When asked to list his influences, new Glassnote signee snny reaches straight for the big guns: Bob Dylan, Prince, Michael Jackson, the Eagles and New Order. But the combination of the five is important, because it speaks to the fact that snny’s music spans genres and defies cookie-cutter definitions. That can be heard on the tracks “Arizona” and “Young Boy,” which dropped this year, and it’s highlighted to sparkling effect on the stunning EP Learning to Swim, released Sept. 8. Even the man himself struggles to define his sound.
“I think it’s a blend of all the things that I like, in terms of inspiration and genres,” snny says. “It’s very eclectic and personal.” The artist started writing when he was 11 years old and attending middle school, as a means to help him teach English to his mom.
“I began writing because my mom didn’t really speak English at home,” he says. “We came from a French-speaking country (the Ivory Coast). I would teach my mom English and she would teach me French.
"I've always loved their roster."
My mom was always a big advocate of poetry and music. That led into songwriting.”
The artist's Learning to Swim EP was written and just about finished when Glassnote Records came calling.
“I was working on a bunch of music, specifically an EP that I wanted to put out myself on Soundcloud or whatever,” snny says. “Glassnote caught wind of it. They contacted us, and they’re my favorite indie label–– I’m not just saying that because I’m on Glassnote. I’ve always loved their roster and respected what they do. It’s very organic.”
The artist says that, while he initially had a list of expectations to hand over to his new label, that was unnecessary because Glassnote was already on the same page. For now, the label just has to put out the EP, and snny is excited to finally put it out. “It’s a project that I finished last year,” he says. “I’ve been working on a lot of new stuff too. I found that the material on this EP has lasted well. Usually I’ll get sick of the songs, but this EP is really timeless. That’s good. It’s what I wanted to do with this project.”
Date Signed: April 2017
Label: Glassnote Records
Band Members: snny
Type of Music: Alternative
Management: Angel Reyes
Booking: N/A
Legal: N/A
Publicity: Lauren Resnick
Web: instagram.com/snnyordie, facebook.com/snnyordie, twitter.com/snnyordie
A&R: N/A
