Sydney Worthley discovered her passion for songwriting at nine years old, crafting songs that transition from the quiet corners of her room to the spotlight of the stage. Drawing inspiration from Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift, her music delves into themes of coming of age, lost connections, and personal growth. The isolation period fueled her creativity, resulting in her 12-track LP, It Was Nice While It Lasted, set to release on July 19 via Mint 400 Records. Recorded at Nada Studios by John Naclerio (American Authors, Imagine Dragons), the album blends her acoustic roots with an 80s synth-pop flair. We caught up with Sydney and here's what she had to say:
How did the band form? At first, I was doing solo gigs for many years. At one of those gigs, I was approached by a drummer who was looking to play in a band with a guitarist and bassist he knew. From that point on, we had a fully fledged band up and running and started writing my first album.
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music? I started doing talent shows and gigs when I was 10 years old, but had always wanted to try my hand in songwriting. I released my first album Strong in 2017 when I was 14 years old. It was an amalgamation of all of the genres I wanted to try. The first songs I ever wrote are on that album. In 2020 I released my EP Rose Colored Glasses. It had been in the works for years before but everyone knows how the timing of the pandemic was for musicians.
First concert that you ever went to? The first concert I can remember seeing was Zac Brown Band at SPAC. I used to go to summer concerts with my family as a kid to see The Refrigerators at the local park. Nothing like a good summer show!
What's your writing process like? It really depends on the music I’m listening to and where I want to start the song. If I’m listening to a lot of pop music, I get inspired to write mainly focused on the melody and instrumentation. I’ll start with the production and work my way through lyrics based on the cadence I’m looking for. When I’m listening to more singer/songwriters, I really want to perfect the lyrics before I move onto the next step. Usually when the lyrics are the main focus, I’ll only write the song while playing acoustic guitar then add on from there.
What other artists or songs inspire your music? Just like the rest of the world, I’ve been obsessed with Chappell Roan. I love the revival of 80’s production with modern topics and lyricism. Not only is she an amazing musician and vocalist, she puts on an incredible performance. Maggie Rogers has been a huge influence for the past few years. I’ve seen her live after listening to her albums and she’s an artist that is able to perfectly reimagine her studio albums in a live setting.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing? I’m always a big believer that live music should be its own entity. When I play with the band, we have to reimagine some of the synth-based songs on electric guitars and bass. I always want the studio recording to showcase the lyrics and the live version to capture the feeling.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been? Best shows/worst shows? We’ve been fortunate enough to open for Sawyer Fredericks’ tour. I think my favorite show on that tour is a tie between Iron Horse in Massachusetts and Daryl’s House in New York. It was just so special to be at those legendary venues. We had one show recently, not on tour, where I had strep but didn’t know it. We went from recording that morning to one of our first chances to play in NYC so I was just taking cold medicine every few hours. The show was amazing but if I could do it over again, I’d try not to get strep!
What's up next for the band? I have my album It Was Nice While It Lasted coming out July 19th. We’ll be doing an album release party at The Hollow in Albany on July 19th as well! I’ll be playing shows locally in Albany almost every weekend this summer and booking for the fall.