Interview: Sydney Schizzano
New York based singer songwriter Sydney Schizzano loves to break boundaries in her music, blending genres to create her own style of alternative, indie and pop apparent in her gorgeous new single ‘IDK/UFO’. Sydney’s intimate lyricism is visible in every track, where she dives into her personal experiences of growing up queer, unrequited love, LGBTQ+ rights, and feeling like the ‘black sheep’ who didn’t quite fit in. Her tracks aim to reassure others who may have experienced the same things that it’s okay.
Sydney’s newest single ‘IDK/UFO’ released earlier this week, with her lyricism really digging deeper on how she feels the ‘black sheep’ of her family. Now that this incredibly personal song is out in the world, Sydney tells us it’s ‘bittersweet’, as her honest and blunt writing process can sometimes have repercussions. Particularly some of IDK/UFO describes a close friend who doesn’t particularly enjoy their job in insurance, and knowing the track is out in the world for them to hear can be intimidating. But Sydney tells us,
“I don’t want anyone to be offended but I feel the honesty is what makes my music special. You don’t get a lot of metaphors and questionable themes in my lyrics, but you get exactly how I’m feeling in the moment. And I find that can be extremely powerful and scary to share.”
With almost a year since Sydney’s last release, she admits she had been unable to write in this time, struggling with a huge case of writer’s block. ‘IDK/UFO’ was one of the first songs that came after that drought, written entirely on a car ride home from visiting her sister along with the scratch melody for the song. As the car is a “safe space” for her, Sydney always finds her best creative processes come from relaxing in the car - even when she’s the one driving. This new release had some fresh experimentation, with Sydney trying out new musical and vocal styles after being inspired by Phoebe Bridgers digging deeper in her music. This one has really pushed her out of her comfort zone, and she described it to be ‘freeing’!
The past year has been a struggle for most of us, and Sydney was no exception, as she lost a family member to COVID; remains separated from her girlfriend and family; lost an exciting career opportunity and spent a long time alone processing all these things at once. But despite all this pain, she tells us she’s ‘ready to take the world by storm’, and hopes achieve one of her dreams to go on tour when things are finally back to normal. Her optimistic attitude was clear through our entire conversation, as she detailed how quarantine has really allowed her to slow things down and focus on what she truly wants to do. With her music, she could spend time perfecting her craft rather than feeling helpless stuck at home, and she finally managed to sit down and work her next album.
If you’d like to hear more from Sydney, you can find her at @sydneyschizzano on her socials for more music, merch and other exciting things!
Interview by: Tatiana Whybrow-Price
