Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydni Perry.
Sydni, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Hello there! I’m Sydni Michelle Perry, aka The Legendary Sydni Perry on Instagram. I’ve always been a little outside of the box, okay maybe really outside the box like “where’d the box go?” far. I’m silly, a little crazy (in a good way), and I do a little bit of everything. Growing up, I sang and danced around the house with my family. I am happy to report that has not changed. I participated in a multitude of activities, including softball, piano lessons, gymnastics, swimming, choir, taekwondo, dancing (tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop), basketball (for one not-so-great evening), volleyball, voice lessons, and soccer. Just to name a few. Right now, I am a rising senior at Agnes Scott College, majoring in English-Creative Writing and minoring in music and theatre. Back in the day. I used to run around with my camera taking videos of me and my sister, making “movies” with my toys and taking pictures of pretty much everything. I would pretend that I was a news reporter or a superhero or whatever I wanted to be at that moment. I was always in my own world, dreaming of all the possibilities of who I could be. Luckily, that hasn’t changed either. I am a God-fearing, creative, strong, intelligent, passionate, and multi-talented 20-year-old African American woman who is going to change the world.
In the third grade, for a project, I wrote,”When I grow up, I want to be a singer, dancer, and movie star because I want to become a famous person around the world.” (3rd Grade Sydni) For a little while, those dreams were lost I was running around doing a whole bunch of random things that weren’t for me and I constantly felt lost and is if I was on the wrong road. That was until I decided to listen to this voice in the back of my head. It had been trying to reach me for a while. But I kept on ignoring its call. I was scared and I let the fear rule me for a very long time. Every time I would try to listen, I didn’t believe I could do what that voice was saying, so I shut it down and as a result, I shut myself down. I felt like it was too late, I didn’t have the training or capability, and that I didn’t have the talent. One day, I let that voice speak and I listened. Following that, I prayed A LOT and after one fateful night after watching Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, I took a leap of faith and just went for it. (I know, crazy right? That’s a great movie by the way) That’s the truth. No cap.
With this leap, throughout the spring/summer of 2019, I jumped into the mobilization of my dreams that had been long forgotten and I flourished. This was the first time in a long time that I was on the right path and that I felt this sense of freedom take over. I was modeling, taking acting classes, I got an agent, Barbara Garvey at East Coast Talent, she’s awesome, and I was working hard to make those things happen. As I continued on my journey, I decided I wouldn’t let anyone get in the way of me achieving my goals, not even myself. That’s easier said than done but I have grown so much through this experience and it is only the beginning. To this day, I still pray A LOT, I am still uncertain at times, but I know God is right beside me every step of the way, so I trust in him and continue to take each step towards my destiny.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not. I have dealt with depression, procrastination, anxiety, low self-esteem, and self-doubt. I still do. When they come lurking around, it is most certainly a battle. Sometimes, I get lost in my head and I dig this mental hole and I allow start to overthink and become bombarded with thoughts that tell me I’m not good enough, ” You can’t do this” nobody likes you, and nothing you say is important. “That’s weird. You’re weird.” “All of this is pointless and you will never reach your dream.” With this quarantine and the virus, they have been louder and stronger than ever because the future is so uncertain and I have no clue what I am going to do.
How, under all this duress, do I find the strength to pull myself out of this hole? It’s not easy. It is a constant battle that I have to fight, but I am not alone. During those times, I fight to remember how God got me through times like these before and how I know he can do it again. I find the good qualities about myself and I encourage myself to keep going even when the end seems nowhere in sight. I believe that faith without works is dead and we have to believe and work during the hard times before we see the good times. Otherwise, there would be nothing to work for. A phrase that I tell myself is, “who knows what I am capable of if I never try” (Sydni Perry).
Each day I know I have to make the effort to break out of my comfort zone, to push myself to the next level, and as I keep pushing and fighting and praying, I have found that I constantly surprise myself. So why should I stop now?
