Check Out Syd Burnham’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Syd Burnham. 

Hi Syd, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Ever since I could talk, I could sing. Singing is the only thing I know how to do just as well as eating food or sleeping. So really being born was the start of my music career. When I was little, my parents tried to get me in some TV shows or something that would take me to some sort of stardom but it never turned out. It wasn’t until I was a moody 12-year-old that wanted to sing all of her feelings away that I actually started writing. I wanted to be something more than just the dreams in my head. Though my dad plays guitar very well, I learned most of my guitar skills from YouTube. Luckily, once I got the ball rolling it kept going. In high school, I joined choir, got into a band, and by graduation year I was going back and forth to LA for NBC’s the Voice. The music world is one where you just have to try. Try a bunch of different things at a bunch of different times. I’ve had too many failed attempts at “stardom” to care if I get there anymore. Which is how I got to where I am now. I am going to college, starting a clothing or merch line, going on tour, and recording an EP. I think music is my destiny and no matter how much I want to fight it; I always end up picking my guitar up again. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Working in the music industry is a constant struggle. Constantly reaching out and never hearing back. Constantly getting leads but them never playing out. Constantly thinking your close but you never really are. There is no one way or checklist that you could follow that can get you to where you want to be if you want a career in music. You really just have to start a business. That business being is being yourself. 

Lately, my biggest struggle is that making music is no longer about the music it’s about the person. The actual art doesn’t matter people just want to be a fan of YOU. I think this is for sure due to social media and I understand it is a way to make fans feel valued too but if they are gonna know so much about me I mine as well just call them friends. 

I’ve really tried to make these obstacles or challenges not bother me anymore since I have so many other passions that I love. But always in the back of my head, I have this little voice saying “You know this is the only thing you want to do you better make it” and if I don’t I know I will be letting myself down. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At heart, I am a songwriter. I take whatever is happening in my life and I make it a song. I’m a sucker for melodies and catchy hooks so unfortunately, that doesn’t allow me to experiment as much as I’d like but, in a way, it is what could set me apart from other writers in the scene. Ultimately, I want a heart-wrenching song that you can’t get out of your head. If you see me playing live, I think you can understand who I am as a person more than you would if I were to walk up to you and say “Hello”. And to the people close to me, if you think you don’t have a song written about you, think again. 

I am also a college student at Wayne State University studying Graphic Design with a Concentration in UX and UI design with a Textile Design minor. I plan to use both of these degrees to help alongside my music career. With graphics I can make album art, posters, etc. and with textile design, I can make merch. This spring I just went on my first small tour opening for Maude Latour and I brought along my first line of shirts. I created Tee-Shirts using methods and materials from my university and sourced plain white tops from local thrift stores for the shirt. I called this shirt the “Best Friend” tee-shirt because the front and back has the first two lines of lyrics from my song “Best Friend” printed onto them. This is really the thing I have been most proud of recently because I can’t believe I pulled it off. I have made nearly 50 shirts and I have sold out of them. I just never thought in a million years someone would not also listen to my music but wear my lyrics. It’s mind-blowing to be. 

What was your favorite childhood memory?
When I was an older kid/ young teen my parents started taking me to music festivals in northern MI. I was too young and naive to understand the concept of drinking a drugs so the “adults” partaking here really didn’t bother me. It was like me and all of my fairly friends hanging out in the forest. I heard the most interesting music that was mainly made in Michigan so that also really inspired me. I was able to dance and jump and run and nobody was judging me because they were doing it too. These stages are literally in the woods. Like we are sitting on tree trunks listening to bands play. I think a lot of this is where my deep love for songwriting came from. It was a haven for me and I still can’t believe that I used to live like that in the summers. Now I spend my days online trying to finish school. 

Contact Info:

• Email: sydburnhammusic@gmail.com
• Website: http://www.sydneyburnham.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydburnham/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sydneyburnhammusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLM4zDwkHco7r54kHLKxksg
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sydneyburnham
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/34xTqUM2CLX3y8Ja8NoX4d?si=lpdXouZBQFeSalfHHgtSLQ