An incredibly versatile artist covering everything from Afropop to Garage, it’s no surprise that she won the prestigious ‘Young Songwriter of the Year (UK & Ireland)’ award last year. Hailed by Crack Magazine and NARC Magazine as a hotly-tipped artist for 2023, Sisi has graced the BBC Tees Ones To Watch list this year, and her debut track ‘Cloud 9’ was backed as BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Track of The Week.
Having performed at Reading and Leeds Festival 2022 and announced as a headliner for this year’s Generator Live, it’s looking to be another exciting year for the young prospect.
What or who inspired you to begin a career in music?
My brother Bre has been a big part of my music career so far, he was the one that pushed me to first enter a studio and record my first track. He’s such a talented songwriter and musician so to be around him from such a young age was invaluable. I also saw his experiences in the music industry and it meant that I could learn a lot from being a child to now. Church has been a big part of my life too and being surrounded by a choir really pushed my musical abilities. I think that you can still hear my gospel roots in my music no matter what genre I release, and I always get asked if I grew up in church when I’m in the studio with different producers and artists.
What differs you and your sound from other artists in the music industry?
I’m really trying to push the boundaries for the North East music scene, as of yet I don’t think that the wider industry has identified Stockton/Middlesbrough/Newcastle as somewhere that is producing and celebrating afrobeats artists, and there’s actually a strong scene here – shoutout EK beats who is producing some amazing songs, and all of the artists such as Maxine and KDEL. I also call myself a genre fluid artist and merge mainstream pop with afrobeats to create something commercially viable and hopefully greatly successful!
Your latest single, ‘Wicked’ is out now. Can you please describe the creative process and
inspiration behind the release?
I was going through something personal and I really allowed myself to acknowledge the variety of feelings I was going through and Wicked was a product of me actually listening to my emotions. I actually posted a TikTok about this, that I’ve now become dependent on songwriting to express my emotions but I think everyone has their own way to deal with things.
As soon as I heard this beat I knew that it was the one for this track, so I jumped in the studio with my fave engineer Nifty Struggle and since then I’ve been eagerly waiting to release it. I’ve released a few heartbreak songs the past year so I wanted to switch it up for this one and come back with a vengeance. Bringing the amapiano vibes for something a bit different was something me and my team really wanted to do in 2023. My last release Fallen Angel was all about innocence, and Wicked is delivered as a total contrast across the sound and branding, and was also inspired by a bible verse (Isaiah 57:21) ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked’.
In your own opinion, what is the most meaningful song you wrote? What makes you say
that one?
I would say out of my released catalogue to date, it would have to be ‘Fallen Angel’, due to how raw it is and knowing how I was feeling when it was written. But, all of the songs coming out this year are meaningful and they all reflect all authentic different sides to me.
Throughout your musical career, have you experienced any ‘wow’ moments?
My debut single ‘Cloud 9’ which I released when I was 16 received BBC Radio 1Xtra Track of The Week which was so amazing, and I would definitely have to say performing at Reading and Leeds festival at 17 was such a huge moment for me – I’m praying for more festivals in the next year or so. BBC Introducing has been such a big part of my success so far, I have so much love for the BBC Tees team including Rianne, Shakk and Jordan. So devastated that the BBC Intro teams are being cut down in the future, I hope that artists still get the same opportunities that I’ve been able to have so far.
What personal advice would you give to someone wanting to pursue this career?
Just go for it! It won’t be plane sailing 24/7 but the wins you experience make it so worthwhile and just go for every opportunity that is available. Upload to BBC Introducing, apply to play festivals, apply to competitions and apply for funding. There’s actually so many channels out there that support artists, but sometimes you just need to do some research to find them.
What does the foreseeable future hold for you as an artist?
Many more singles, I have so many tracks ready for 2023 that I’ve been sitting on for a while and I’m so excited for the rollout of them – expect some features too! I would also love to see a growth in my fan base which would allow me to solidify myself as an artist in the industry.
Anything else you would like to add?
STREAM THE WICKED! I’m sure you’ll love it
Supported by the PRS Foundation’s Open Fund and Youth Music’s Incubator Fund ‘Wicked’ is available now via all major platforms.
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