Sylvee on her EP ‘DOWNPOUR’

Carving out a unique pop-rock sound that sets her apart in the industry, Sylvee has just released her sophomore EP ’Downpour - expect ethereal vocals, plenty of raw emotion, poetic lyricism and more. As one of New Zealand’s most exciting new artists, she is poised to make a significant impact on the global music scene.

Congrats on your new EP 'Downpour'! How did you land on the name of the EP and what are the central themes you delve into lyrically?

Thank you! It feels like it's taken a lifetime to get here. ‘Downpour’ didn't come to me easily, which sort of feels right considering the journey it took to create this body of work. To me, the EP is very much about that sink or swim feeling. Learning how to push through the tough waves and come to the top. It's a challenge but it's a lot brighter when you do push through. I guess that's where ‘Downpour’ came from. For a big portion of the time I was writing this EP, it felt like I was being hit with constant challenges. It felt like a downpour of things all at once. I don't think those challenges ever really stop, we just learn to navigate them better I guess.

What were your main artistic influences for the songs on this EP?

I listened to A LOT over the course of making this project, but endless amounts of Lana, Noga Erez, Gracie Abrams, Masego, Rosalia, Kacey Musgraves, Laurel, Holly Humberstone, Lennon Stella, Mereba. I could go on forever. I can already tell you though, the next project already has some very different influences!

Amazing! You kick off the EP with the compelling anthem "Time For The Girls" which we love! What was the inspiration behind this track and why was it important for you to create and start the EP with a song around female empowerment?

‘Time For The Girls’ always felt like the centre of this project. Around the time we wrote the song, I was experiencing a lot of decisions being made that didn't feel right to me. Men telling me how I need to do things, and how lucky I was to even have a say in certain matters. Being made to feel like I'm being difficult, or inexperienced for having an opinion, or asking questions. That hasn't stopped necessarily, but I have learned not to take that on board. I know who I am, and what I want, and that's the most important thing. I have been very blessed to have a group of people around me that support me, constantly check in and genuinely care about me and my goals. I absolutely would not be putting this EP out if I didn't have those people. I'll be forever grateful to them.

One of your latest songs is "Honey" - a more mellow, classic pop-rock track showcasing a different side of your artistry. Can you tell us about the concept behind this song?

This song started as just a chorus that I recorded as a voice note on my phone. I was sitting in a friends studio by myself at the bottom of his garden in Hitchin in the UK, just messing around on the guitar. I took it to Josh Edmonds and Joe Corban-Banks in Auckland about two years ago. We only had a short session that day, but the rest of the song came really quickly. I knew I wanted to release it that day. It's still one of my favourite songs. It got a bit lost and just lived in my head for a long time, but I finally pulled it out and took it to Tom Broome to re-do the drums and he bought it back to life. Guy Harrison added some very magical keys and synths, and then my all time fave Joel Zaia added even more love to it. I've never been so precious about a song in my life but it was worth it for sure. Sometimes it's hard to know if listening to your gut, or other people's opinions is the best thing for the song. I'm very grateful to everyone who stuck with me on this track though, it really did the rounds!

We love the raw emotion and deep vulnerability in your songs, and are blown away by your ability to craft songs in a way that we know listeners are able to strongly relate to and connect with - especially in another one of your new songs "I'm Fine". Can you tell us the story behind the making of this track?

I'm not entirely sure where this song came from story-wise. I like to embellish and make up stories sometimes. There's a bit of truth to it though. I think I had been watching the JD trial, and it was so awful. I kept wondering why we do such horrific things to the people we love the most. I had been in a session with Joel Zaia the day before we wrote this, and I was feeling so frustrated about leaving the session without a song. I was a bit teary about it, especially because I had only come up for a week from Nelson. I put a lot of pressure on myself to go home with a great song from every session. Some days you just don't have anything. But Joel was kind enough to get me in the next day and this is what we came out with.

What were some of your highlights and core memories made throughout the journey of making this EP?

Every person I got to work with on this project gifted me so much. I can remember every session. There were tears, laughs until you cry, and so much heart poured into those songs. Every single one comes from such an honest and vulnerable place for me, and I hope someone finds some sort of strength in them. I think one of my favourite memories was from more recently when Joel and I went to Tom's studio to re-do some drums. It took no time at all because Tom is a genius, and possibly the nicest person I've ever met, but it felt so nice to look back with them both and see how close we were to finishing. It was just a really great day for me and I feel like a static TV thinking about it. Those two have given me so much love and they'll probably never know how much of a gift they've given me.

If you had to pick one of your songs for our readers to listen to today, which song would you pick?!

Honey! It's my fave! It's groovy and warm.

Make sure to keep up with Sylvee on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify or Apple Music.