Meet Andrew Lambrou, who makes a grand entrance with his debut single, ThroneThe Sydney-based musician makes a high-flying debut with a dark, pop sound.
Meet SAYAH, who after years of live collabs, steps out with her new song Fruit
You might recognise the Sydney musician from the live shows of Cosmo's Midnight and Peking Duk, but her new work is something else entirely.
Posted By Hayden Davies
4 years ago
Header image by Ashley Lim.
If you're familiar with SAYAH already, there's a strong probability it's because of her work on the live stage alongside some of Australian electronic's biggest and best: Cosmo's Midnight, Peking Duk and Set Mo included. The Sydney-based musician has performed alongside those acts - and worked behind the scenes with plenty of others - throughout the last few years, all while working on her own work at the same time, readying more solo material after sharing a pair of singles in 2019: Drama Queen and He's Not Over Me.
Fruit is the first taste of what that music sounds like, positioning SAYAH in the public eye as she takes everything she's learnt with her collaborative work and distils it with her own personality and charm - something that really shines amongst Fruit. The end result is slick and polished yet lively and animated; a spark of brilliance that captures confusing emotions amongst a rushing euphoria, while the spark becomes similarly felt within SAYAH's own solo trajectory - it feels like the start of something new, with a newfound fire underneath her.
"When you’ve got an insane connection with someone but you know they’re not good for you, so you try everything to move on including seeing new people... but no matter what, they’re always on your mind and it’s so freaking annoying! At the same time, you also kinda love it. Ughhh the confusion!!” It's a feeling she attempts to simmer down on Fruit, and one that she manages to digest amongst a production that really makes you listen in, and take in everything she's saying.
"Keppie Coutts (co-writer of Fruit) and I wrote this song, she seeded the idea and came to me with the concept and it was crazy because I was literally going through that exact scenario at the time," she continues to explain. "It was like she had read my mind and we wrote the rest of the song within half an hour."
It's an exciting re-introduction to someone who has well and truly got the *thing*, and if people like Cosmo's Midnight and Peking Duk are able to pick that, I'm sure you will too. Take a dive into Fruit below, and introduce yourself to SAYAH underneath.
Tell us about yourself?
I'm Sayah, I'm a singer/songwriter from Sydney. I've spent the past two years touring, singing for other artists like Cosmo's Midnight, Peking Duk & Set Mo, whilst quietly working on my own music in the background. I'm so excited to finally be sharing some new music with you!
What’s your music like? What does it sound like? What kind of themes does it usually cover?
My music is a big blend of pop, old and new R&B but with a dark edge. I don't like it sounding too 'perfect'. I always like to have it a little rough around the edges - especially with the vocal production and lyrics. My lyrics are pretty honest, so whatever you're hearing is more than likely a true story - woops sorry mum.
The themes that generally pop up in my music are limerence, heartbreak, self-worth, mental health & more recently family and culture. I’ve started to delve more into my Lebanese background and draw influence from what it was like growing up as a first generation Lebanese woman in a western world.
What are your production and writing processes usually like?
It varies so much! I don’t really have a set way of working, but sometimes I will think of lyric ideas or themes on the go and quickly write them down, then expand on them in a session with a producer. Other times I’ll walk into a session without a clue on what I’m about to write about.. let the producer start creating a sound and feel where the vibe takes us. I usually sit on the first demo for a few days and if I really like the song, I’ll go back in and we’ll slightly tweak it. But most of the time, I know within that first session if it’s a song I’m going to keep or not.
Can you tell us a bit about your new single, Fruit?
Fruit is about that one person who has a hold on you, no matter how hard to try to let go and move on. It’s so annoying because you know they’re not good for you and you’re actively taking the steps to move on. You’re not replying to messages, you’re starting to see other people - but goddamn they’re still on your mind!!
What do you have planned for 2021?
I’ll be releasing some more music from my EP, playing some Sayah shows and touring with Cosmos Midnight. Of course, I’ll also be busy writing and making more music.
What do you want people to take away from your work?
I put so much honesty into my work because I want people to hear it and go ‘yeah, I’ve felt that too’. I know I’ve felt so alienated with some of my emotions at times, and having someone to relate to can be so helpful.
Where can we find more of your music?
Fruit is available Friday 9th on all streaming platforms, but there’s more coming very soon! You can also come check out my live show on the 13th of May at OAF!
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