Day one supporters right here…
Brisbane singer-songwriter Sycco has been one of the freshest and most promising acts to rise to prominence in the last year-and-a-half, the ‘Dribble’ singer’s meteoric rise to national adoration the type of ascent most artists dream of, but never attain. At the tender age of 19, she’s just about done it all. Like A Versions, festivals, headline tours, the list goes on. She’s even performed a Tame Impala song in front of Kevin Parker himself, which honestly would make any mere mortal shit absolute bricks (but she killed it of course). But amongst it all, she’s been quietly working away on new music, grinding away in the studio to follow up the widespread acclaim of hits like ‘Peacemaker,’ ‘Germs’ and her Hot 100 banger ‘Dribble.
The result is Sycco’s First EP (genius name), and it’s everything the Sycco fandom have been yearning for; wonderfully produced and written tracks that do justice to inner growth, transformation and exhilaration. From the uplifting and momentous synths of ‘Best Before’ to the iconic smoky guitars of ‘Dribble’ and the shimmering vulnerability in ‘Happy You’re Here,’ it’s clear the Brisbane talent is well in control of her craft in 2021, and that this first EP is just a sneak peak into what lies ahead in her promising future.
We caught up with the Brissy talent to chat about the debut EP, pick her brains on the crazy year she’s had and get the deets on a certain run-in she had with psychedelic Jesus AKA Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. Check it below (along with some pics from an impromptu Camperdown Park photoshoot we did with her earlier this year).
Last time I saw you you’d just moved out with your mates, how have the new digs been since?
It’s been really good! I’ve got a cat and he won’t stop meowing [laughs] Hang on. I’m just going to move him. (Cue Sycco moving her adorable cat).
When you move out with your mates it’s a really cool time of finding yourself and who you are outside of your family. Have you even had the chance to do that amongst everything you’ve achieved this year?
I reckon I’ve definitely done heaps of self-reflection and it’s been really good. I’m very spiritual so I’ve been just trying to find answers. I don’t know if I’ve really landed on them but I’m just working it out [laughs]a
What are some of the questions you’ve been looking for answers to?
Like, “why am I here?” I always just land on the fact that our little pea brains can’t comprehend it. So that’s it. It should just be.
Has it all been a whirlwind up to this point? Or have you been taking it from one thing to next? You’ve done a whole lot of living in a year.
I think one thing to the next because you come home and then there’s nothing. It doesn’t feel like it’s happening all that quickly, which is good. But then it makes the downtime kind of hard because you’re not in the grind and you’re like, “Well, what am I doing?” But it has been crazy. But also I haven’t totally known what’s going on because it’s all just numbers really and not actually seeing people because COVID is still such a thing.
Now, congrats on the EP! Obviously it’s your first EP (hence the name), but it’s definitely not the first body of work you’ve out out. I’m of course referring to that album you put out when you were 15, the one you described as a “shit Innerspeaker.” If you had to compare ‘Sycco’s First EP’ to a Tame Impala album, what would it be?
Shit… I don’t think it sounds anything like Tame Impala. Except maybe like three songs [laughs]. Maybe more on the Lonerism side. More poppy songs, but still like the Sycco kind of vibe!
While we’re at it, one Tame fan to another, can you rank your favourite albums from best to worst? No pressure.
I feel like it changes. Because I used to always be like, “Innerspeaker forever” because that’s the organic raw sound and I loved seeing him progress. But, I think it would be Lonerism, InnerSpeaker… Wait, I would say, Lonerism, Currents, InnerSpeaker, Slow Rush then the EP.
Slow Rush always gets left behind.
Slow Rush is really fucking good, but because it’s so new, it’s not had the time to be so important to us I feel. What about you?
Definitely Lonerism first, Currents, InnerSpeaker, the EP and Slow Rush.
Just dipping into the EP, there are some really cool themes of nostalgia and coming into yourself. Now that it’s finished and it’s about to be released, are all of those themes you’re exploring in the EP in the rear view mirror? Or is a lot of it still relevant to your life now?
