Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Morse.
Sydney, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up, my dad and I would play music together, listen to music together (our favorite was Johnny Cash) and dissect the lyrics of our favorite bluegrass tunes together. I always enjoyed singing in talent shows and performing at piano recitals.
In high school, I discovered something I loved even more- writing music myself. Probably inspired by some unrequited crush, I found the process of writing songs to be therapeutic and freeing in a way nothing else had ever been. As I continued to explore and develop my process, I became obsessed, filling up notebooks and notebooks with lyrics (most of which the world will never see- with good reason). Music allowed me to release and share something within me that I was incapable of speaking with my words alone.
The combination of melody and poetry could paint a feeling for someone or recreate a memory in the very same way I had perceived it. Being a person inspired deeply by human connection and the interaction of souls, I loved (and still love) the ability to offer my vulnerability and honesty, my worst suffering and greatest joy, as a gift to others through song. I have found that this offering is often met with quite the same in return, and I have encountered many human souls in ways that would have been quite difficult without music. In fact, as of last September, I am married to a wonderful artist I met when I first moved to Atlanta. We met up one day three Septembers ago to share music, and we haven’t stopped since.
Has it been a smooth road?
In many ways, my road has been incredibly smooth and blessed. I am very grateful for the friendship, love, and support that has kept me afloat and able to pursue this career. I have a great big, loving family and good friends who are my advocates always. My husband, James, inspires me to action daily. Of course, the road itself is not always manageable, but they carry me.
Additionally, music is often a prayer and an outlet, which smooths over bumpy roads and tumultuous mental storms. I, like many of my millennial peers, often find my brain difficult to navigate and have struggled greatly with mental illness. Anxiety has kept me from sharing and performing my music for many years, and much of what I write about pertains to my ongoing wrestle with my own mind. Specifically, last year, I had a paralyzing flare-up of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, something I have always struggled with but has never taken control of my life in the way it did then. I would never go back and relive it, but I am glad for that time. Among countless other things, it taught me to accept my being incredibly weak and imperfect on my own, and not to find my value in material success. This music industry, I am discovering, is very saturated with talent, and it’s hard to stand out or be successful in the eyes of the world. Having this humiliating experience grounded me and now allows me to keep things in perspective and to keep what is truly important close to me. In my songwriting mission, I must remember that as long as I am being intentional with what I write and having the courage to share it, I am doing what I was made to do! I need not worry about the material success of my art.
In this time of struggle, I also learned to write in a new way and was given the opportunity to share openly the most embarrassing parts of myself through song. I have been very encouraged by the responses I have gotten from people who struggle in the same way or similarly to me.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Sydney Morse story. Tell us more about your work.
I am an Atlanta-based singer-songwriter. I seek out beauty, goodness, and truth, and I write music that is honest and raw with folk influence and indie-pop tendencies. I strive to be authentic and vulnerable, that others might feel comfortable doing the same, and I hope to inspire others to seek what is true and good and beautiful.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
To be completely honest, I feel that I am just now beginning to learn about the industry myself, so I don’t have a very broad window to look through here or much to compare with what I see now. I suppose the very fact that I am where I am demonstrates that recording and releasing your original music is quite attainable even for little fish like me. Thanks to social media and a plethora of platforms for others to discover your music, it is also easier than ever before to get it in front of people. However, there are so many talented people out there! I am learning to make networking a priority so to stand on the shoulders of giants who have learned to promote music and book shows much more effectively than me, and I think this will only become more important as the industry becomes more decentralized.
Contact Info:
- Email: sydmorsemusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydmorsemusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sydmorsemusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sydmorsemusic
Image Credit:
Engagement Photography: Kate Lamb, Smith’s Photography: Kristine Bremer, Michael Oliveros, James Morse
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