Sydney-based pop princess turned bass badass, Sypress has recently unleashed her new single, 'Bother Me'.
Drawing inspiration from Kaskade's euphoric sounds, 'Bother Me' is the second tech house banger from her debut EP (of the same name) that is due in June.How does 'Bother Me' showcase the current incarnation of Sypress?
'Bother Me' really embodies the mysterious man eater, bad bitch, seductress energy that is Sypress. Each single I release helps my audience to get to know me better. I hope to inspire the seductress out everyone on that dance floor.
Lyrically, what is the song expressing?
'Bother Me' was definitely inspired by a strong feeling of knowing my worth and owning my sexuality, but also, when I meet a new guy and he just doesn't know what he's getting himself into, and I feel I should warn him of the ride he is jumping on haha!
There is melancholic aspect to this release; you worked on the vocal demos with your best friend FOSTYR who passed away not long afterwards – that's a lot of emotions to unpack and process; will 'Bother Me' be a song that is internally one of your most special releases?
Yes, I truly hope that is the case.
Every time I hear 'Bother Me' I remember us spending hours laughing and messing around in my home studio recording the demo. He was an incredible singer and songwriter, and the industry has definitely lost an influential artist. Rest in peace, angel.
You were previously known artistically as Isy Isy; what prompted the move to Sypress?
The move to Sypress was inspired by a change of direction and genre influence; I have fallen in love with bass and tech house which is very different from my Isy Isy sad-girl pop music, so I decided to brand a new alias, so I have more freedom musically.
Since you've based yourself in Sydney, how has your music career evolved?
Oh wow, yeah my move to Sydney has helped me progress in a huge way. I have been DJing for seven years, but it wasn't until I moved to Sydney that I discovered my love for house music. But also, I have found myself surrounded by the most talented and supportive community of artists.
What motivated your decision to study an audio engineering course at SAE; and how has that move directly impacted your own music?
Studying at SAE was incredible, such an inspiring place to study. Before SAE, I was one of those confused YouTube tutorial learners and mostly my Ableton production was all just sample based.
Your childhood sounds pretty exotic, growing up on a 60-ft yacht; what was the lifestyle like?
Growing up at sea was definitely an interesting and eventful experience.
I did home schooling with my mum onboard the boat in the morning and would swim, fish and explore islands in the afternoon. Mostly off the coast of North Queensland around the Whitsundays, and the Gold Coast so I was raised around a lot of natural beauty. :)
What's your earliest memory making music?
Growing up on a boat was pretty isolating, but I was also an only child, so I was always looking for ways to entertain myself; my favourite was sitting with my feet off the back deck singing to the open ocean. My mum claims that at the age of two I was singing my own song I had made up.
On Insta, you posted recently a vid of yourself getting up close and personal with a python for a video shoot; did you need much convincing to do that?
Oh, that was actually 100 per cent my idea so when the time came to shoot I was jumping out of my skin eager to do it.
You've supported the likes of Winston Surfshirt and G Flip; how have those experiences influenced your own music and your approach to stage craft?
Honestly, my stage presence has always come to me very naturally. If anything, the biggest influence was watching myself back on video, and thinking. . . hmm I think I need to move a bit stronger, haha.
But supporting those super talented artists was amazing. I'm in awe of their drive, stage presence and energy. Something special happens on stage and being unique is your greatest asset.
The most important thing I learnt from other successful artists is to be authentic, be yourself – that's what your audience wants and I finally feel now I've become Sypress – it's the real me you see on stage.
My music sound has been heavily inspired by the tech house movement becoming more mainstream. About a 18 months ago, I stopped taking gigs that didn't allow me to play exactly what I wanted to play and since then I decided I would do that with my music also.
I am in a really fun and happy stage of my life, so I am really just wanting to make bad-ass music that makes you happy and empowered.
On stage, what is the Sypress experience like?
So many fellow DJ friends of mine comment on how much I bounce around and get into my show; they say it's super hype and I look like I'm having a world of fun which makes people want to dance and get wild too.
The DJing aspect of your music career; how does that work into your own original creations and is it a good outlet to express yourself musically?
Interesting question. DJing was always a side hustle to me – an income and a weekend job. Only recently in the last couple of years have I looked at it as more of an art and performance.
With my Isy Isy pop music I performed with a live/ semi electronic band and since the rebrand and new songs I have now stepped into a world of playing remixes of my songs, constantly updating my set lists, and really perfecting my mixing rather than my vocals.
Any live or DJ shows you have upcoming?
I have a show on the Gold Coast (24 April) supporting Kaitlyn for a Radio Metro mini festival.