I definitely resonate with them still, but I definitely think that I’ve learnt my lessons through them. I like the rear-view mirror thing by the way! But some of the songs are two years old or just much older, so they don’t hit me as much as the new ones. I feel like when artists release songs they’re like “Oh, it’s such a release when you drop the songs.” But for me, the biggest euphoria hit of when I make a song is that first week after I make it and I’m listening to it on repeat. So, when I’m releasing it, it’s kind of just like, “Oh, now you guys can listen to it too.”
Upon listening to the EP I was stoked to see that the unreleased tunes were just as catchy as the singles you’d already released. Was there a certain one out of them you were most keen to drop?
All three of the new songs were in very big discussions about which would be the single because we loved them all so much. I still don’t know, but I’m really happy with ‘Past Life,’ I have so many songs that aren’t released and it’s really hard to pick and choose which one’s the next one to be released, of which is the next song that “progresses Sycco.” Just so people can see my growth while keeping me excited. But ‘Past Life’ is the oldest one on that EP. So I really wanted to release that one so it didn’t get left behind. And then with ‘Best Before,’ my girlfriend loves that song and wanted it on her Spotify playlist, so I really wanted to get it out [laughs].
It’s pretty early on in your career but you’ve already taken such creative control, which was really nicely shown through ‘Times Up.’ What meaning does that track and video have to you?
That’s my favourite song because it was done completely flow state. I just went in and every idea made sense for it and it just kept on going. And then I was like, “Okay, this is going way too long. This is like no other song that I’ve made.” So I was very hesitant with sending it to my managers because I was worried they were going to be like, “What’s going on in her brain?” But I think it was necessary because psychedelic music is such a big part of me, and Sycco obviously, but that song really fits into that mould. So, I was really excited to do that one and have people hear it even though it’s quite an odd, not really accessible song.
I remember seeing you tease ‘Happy You’re Here’ at your Lansdowne show. It’s such a distinct tune on the record and made for such a specific moment on the night. It just feels so vulnerable. Can you break it down a bit for me, in terms of vulnerability?
Totally. I did that song with Golden Vessel. We’ve written four songs together and he always tries to get out my vulnerable side because I feel it’s hard to go deep into myself. That instrumental has so much emotion where the lyrics have to kind of relate to it, otherwise it just wouldn’t be right. But that’s a really special song because it’s quite corny. It’s nice to have a corny song once in a while [laughs]. On the EP it sounds super bedroom-poppy and dreamy, but when we play it live we do two choruses at the end and it goes from this dreamy song to this Hatchie vibe because it goes all shoe-gazey in a way. Not extremely shoe-gazey, but it just changes and it feels so good. It’s such a release. I love that song. I just love it.
Seeing you interact with your fans at your Lansdowne show was so wholesome, it seems like you really just see them as mates and take all the adoration in stride. What are those interactions like for you?
They’re crazy because I don’t understand who’s listening to my music or who’s heard it. So to see people even in the crowd singing the lyrics is such a wig out because they’re songs from my bedroom and now someone else is sharing that experience and it’s so wholesome. Then when I get to meet them or if anyone comes up to me I get really awkward because we’re just two humans. There’s no barrier between us. You just know me before I know you and so I think it’s really nice when there’s already a sort of connection because of the music. It’s just really lovely.
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(We actually shot Sycco’s Show at the Landsdowne. Check out the full gallery here).
Speaking of mates, you and your band have the most wholesome relationship. The love between you guys on and off stage is so tangible. What’s it like being on the road with them?
That’s sick. Because they are like my best friends and I I would hate going on tour if I didn’t have them because it’s such a… You’re in your own bubble, and people know your name and the ego just latches on to that and it’s a bit of a mind fuck, so having them there allows me to find it really special and grounding. They’re just really lovely people and they make me laugh and giggle. I’m very grateful for them because it would just not be the same at all.
