Sydney Wright : Solo

One Woman Show

Words by Sam Lauron Photos by Eric Morales

Growing up in a musical family in the West Texas panhandle, Sydney Wright was basically destined to become a professional musician. She and her three sisters all learned how to play piano at a young age, and when she was 15, Sydney took up guitar. She became fully enthralled with the singer-songwriter lifestyle in high school when she got a taste of writing breakup songs for her friends. “I felt like I was being useful [to them],” she describes. “Singing and writing was therapeutic.”

While pop is the foundation for much of Sydney’s music—having evolved from the country style she grew up with—she often layers her songs with “whatever flavor” she’s into at the moment thanks, in part, to a technique she uses called looping. Looping entails using loop pedals to piece together different instrumental and vocal tracks, some pre-recorded and some live, to build upon a song while performing it. While one track is playing a drumbeat, another could simultaneously be playing strings or chorus vocals, all while Sydney performs live.

This technique has allowed her to create her own unique style and makes for a dynamic and captivating performance. “Because I do live looping, it’s like I’m producing on the fly all the time,” she says. “It’s made me understand what I feel musically and what sounds I like.”

From the stage to the studio

In addition to playing live shows, Sydney has also found her place in the studio. In 2018, she released her first solo album, Seiche, which is a culmination of everything she’s experienced throughout her music career. The album includes 11 songs, which all take Sydney’s powerful, yet relatable, lyrics and pairs them with a range of pop harmonies, some even reflecting the style of her creative looping technique.

Releasing an album is something Sydney says she would not have had the opportunity to do if she had not moved to the Live Music Capital of the World just a few years earlier. “Austin fosters the creative community and offers such great support for artists,” she says.

The pop musician credits organizations like Black Fret for playing a central role in her career. At the end of 2019, Sydney was one of ten artists who received a major grant from the music non-profit. She plans to use the grant toward making more music videos and taking her entertaining one-woman show on the road. “I think it’s fun to travel solo, and I really like showing off looping,” she admits. Sydney hopes that being on the road more will give her an opportunity to bridge the gap between people through in-person performances. “I want to be able to connect to everybody on a different level.”

HAAM
In the summer of 2018, Sydney was involved in a scooter hit and run accident that landed her in the hospital with several severe injuries. The accident may have temporarily slowed her down, but it didn’t stop her from making music, thanks to support from the non-profit, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM), which provides musicians access to affordable health insurance.

Contact
sydneywrightmusic.com
@sydneywrightmusic

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