SVRCINA has a sound that has been years in the making. Cinematic, spirited, and bold, her music matches her personal large, open spirit. Full of power and shining light, the scope of her music is ambitious in a way that pays off. It works on a large scale. She sees the glimmer of light in the darkness and creates music that points us toward it.
Her single, “Lover. / Fighter.” is daring and triumphant. It demonstrates a sense of hope in the face of a world that is often despondent. It has just been followed up by the ardent “Showdown,” proving that there are more exciting things to come from an artist who has just hit her stride.
NYMM: Did you start music at an early age?
S: My parents always told my brother and I that they would be behind us 100% in whatever we wanted to do, as long as we were the ones driving the ship. They put opportunities in front of us to discover what we’re passionate about. Both of us discovered our niche and what we love pretty early, and for me that was being a singer.
I used to travel to fairs and festivals around the Detroit area. A Music Publisher, who was originally from Detroit but was living in Nashville, saw me perform when I was around 11. She offered to bring me to Nashville to see if I could work with professionals in the writing community. She took me very seriously, and I’m grateful that she did, even though I was so young. She had us come down and sit for a few writing sessions and we knocked out about 10 songs. I ended up signing a deal with her when I was 13.
NYMM: How has your music changed in that time?
S: It’s come a long way. When I started, I was doing Country. I had a cowboy hat and looked preposterous. Over the years, I have developed more toward a cinematic pop sound. It’s the polar opposite end of the spectrum, but the Country music community taught me how to write and I am extremely grateful to them. The relationships that I’ve built over those years helped shape me as a writer. Over the past few years, I’ve had time to shape my message and incubate the production sound that I truly want for myself. Working with my producer and writing with other people has given the sound a chance to really come together.
I met my producer at church and we were both looking for new creative projects. I needed to come up with a sound and he was looking for an artist to help develop. His background is in film scoring, and so he offered to help me develop in that direction. I love pop and electronic music. We were both on the same page and it just developed into this really interesting sound.
NYMM: Can you tell me a little about the single, “Lover. / Fighter.”?
S: I co-wrote that song with my producer and two other people about a year and a half ago just sitting in his living room. We were trying to come up with something that would capture who I am as a person. I have a brother who is in the Navy and I look up to him a lot. The song is about laying down your life for the people you love. My parents have done that in a sense for us as well. They made big sacrifices to help my brother and I pursue our dreams. I really admire that, and that’s how I want to be also. The song is about honoring that. It’s about honoring my family and anyone else who has chosen to live a life of self-sacrifice.
NYMM: Does that theme spill over into the rest of your music as well?
S: There are a lot of military references because I pay attention to current events and I don’t want to shy away from what’s happening in the world. However, I try to look at it in an uplifting, hopeful way. The music is very passionate about standing up for what you believe in and what you think is right. I hope that it encourages people; that it rekindles a passion within people for what they believe in.
NYMM: Has this spilled over into other projects as well?
S: I did a collaboration with a guy who contacted me last December and that was the spark that eventually led me to love electronic music. That song is called “The Darkness,” and was created with Built by Titan. It ended up getting a few placements on NBC, including the show Quantico on ABC.
Also, a guy from Brazil sent me a Facebook message asking if he could remix a song he had heard on my Reverb Nation page. The original was a stripped down acoustic song. We’ve been working together ever since. He’s in Brazil and I’ve never met him, but we work together and it has turned into this really cool thing. Nicky Romero premiered it on his Radio Protocol show and it should be released here soon.
You can find more SVRCINA here:
facebook.com/SvrcinaSongs
pledgemusic.com/projects/svrcinasongs
youtube.com/watch?v=ep7oWT2IYGU
Photos by Jon Karr / www.thatverynextthing.com
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