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Rising pop artist Sicily Jordan began pursuing her talent professionally in 2020. “You Got Me”, from her debut EP Between Us, depicts a toxic relationship that you just can’t seem to escape. Read the interview below.
Can you walk us through your songwriting and production process? Where do you tend to draw inspiration from for your lyrics and music?
You know, it’s really hard to define my songwriting process because it’s not something I have any sort of formula for. Sometimes a song starts with a great lyric idea, sometimes a melody line, and sometimes from a story or moment that inspires me. Inspiration really can come from anywhere at any time. In fact, just yesterday, I wrote a song because of two words in a text someone sent. The key is making sure you’re ready to capture that song when it comes.
What has been one of your proudest moments as a musical artist so far?
I’m just so grateful to have the ability to create music. And I’m proud of all my accomplishments from writing a new song, to releasing an album, to making an awesome music video! Some of the moments that are most important to me though are the ones where someone listens to one of my songs and makes a personal connection with it. Those are the moments when I feel like my art has fulfilled its purpose; to become something meaningful for someone else.
The retro aesthetic of the “You Got Me” music video is fabulous! What made you want to incorporate elements from various decades (more specifically the 50s, 60s, and 70s) in the visuals?
Wasn’t it so great! The time travel idea actually came from the music video director, Dustin Willis and producer, Jesse Kahle. We had discussed how I wanted to somehow communicate the universal nature of the song lyrics and the experience “You Got Me” narrates. A few days later, they presented the idea to travel through decades with the same storyline, and I thought it was perfect! It was so much fun too because we got to play in these awesome sets and styles, which you know I loved dressing up for! And we were able to create those fantastic spin transitions through the decades which has been many people’s favorite part of the video.
How do you believe “You Got Me” is relevant to relationships in our current day society? Did you pull from personal or general experiences when writing this track?
There’s definitely some personal experience in “You Got Me”. The second verse actually draws directly from me pacing at the front door of a now ex’s house after one of our breakups, debating whether to go in. But the truth is, he’s not why I wrote this song. I wrote this song because I know this kind of toxic relationship is a shared experience and one that can be difficult to extract yourself from. So often, when people are stuck in this kind of cycle, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says, you aren’t able to let go until you come to an understanding within yourself. Rarely can you logic yourself out of it. Just a few days ago, one of my good friends was talking about her similar experience in a current relationship and how one of the things that halted her from going back was thinking about the lyrics in “You Got Me”. It’s not about me telling anyone how to get out of a relationship like that. It’s about providing a space for you, the listener, to examine your experience, maybe even give words to it, so you can find the strength within yourself to do what is best for you.
Can you share any details about your new EP Between Us? What was the creative and production process like for each track, and do you have a favorite?
I chose the songs on my debut EP to be a collection of different love experiences, “You Got Me” being about toxic love, “Only in Dreams” about the grief of lost love, and “California Boy” as the quintessential romance. Then there’s “White Rabbit”, which I included at the end because that song has such a great power to be whatever you need in the moment, be it escape, catharsis, or just enjoying the music. As far as a favorite goes, although I chose to make a music video for “You Got Me”, all of the songs are so important to me and special for specific reasons, that I don’t think I could choose a favorite.
How do you hope your music influences and impacts listeners? Is there a specific song off your EP that you feel will especially resonate with people?
As I touched on before, the reason I share my songs is because I believe music has a very unique power to move people; to comfort, heal, inspire, and so much else. And perhaps the even more magical thing about music, and really any art, is how it is redefined every time someone connects with it. I like to think each song I create isn’t complete until someone listens to it. You bring your own meaning to the song when you listen to it, and through each listen, the song becomes new.
Follow Sicily Jordan:
http://sicilyjordan.com
http://instagram.com/sicijordan
http://tiktok.com/@sicilyjordan
