SyKo
The phenomena of SyKo cannot be overlooked — after years of releasing his heart-thumping numbers, the artist has soared to new heights following unprecedented viral fame. For many, #BROOKLYNBLOODPOP! will be the song of the summer with over 27 million Spotify streams. The track’s success is in large part due to the power of that TikTok machine; #BBP has been used in over 93 thousand videos, even earning SyKo the #1 spot on Spotify’s Viral 50 playlist. It all starts with a vision, and for the artist, this began at the age of 14 making EDM beats. What later evolved would be a distinct sound, one that has turned him into a Hyper-Pop star. The artist currently boasts a highly devoted fanbase and over 2.6 million monthly listeners. We spoke to the artist about what this journey has been like, what he’s doing when he makes it to LA, and more!
SyKo! Thanks so much for speaking with us today –– first of all, congrats on the recent success – “#BrooklynBloodPop!” has gone absolutely viral over the past month. What has the experience been like for you so far?
It's been so overwhelming but such an honor to meet so many familiar faces I've only seen online. Beyond that, it's really just an experience!
How did the song come together? Can you walk us through the inspiration for the track?
Yeah, crazy enough, it released on June 18th but I was working on it 7 months prior around January. Honestly, it was so new and rough designing it. I was so close to scrapping it but pushed through and released it — The inspiration, however, is just on another complexity, drawing from the old pop icon era with Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, Britney, to hip-hop and EDM influencers like Chief Keef, XXX, Skrillex. The list is really never-ending but it’s from those like-minded heads where I nurtured that new sound. If I can even go a step more, the concept for #BrooklynBloodPop was Emma herself. I wanted to basically a meditative state in which I embodied or combined my own and Emma's (the girl on the cover) personalities. Like, "broke boy" (a part of the small EP) is derived from the essence of me and her talking shit. #BBP is just us doing bad shit, snorting coke, busting mailboxes and just having over the boundary criminal fun. If that makes sense? I wanted to overtextualize and put those thoughts or feelings into audible things, essentially making your brain fall in love with the sound, period. I wanna overdose the fuck out of you.
Has there been a moment on this journey that still feels surreal to you?
Being called by every single major label was the very first sign I knew this was special, to talking to directors like JMP, etc... But overall, it’s all surreal. Like even the love, I check every single DM I get. Whether or not that sounds like a lie or not, I do, and having peoples parents hit me up looking to get autographs for their kids is a big “Woah” factor as well. But yeah, I love that and my supporters so much.
Let’s go back to the beginning for a second – how did you get started making music?
I used to produce EDM when I was 14, but stopped going that route and re-picked up doing vocals four years later on Christmas day. At first, it was rough, you know, not even an interface and only recording with skull candy earbuds. I've progressed it to where it is today. My love for music is inherently where it started. Music is in my blood, I was made for this in my belief.
You have an absolutely distinct sound. Who are some of the artists that you’ve taken inspiration from?
I mentioned a few above, but I never touched on the fact I have a lot of rock/alt influence as well from Paramore, Saosin, Chiodos, from first to last even.
You’ve been in the industry for over two years now. What has changed most about your music during this time?
The people and the opportunities I have are well more versed now than they have ever been.
What is your typical music-making process like?
I usually meditate on what I'm feeling or even on a state of the subject that I wanna touch on. I just space out, think about it and record bar to bar, I crazy enough have never written any of my songs.
If you could have one celebrity cameo in your next music video, who would they be and why?
Anna Kendrick, duh! why wouldn’t you?
With that said, can you explain the Anna Kendrick theme?
Cause I'm a stan above all else, a fan! That’s MY whole theme *wink wink*!
What are some things that you like to do outside of the studio?
Omg, I love checking out restaurants; mostly Asian restaurants, but I love all food and as well as checking out bookstores. I like reading stuff ranging from poetry to even metaphysics.
What’s next for SyKo? Any projects coming up for fans to get excited about? When
“Love factory!” I can only say that though ;)
SyKo makes it to LA., _________________. (If you haven’t made it there already!)
I’m very adventurous and workaholic-spirited, so after I handle stuff revolving around video and studio work, I really wanna just see the culture of L.A. – I've only seen very little since I live in such a small town in Texas so I think it'd be overwhelming at first, but fun!