CYN

PHOTOS BY GINA SCARPINO AND WORDS BY LAUREN KLONOWSKI

In passing, you might think CYN is just another pop artist. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. CYN, born Cynthia Nabozny takes fun pop music and breathes new life into it thanks to her multi-genre influences. She’s out to create something new and different that will connect people deeply. It might seem like a daunting task, but she’s already carved out some promising music that will be sure to set her apart in the music scene.

This dream of making music that is unique and fun didn’t happen overnight. In fact, CYN has been dabbling in music since her very early years of life. She says that her parents’ divorce was a big driver of her love for music. “While my parents were going through their divorce, my mom was playing ‘Foolish Games’ by Jewel a lot in the car--I had to have been like three or four years old-- but I just remember loving that song so much and I knew from then that I was gonna be a singer; that music was going to be a really big part of my life. I really don’t remember a time in my life where I wasn’t obsessed with singing.”

From that inspiration, CYN went on to further develop her interest in music as well as her music abilities. She started writing songs at nine, took piano lessons as a preteen and really got into making her own music in her late teen years.

Growing up, she had a lot of musical influences, specifically within the genre of Motown, thanks to her Detroit roots. “I just love Motown in general. It’s like my ‘getting ready’ music when I’m about to go out,” CYN says. Make no mistake, she loves other genres as well -- as a pop artist, she uses musical influences just about everywhere to craft her unique sound. “I love Jewel and Sheryl Crow. I just feel like I tend to gravitate towards female songwriters, almost in an unfair way. I literally don’t listen to men. I love them but for other reasons [laughs]. I love Rosalita -- she’s incredible, she’s my favorite right now. She makes me feel like I can be the leader of a badass girl gang and ride a Kawasaki.”

With these influences in mind, she makes her own music. When she’s asked how she would describe her sound, she says, “I start by saying that it’s pop music. Then, I say there are some electric guitars on it, though. It’s a little left-leaning--depending on who I am talking to, they get what that means. The recent stuff I have been writing has a lot of live elements, too. But the drums are programmed, so I’ve been adding a lot of 808’s and subs to my music, kind of how ‘Never-ending Summer’ feels a little bit more hip-hop, things are kind of veering into that world and less like a live drum feel, which is just kind of because of trends. But, it’s like alternative-pop. With a little bit of sub and 808.” BTS 7

When first crafting her sound, she teamed up with producer Matias Mora. “We worked so well together. You know when you just sit down with someone and just vibe right away, you kind of let them help you into a path. Matias is a little more alternative-leaning naturally, so he really helped me fuse this like girly, sassy attitude but backing it with things that I think are more masculine elements like the electric guitar. I think there is a nice balance in ‘Holy Roller’. The track doesn’t go totally bubble-gum, and it could have. He helped me find my sound.”

Her latest EP, Mood Swing is a seven-song work that explores different genres sprinkled over some really good pop music. When writing songs for the EP, she says, “A lot of my songs stemmed from one sentence. ‘I’ll Still Have Me’ came from this one idea of, ‘If I don’t have you, at least I’ll still have me’ -- just that line alone. Every lyrical choice and every melodic choice was set up to support that one sentence. I mean, that’s how a lot of the other songs were written as well. ‘Holy Roller’ that whole, ‘I’m feelin’ like a Holy Roller’ like I joined a cult’ was the first thing I wrote. ‘Never-ending Summer’ was like that, ‘Nobody’s Keeping Score’ was like that, it all kind of comes down to supporting that one mega-sentence. The top line. Or in college, we say, ‘The thesis statement’. It’s the same thing in a song. It’s like a mini-essay and each piece is leading up to the point, which is the hook. That’s the way I look at it at least.”

When asked how she finds those lines and whether they come from her daily conversations or are something she takes the time to specifically think about and craft, she says, “It’s just kind of the things that I find myself saying over and over to my friends. Or things that I find myself writing over and over in my journal. After reflecting for like a whole two pages, what’s the last sentence of my journal entry? Usually that to me, is like the title.”

It’s no secret that “Terrible Ideas” was a standout track from Mood Swing. It had a great, unique sound and the video was thought-provoking and overall just entertaining to watch. When it comes to the process of penning the track, CYN breaks down the wall and gets honest with us and tells the entire story of her relationship that inspired the track.

“I was dating this guy, (I’m not dating him anymore, I’m single now) [laughs]. When we first started hooking up, the first night, our first date, he was like, ‘I want you to marry me. Will you marry me?’ The date was great he was being so sweet, and it was hot. He noticed when I would get excited when he would say stupid things like that because one of my things is that I am quick to be domestic. I am a traditional girl in a way. I mean I definitely see myself as a working woman, but I am looking forward to having a family and all that. I definitely don’t see myself as a 1960’s housewife but this is something I value, having a partner. Anyway, he started saying those kinds of things and at one point he’d be talking about things like getting an apartment together and then turn around and he’d say with a smirk, ‘Nevermind. That’s a terrible idea.’ He had an English accent, so I was like, ‘Oh my god, say it one more time and it’s going to be a song.’”

And so it did. Creating the video was a good experience too, she says. “It was really low-key and chill. We had this plexiglass hanging from this clamp and I was behind it and I was spraying the water and singing. It was really quick, super-simple and probably the rawest video I’ve ever done.”

Performing is usually one of the best perks for musical artists and CYN relates. She even takes it as an opportunity to show a different side of herself. “I really love to play a character, in a way. I love to get on stage and mold my words and senses to a magical feeling. I love creating a character out of my songs and then being that character on stage.”

She also loves the chance to connect with young people and help them realize their dreams and that they have the power to achieve anything they put their minds to. “I spoke at my middle school last summer. A lot of young people came up to me and were like, ‘I was bullied too and I like to sing too’ and I guess I just love influencing young people and making them feel like no matter where you’re from or what your parents do, you can follow your dream, whatever that is. You just have to network and be professional and you can do anything. Young people are the most important thing to me when it comes to my shows.”

Looking forward, CYN already has more music lined up. “I have a couple of songs coming out. Some of the songs are more rock & roll leaning. One of them is about getting drinks with your girlfriend after a dude is giving you an attitude. A line in it is, ‘He got mad, I got drinks.’ It’s kind of spoken, kind of hip-hop sounding, but there’s still this really feminine aspect to it. Hopefully more music videos, more songs and more shows.” She is also hitting the road with singer-songwriter Sasha Sloan this spring. We look forward to hearing the new music and seeing just where 2020 takes CYN.