of pace. Welcome Sye Elaine Spence, an independent artist from New York and currently based in Atlanta.
I’m an experimentalist by nature so I know that there are places sonically and lyrically that I want to explore in the future, but there will always be elements of simplicity as long as it continues to feels true.
“As a songwriter, I’ve embraced so many different styles while writing for other artists and even experimenting with my own work,” Sye explains. “Nothing felt more real to me than stripping everything away so that my words and voice stood at the forefront. When I set out to write these pieces, it was during a time in my life where I was desperately seeking to feel real. It was a period of untangling, uncluttering, examination and embracing, and the music was undoubtedly affected by that. I’m an experimentalist by nature so I know that there are places sonically and lyrically that I want to explore in the future, but there will always be elements of simplicity as long as it continues to feels true.”
Sye’s new project is an EP called Bloom, and it’s the kind of music that transports you to a more peaceful place. Undoubtedly, it was influenced by the setting in which it was conceived. “The entire project was written and recorded between Athens, GA and Micanopy, FL on Michael’s family’s horse farm,” Sye explains. “It was a bit surreal to me, as I’ve always been around city scenery and life. But it was exactly what I and this project needed at the time. To be made calm. We walked along the Oconee River for inspiration some days, sat under a huge, wonderful oak tree to write while the horses milled about.”
After years of writing for other artists and performing in her hometown, Sye is ready to take the next steps. “I’ve been writing for other independent artists for the past six years and I love it,” she says. “Most of these are friends of mine from New York who are putting out amazing work. Other than that, Bloom is my first project that I will be taking on the road. I have some show dates coming up in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Portland that I’m very excited about. I’m not signed to a label and though I do have a 9-5 to pay my bills, I’m in the place that I’ve always wanted to be artistically, and the fact that I’m able to share it with others, I am truly living out my dream in this moment.”
