Sheridan Reed : Solo
New Beginnings
Words by Sam Lauron Photos by Eric Morales
Musician Sheridan Reed describes his style as a cross between soul, R&B, and pop. But, had you asked the singer-songwriter to describe which genre he fit into just five years ago, the answer would’ve been much different.
From a young age, Sheridan involved himself with music through jazz choir and playing classical instruments like the clarinet and standup bass. Starting in his high school years, he began to lean toward the alternative rock and folk genres and, at different points, joined a rock band and even a pop punk band. Moving to the Capital City four years ago to fully focus on his music is what ultimately became the turning point for his style.
Sheridan’s first entry into Austin’s music scene was playing ‘90s R&B with a soul funk group, an eye-opening experience for the Californian. “It wasn’t until I came to Austin that I even listened to funk, soul or R&B at all,” he admits. “But once here, that genre started influencing how I was listening to music and ended up affecting my writing.”
While his soulful lyrics have remained a reflection of his personal experiences, the song progressions, melodies, and beats have evolved in a way that aligns more closely with his newfound musical style, with some songs even including trap and hiphop beats layered underneath. He credits discovering soul music, along with the help of his producer, Moses Elias, for refining his voice and helping him break through musical limitations he felt he had when singing rock and folk.
“The last dozen songs are some of the best stuff I’ve written because [soul] made me realize not every moment of a song has to be jam packed,” he explains. “It’s okay for there to be room for the music to breathe.”
Sheridan didn’t stumble upon this discovery overnight, though. It took a lot of trial and error, help from a production team, and self-reflection to lead him in this direction. After playing live shows in Austin nearly six nights a week, every week, Sheridan hit a point of burnout and decided to take a step back. He retreated to the studio to write music, experiment with new sounds, and challenge himself vocally.
After the much-needed break, Sheridan is ready to fully embrace his new music style. “The first EP we released last year was kind of a step into the new genre,” he explains. “With the new music I’m releasing, it’s kind of like I’m putting both feet in.”
With new singles in the works and his first official South by Southwest showcase lined up, the new year is already proving to be a period of revelation for the singer-songwriter. “At the end of 2020,” he grins, “I’ll have a much better idea of where I fit into the music scene here.”
20/20 Vision
Sheridan has a lot of releases in the works for 2020. He plans on releasing several new singles and a couple music videos every month or so in order to build momentum. For emerging artists, he believes “the market is much more friendly towards singles” so he’s holding off on recording a full-length album this year.
Contact
sheridanreed.com/music
@sheridanreed
Listen Live
Sheridan Reed will be performing during SXSW. For more details, visit schedule.sxsw.com
Listen Online
Spotify
YouTube
SoundCloud
[…] {READ MORE} […]