Hiya Sylvia Daley, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a coffee and take a seat.
Where did your musical journey begin?
Honestly, I don’t remember where it began. There has always been music around me and I remember always wanting to get up and perform when I was a kid. I used to do dance shows and I used to sing a lot in my house. I think I had a lot of self belief when I was really young and thankfully, I’m getting some of that back now but as an undiagnosed autistic kid, the older I got, the more I faced bullying and it really knocked my confidence. Music was always a way for me to process my thoughts and feelings though.
Ah yes, I was going to ask about how you feel being autistic shaped you and your music. How do you think it has influenced you?
Autistic people tend to focus on or see a lot of detail and that translates into my music creation process. I pick up on interesting things people say or things I think and ruminate on them, and sometimes this turns into the beginnings of a lyric or song idea. I think it helps me stay focused on serving the meaning and purpose of the song more than if I wasn’t looking at all the detail and how each line informs the next.
I think also, because of how autistic people tend to think very literally, I think of lyrics that allistic people might not think of because I hear word meanings literally instead of their implied meanings. For example, “someone let the cat out of the bag” – in my head I am literally seeing a cat and a bag and thinking about the breed of cat and type of bag.
Do you think being autistic influenced your journey into the music industry at all?
Yes, a lot. I currently don’t gig. It’s not to say I won’t in the future but right now, the sheer amount of things that are out of my control, the constant changes of plan, the way things need to be right, it’s just too overwhelming. I wouldn’t be able to cope with it right now so I don’t, and that’s ok.
This has meant that I miss out on the opportunity to be noticed at a gig like a lot of other artists are. I also find it hard, especially in a stressful situation, to get my words out. This really doesn’t help when I’m having a meeting with people in the industry who don’t understand how autism presents in me and therefore could think I don’t know what I want, or that I don’t understand anything. I think it’s like that with everything though, a lot of us will struggle in all areas of interacting with people to varying degrees, whether it’s in the job market or just trying to do the life thing.
That’s so insightful. I guess keeping with the theme of autism and its impact on your day to day life, could you tell me about what your song Noise Cancelling Headphones is about and why you wrote it?
It’s a very special song to me; I wrote it because I needed a song like that and I hadn’t heard one before. It has meant a lot to me that so many people on social media have felt the same way and I’m excited about the prospect of more autistic artists writing about their experiences so we can all feel heard, a little more understood and maybe educate a bit along the way. I wrote it the day after I had a meltdown on a train platform on the way to a meeting with a music publisher.
The trains had all been cancelled and the sudden change of plan on a day I had put so much importance on was far too much. My partner managed to call me a taxi to take me to the meeting and as soon as I was in, I put my headphones on and listened to the same song over and over for an hour as a way to self-soothe. I got to the meeting but like I said earlier, in that situation my brain didn’t have the energy or focus that I would have liked it to. I couldn’t say what I wanted and I really felt like I wasn’t in the room.
I wrote the verses to explain the feelings I had leading up to and during the meltdown, but then I contrasted that with a positive chorus as a way to remind myself that it will be ok. I hope it helps more people feel seen and understood but also educates allistic people a little about what it can be like day to day for some autistic people.
Thanks so much for sharing. Lastly, is there anything you’d like to share with everyone?
I think during Autism Acceptance Month, and anytime of the year really, listen to autistic people’s stories. Because autism is a hidden disability, it’s quite easy to ignore, but there are a lot of people that could do with some understanding. If someone tells you they are autistic, ask questions. Don’t overwhelm them but ask, and give them time to answer whether that be verbally, written, or anything else.
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