Checking In: Sydney Wright Pays It Forward

Sydney Wright’s on a roll. After surviving a hit-and-run on her scooter during the summer of 2018, the pop provocateur rebounded that fall with Seiche, a grand, acclaimed, and dramatic summation of the singer’s musical life to that point. Last week, she followed it up with the equally striking new single and video, “Tenderfoot.”

Sydney Wright with Mr. Wright (Photo by David Brendan Hall)

Austin Chronicle: Where are you sheltering and under what circumstances? Who else is there and how’s that going?

Sydney Wright: I’m fortunate to be able to keep my apartment and stay here in Austin. I’m living with my mildly geriatric puppy dog, Mister Wright. I’m privileged to be able to work from home by livestreaming on Facebook and Instagram, and playing virtual happy hours. Those gigs and the generous support of my supporters on Patreon.com/sydneywright are keeping me afloat at the moment.

AC: At what point did C-19 shut down operations for you, and what went down with the ship, so to speak, both personally & professionally?

SW: Professionally, I’d say things got pretty real for me around March 6 when SXSW canceled. It should’ve been my first year as an official artist, so I was pretty disappointed to lose the opportunity to experience that. I didn’t have much time to be bummed, though, because, like the rest of my industry-fam, SXSW is a huge source of my yearly income as an artist and live sound engineer, and watching gigs drop off my calendar for the rest of the year was and is a formidable reality.

I remember watching the mood in my social media bubble go from a local the-show-must-go-on solidarity to shaming promoters and venues for hosting shows. Despite that, I resolved to play one last-minute show on the Sunday that SX would’ve started, like “mejor que nada” if I can make any money right now. Even though I know these circumstances may have caused me to lose professional traction to an extent, I’m ready to modify and innovate to reach my listeners despite any limitations or missed opportunities.

Personally, I had to cope with the loss of our ‘normal’ daily lives just like we all did. I think I might’ve been extra prepared for that kind of grief after surviving severe bodily trauma in a hit and run in 2018. The toll of losing abilities and freedom to limitations and uncertainty from one moment to the next is severely debilitating mentally and emotionally.

When I felt this loss again, I don’t think the blow was as hard as it could’ve been if I hadn’t experienced something similar so recently. I feel grateful for that.

AC: As a global culture, people employ music for every purpose imaginable, obviously spanning religion to entertainment and everything in between. What happens to communities like ours when people can no longer access it in person?

SW: People will innovate and find ways to access what they need. That’s something I heard on my fave prison podcast, Ear Hustle, and I see it ring true. I feel that we’re all fortunate to be living in a time in history where we have access to technology that can keep us connected despite physical limits.

On a side note, I’ve been brought to tears over the kindness I’ve experienced and watched as people reach out to prop each other up. Personally, I had several Patreon subscribers increase their monthly support in a moment when Patreon had sent out an email warning us our supporters might pull back.

Then, a stranger on Instagram got word that I needed a specific audio preamp to get good audio to my Instagram live feed. It was sold out and on backorder everywhere I checked. He somehow acquired one and brought it to me in a brand new box in the parking lot of HEB.

I was like, “How much do I owe you? He said, “Just pay it forward.” Thank you again, Manuel.

AC: Everyone’s had to shift or drastically alter their work situation. What does that look like for you?

SW: The shift has been primarily from playing live music venues to livestreaming on Facebook and Instagram. First, scrambling to learn about and acquire the gear I needed to create and broadcast a quality show was a serious endeavor. I’ve learned that my perfectionism doesn’t have any space in the DIY livestreaming world.

I still struggle to see that as a blessing, but ultimately, I’m not a live TV production studio with a 15-person crew and that’s okay, because no one expects me to be (except me, evidently, lol). Relinquishing control over every detail helps me release real, raw performances that will always reach more people than an untaped performance in a live music venue. That is a very silver lining.

Above all, I think a performer’s loss in audience is tremendous. Being unable to interact visually and ‘read-the-room’ for cues is a heavy adjustment for me. It does help make my sets tighter as a programmed production, but I feel disconnected with listeners sometimes. I’m still adjusting and working through understanding our new virtual relationships through different mediums.

AC: What’s your soundtrack for the apocalypse and what role does music play for you as a fan and scholar of it in times of hardship?

SW: I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts lately to get new stories in my head. I also have this playlist called Goldmine on my Spotify. I just made it public so you can listen if you want. I add songs to it that I think are clever or just make me feel good.