“Never ever give up.”
Bryony Sier
Wales looks always like a bit of a wonder to me with its airy sandy beaches and bright green grasslands, happy and positive people and deeply rooted traditions. I have recorded two albums "Chatterbox" and "Storied Sounds" in the wonderful Felin Flach studios in Abergavenny owned by Dylan Fowler, one of the finest musicians in Wales. With all this in mind I am extremely happy to introduce this weeks focus artist in Global Music Match singer songwriter Bryony Sier hailing from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales.
We talked about music, life, inspiration, personal monsters and mental health. Enjoy the interview!
How do you create a song - lyrics first and melody then or both together? Tell us about your creative process.
I typically write music when I least expect to. It’s strange how I work, because if I sit down and try to write a song then nothing happens usually but I find that inspiration strikes when I’m not looking for it. It happens naturally, with the melody always developing first and then I fit the lyrics around that. On rare occasions, it might be really late at night and a song will pop into my head and it’ll be playing out like an actual record. But, because it’s so late and I have neighbours, as well as my family to think about, I can’t start playing my guitar or working on it in case I wake everybody up. By the morning, the idea is gone, unless I’ve managed to secretly record it without being heard.
You have created over 130 songs, what is your foremost inspiration and driving force?
One of my main goals is to connect with the listener. So, I tend to write songs that are honest and open. I mostly share my personal experiences through my songwriting, hoping that I might reach someone who is struggling with the same kind of thing or feels the same way that I do. This gives me a lot of drive, because if my music can help someone and make them feel less alone, then that’s a huge achievement for me.
Has somebody gotten back to you and told you how your music has helped them to go on? What did they tell?
Whenever I perform at a new place or a familiar place, there is usually always one person who will approach me and say that my music reached them in some way. There was one time in particular, when I was playing outdoors in a venue in Pembrokeshire and during my set, I spoke openly about mental health and then performed the title track from my EP ‘Personal Monster.’ Afterwards, this woman approached me and she looked really upset so we went to have a chat and she was telling me about how much mental health has affected her daughter. I could feel my own eyes filling up just hearing about it. She asked me what is helping me and how I was able to bring up such a sensitive topic in this kind of environment. I told her about how much God was helping me and she seemed to understand this. She told me that my music spoke to her and we kept in touch after that. This is why I put myself in such a vulnerable position, because you never know who is listening and who needs to hear a particular message. It’s all about timing.
You have told that music has always been present in your life, how has your family encouraged you to take the path as a singer songwriter?
My family has been amazing support. They’ve always encouraged me to follow my dreams. My Aunt taught me how to play guitar when I was 12, and she was a singer songwriter herself. My mother used to sing as well, so I come from quite a musical family. My Grandpa in particular, has been a very influential figure in my life. He would be at every gig and wouldn’t miss one if he could help it. We bonded over music, but he was diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia a couple of years ago and there has been a big decline ever since. Whenever I visit him, we always listen to music on YouTube together. He’s lost the ability to walk and doesn’t speak anymore. But, sometimes he will sing or hum along to the songs that are familiar to him. That’s how incredibly powerful music is. He used to call me his little ‘superstar’ and he wanted me to go far with my music. I’ll always remember how supportive he was and it helps me to keep pursuing music as a career, because not only do I want to make him proud, but music is everything to me and it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.
What is music for you?
Music, for me, is an outlet. It’s a form of self-expression when words fail. It got me through some of the toughest times of my life and that is why I have such a passion for it. Whenever I’m feeling upset about something, I either write a song or listen to music. It’s sort of like a therapy all on its own.
Is the EP Personal Monster really about your personal monster?
Yes. Personal Monster EP is a mixture of feelings and emotions that are built around a similar theme. I feel strongly about promoting mental health because I’ve struggled with social anxiety and body dysmorphia ever since I left High School in 2013. I know that so many people are dealing with their own personal monsters. We all have our struggles in this life and it really saddens me to hear about the number of suicides that are happening all over the world. I’ve been at rock bottom myself, so I wanted this EP to focus on the monsters that each of us face and that it’s okay to talk and be open about mental health at the same time.
Lately there has been a lot of talk about musicians mental health, how do you take care of your mental health and keep yourself sane in this ever-changing world? Is anxiety your friend or enemy?
Anxiety is definitely not my friend. It’s been so hard to control it, especially when I was studying at college. Some days I couldn’t cope in such a busy environment. I would have to come home early because I felt so emotionally drained. I’ve found that a lot of people will let you down in this industry, so there have been many setbacks/disappointments, which hasn’t helped my mental health either. But I became a Christian 2 years ago and now It’s brought me to where I am today, which is not the same girl I was back then. I’m slowly starting to learn more about myself and my individual purpose. Because of this, I am able to take part in big projects like Global Music Match, where socialising is key in order to make strong connections. I definitely wouldn’t have been ready for something like this a few years ago. So, I feel I am in a much better place now. Whenever I’m feeling too overwhelmed by something, I turn to God in prayer and that brings peace that I’ve never found in any of the therapy sessions I went to or counsellors I went to see. I’ve always been quite fearful of the unknown, but now I trust that it is out of my control and I don’t need to worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. I recently created a music video for the title track of the EP, ‘Personal Monster,’ where I asked some musicians if they could share their own personal Monsters with me. It’s a powerful video because it shows how many musicians are struggling with mental health.
If you could just say one sentence to the world what would that be?
Never ever give up. It’s so tempting because this life can be so difficult and people will criticise and make you feel like you’re not good enough. There’ll be many setbacks, but don’t let it break you, let it drive you to keep reaching towards your ultimate goal.