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a singer, writer, model, dancer, director, soccer player, and so much more. I kind of do a bit of everything. I believe I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to and I have made it one of my goals in life that even if I am not 100% sure I can do something, I will go and do it anyway and give it my best shot. I am a go-getter, creative thinker, and I don’t stop, except to sleep, sleep is very important. I am a self-starter, quick learner, open minded, and always willing to try something new. Some of my goals as of right now are to be an actress/director/writer, so kind of like Spike Lee but my version, and in the long run, I want to have my own production company. As an actor, I have had the privilege to be in a few projects already, THORNS directed by Sarah Wisner and Sean Temple and Step Family directed by Jessica Bouyer, which is currently in post-production.
My dream role right now would be Ironheart aka Riri Williams from the Marvel Universe. I feel like I really embody her overall character and essence and I have always wanted to be a superhero, I used to pray about it when I was really young. Who knows what the future holds, my plan right now is to keep working, keep training, and trusting God to open the doors that are for me. As a writer and director I want to tell different stories about girls who look like me and for those in other groups who constantly get put in the same stereotypical types of roles and stories. There is so much more to us than we are allowed to explore and I believe representation is so important for future generations. Just because something has been the same way for a long time does not mean it is incapable of changing, someone just has to be willing to flip the script. We have seen this change start to happen over the years and I just want to be a part of changing the narratives and expanding our minds of who people can be.
I am most proud of my effort and attitude. I have always been a hard worker, which I owe to my participation in sports and from my parents and family members who have been working hard all of their lives to get to where they are now. I want to use their successes as the fuel for me to go even higher; I want to make them proud. What sets me apart is that I am not just one thing. Like I said, I am so far outside of the box you can’t fit me into one. I sing all genres of music, I can portray an array of different characters. I write fiction, poetry, songs, comedy, and horror stories. I can do some interesting dances too, just go check out my IG. The one thing that connects them all is that they are my truth. I don’t try to be like anybody else. I am unapologetically me. It has taken me a while to realize that and embody it, but I am growing each day becoming more and more confident in my dreams and capabilities, learning to love the outstanding, legendary woman that God has created. I was made for a reason and while I don’t know the full extent of that reason, I plan to use the talents, gifts, and platform that I have been given to encourage and uplift those around me and to be a bright light in the world.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Guitar Hero III. I believe it was the Christmas of 2008 when I received, to this date, one of the best gifts ever. I couldn’t even tell you why exactly but there was something about that game that just filled me with joy that early morning. Maybe it was the fact that I was eight years old and my parents let me have a game rated for teens, I don’t know. All I know for sure is that I was happy. I remember tearing open a corner of the box’s wrapping paper and seeing the T rating for the game and knowing instantly what it was. I hadn’t even opened the rest of the gift and I was already up beaming, dancing, doing fist pumps in the air, and screaming YESSSSSS…YESSSSS!!!! I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait to play the game.
Guitar Hero III is what introduced me to Rock n Roll world and the ’80s which happen to be two of my favorite genres now. I was always excited to play the game, I would go downstairs, turn up the surround sound to get the full effect, and just go crazy singing, dancing, and playing the guitar even playing without looking at the screen. I challenged my dad on several occasions to Guitar Hero battles, which I would win. That game means a lot to me and it is something I will never forget. The pure and absolute joy that I had is what makes this my favorite memory from childhood, that and the fact that my memory is a little shotty, so if there was something better, my brain forgot about it. For real, that was my favorite memory from childhood by far.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://perrysydni99.wixsite.com/sydnip
- Email: perrysydni99@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@thesydniperry/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/@thesydniperry
- Podcast: “A Little Peculiar Podcast” http://alittlepeculiar.
buzzsprout.com/ - Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkG_5VZYxdNmKk5px2dMqMQ
Image Credit:
Tacia Fagundes (Tacia Fagundes Photography)
Kiunna Lowe (KLowe Photography)
Kiunna Lowe (Klowe Photography)
Aaron Wright
Ira Carmichael
Sierra Adams (ShotsbySi)
Stephonx (Stephonx_)
Amina Daugherty and Sharon Gurung
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