Do you have a favourite memory on tour together?
Actually, before the Lansdowne shows we went out and I wanted to take everyone to a Tiki bar just because they are so awesome. And then we went there, then we got really drunk and we got kebabs. We were walking home and my bass player Jack, I don’t know what he was doing but I was trying to make him laugh, and so I was running and looking behind me at him and then I was running really fast, then I ran into a tree stump and it winded me. Everyone was staring at me and they were like, “Sash? Sash?” And then I was like, “What’s going to happen to the shows” because I thought I fully broke my rib and then I couldn’t get up and it was really traumatic [laughs]. But then I did the show. It was all good. But It really hurt [laughs].
As a fan it’s been so heartwarming seeing you play all of these different stages across the country. My favourite though was seeing you play that Tame Impala cover at the APRAS in front of Kevin Parker with Stevan and Hauskey. What was that like?
That was the scariest moment. I’ve never felt so much anxiety. I was so scared. My manager was watching in the crowd and she was like, “I could see the fear in your eyes.” [laughs] And I was like, “There was so much fear.” My hand was shaking. But it was such a nice night and song to collaborate with those two people on because they are such angels. But I actually met Kevin Parker after. I just went up to him and we chatted. I was so scared. And then, Murray from the Wiggles is the one that ended the conversation. And I was like, “These are my two idols. What am I doing here.” It was such a wig out.
What was it like talking to Kevin?
He was so lovely. I did an outfit change before though so he didn’t realize who I was. Because he shouted us out in his speech and I was like, “Okay, that gives me some sort of conversation topic.” But then he didn’t realize that I was the one on the stage. So I kind of had to hint at him because I didn’t want it just to be a huge fan you know. But then I can only be a huge fan. I don’t know anything about this dude, but then he stood up and gave me a hug and he was like, “You made my wife and manager cry.” And I was like, “Wow. It wasn’t that sad” [laughs] He was really lovely. Just so genuine. I was really scared because people say not to meet your favourite artist, but I’m so glad that I did.
Just shifting gears a bit, it feels like the sky’s the limit for you. After this crazy year, are there still goals you have you want to achieve? What’s driving you?
There’s still a lot I want to do. It’s hard with COVID but I’m definitely not stopping. I can only do music. It’s the only thing I like and that fulfills me the most. So there’s a lot more to come.
I remember watching that clip of you when you came in at #29 on the Hot 100. You seemed so shocked that people were voting for you, when to us music fans it seemed guaranteed you’d rank high in the countdown. What was that whole day like? What did it mean to you?
I was so chuffed because all of my songs that I voted for had already come on and I was like, “Okay there’s definitely no way that I could be in here because who the fuck is voting? Who’s doing this?” I don’t understand how there could be that many votes. It was just too much. I honestly still to this day think it was rigged because I don’t think that that many people could have voted for me [laughs]. Like I really appreciate it for sure and I want to believe that it wasn’t rigged but I have such imposter syndrome that it’s so hard to think that could be real. Especially because it’s the Hottest 100. That’s like such a huge deal in my head. So, so crazy.
It’s so crazy that you pulled off the ‘Dribble’ Tour amidst a global pandemic. During that last show and while you were playing those last couple of songs, were you feeling reaffirmed at all? That you could do this for an actual career?
It was so reaffirming because I’d never played my own headline shows before that tour. I was like, “I can’t believe I could do that.” It was also a bit of relief because of my rib [laughs]. I was just thinking “I can’t believe I got through that.” And I was also away from home for a month which I hadn’t done since before COVID, so I was excited to go home because it was intense playing two shows every night. But it was super fun. And I can’t wait to do it again.
Lastly, after all you’ve been through and accomplished, what’s one word you’d use to summarise it all, and what’s one word you’d use to summarise what’s to come ?
So far I’d say exhilarating and as for what’s to come… Fun!
‘Sycco’s First EP’ is out now. You can buy/stream it here. Check out some more pics with her from our Camperdown Park hang below.
