Sydney Wayser
Sydney Wayser (born 7 October 1986) is a French-American singer-songwriter based in New York.
Wayser was born to a French father and American mother. She lived her early life between Paris and Los Angeles. Wayser's music is rife with tales and adventure; her music quite simply draws you into her world, delicately and candidly.
Her first album, entitled “Silent Parade”, showcases Wayser’s elegant blend of strings, piano, guitar and percussion, capturing enough of each without treading into overkill. It is the ode to simplicity and a nod to grace that truly defines the impact of Wayser’s writing and voice. You are at once enraptured and brought into her world where carousels’ turn with youthful exuberance, and love is questioned in lucid prose.
As influences go there is a defining quality of Wayser’s melodies that embraces depth, subtlety, dance, and playfulness, capturing elements of Nick Drake, and of Fiona Apple, Leonard Cohen and Elliot Smith. There’s a tranquil and frozen moment feel, reminiscent of Cat Power’s “You are Free” album. Each of these , and many others, have been woven into her soul and discarded; the sound is absorbed, pondered, and honored, and it is ultimately the goal of the artist to forge their own unique style. Sydney is well on her way. Serge Gainsbourgh, Edith Piaf, and many classic French singer-songwriters have also had a profound impact on Sydney’s style as a pianist and writer, as evidenced in some of the off kilter and theatrical elements of French folk music in her songs.
Reflecting on the origin of her songs, Wayser comments, “I write more about what I’ve found, as opposed to what I’m looking for.” Place de la Bastille, written about the French Revolution, was also inspired by the famous French film “Amelie.” “Jean-Pierre Jeunet uses striking colors to create a repetitive pattern through the film. Occasionally he introduces light blue, a more subtle color to symbolize something significant, but hidden when blinded by the red and green. I thought this was an analog for finding some of life’s more crucial elements, buried amidst all the distraction of our days.” Papa Don’t Worry is a standout on this album, with a beautiful vocal delivery by Sydney and somber cello throughout. “I sat at my keyboard alone in my apartment, the room bright solely from the many candles lining my floor, and I wrote this song as a remedy to heal me during a static period in my life. I wrote the lyrics as a letter to my parents, and found with each line I wrote telling them I would be fine, I was actually convincing myself.”
Her mother and father encouraged artistic exploration and expression from a very early age, exposing Wayser and her brother to an eclectic mix of American and European culture. Time spent in Paris only ripened her desire to study the great painters, singers, and iconic figures of both worlds, and fed her mind and soul with a wealth of experience and vision with which to develop her music. A playful though somewhat introverted spirit, as a teenager she cultivated her passion for writing music and developed her intellect and vast interests, including ballet, film, and literature, later honing in on music as her true love.
There is a surface paradox at play here: Sydney’s music is free and colorful and wide-eyed; recalling a young girl on Parisian side streets, in her mind conversing with the great artists and writers who once pounced on those same cobblestones. At the same time, she conveys a charm and wit well beyond her twenty years, and with an unusual command of language and phrasing.
This collection of songs, her first such endeavor, showcases an extremely talented and personable artist with a style that separates her from the pack. Sydney brings her voice, her story, and her incredible ability to bring the listener to the exact place of conception; where in the heart, mind, or street that the song came to her, and then to you.
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