CYDNEE WITH A C: THE DIVA WHO MAKES POP HER OWN
Cydnee with a C feels like the kind of artist who would be impossible to put into a single playlist — and that is precisely the point. There is an infectious sense of fun running through everything she does. Her music is colourful, electronic, playful and gloriously unapologetic, pulling together pop, R&B, hip-hop, K-pop and drum & bass without worrying too much about whether anybody thinks those things are supposed to sit next to each other. Why should they not? Cydnee makes them work.
There is something particularly exciting about the way she approaches music because she doesn't seem interested in behaving like there is a correct way to be a pop artist. One track can feel sugary and flirtatious, another can hit with the energy of a club at 2am, while somewhere underneath is that unmistakable sense that you're listening to somebody who genuinely loves music. And she really does.
Her identity as a fangirl isn't some carefully manufactured branding exercise. It feels like a genuine part of her creative personality. Cydnee has spoken openly about her love of K-pop and the influence it has had on her, and rather than hiding that enthusiasm, she's built it into her artistic world. That is one of the things we adore about her. There is no attempt to be too cool. No pretending she doesn't care. She cares a lot. And that enthusiasm becomes incredibly infectious.
Her music also has a wonderfully physical quality. There are beats that make you want to move, electronic textures that feel almost futuristic and melodies that keep the pop sensibility firmly in place. Her relationship with drum & bass has added another dimension to that sound, giving the sweetness a harder, faster edge.
It makes sense that her music feels so energetic when you discover how involved she is behind the scenes too. Cydnee isn't simply standing in front of a microphone waiting for somebody else to create the world around her. She writes, produces, engineers, mixes and masters, as well as playing guitar. There is a real DIY intelligence underneath all that sparkle. And then, of course, there is the diva.
But Cydnee's version of diva isn't about demanding attention simply because she wants it. It's about having the confidence to make something that reflects exactly what excites you — even when those influences are unexpected, excessive or slightly chaotic. That is what makes her feel so contemporary. She understands that pop can be weird. Electronic music can be emotional.
Being a fangirl can be powerful. And a woman can be completely in control of the technology, the production and the creative direction while still making something wonderfully glamorous and ridiculous. Cydnee with a C isn't trying to squeeze herself into a genre. She's building a genre around herself. And frankly, we'd follow her anywhere.
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