Breon S.Y.N.D.E.L is a Brooklyn-based hip-hop artist that we have been keeping tabs on for a while now. Having covered his last two EPs, we decided it was time to get to know the musician a little better. Living by the motto of “Work hard, play hard,” we just knew he’d have an interesting story to tell!
Chatting with us about a life-changing car accident, how his Spotify numbers can still sometimes feel unreal, and which three albums he’d take with him to a deserted island, please give a big welcome to our friend Breon S.Y.N.D.E.L!
Thanks a lot for chatting with us Breon! It’s great to be able to re-introduce you to our ever-expanding audience! Your first official release ‘Glass’ came out over three years ago and I’m wondering if you could give our readers a brief overview of what has led you to where you are today musically.
Wow, that took me back. It’s funny, when listening to a song I can always go back to the exact moment I either wrote it, recorded it or shot the video. So much has happened since then but I can try to sum it up for you.
I was involved in a car wreck on the highway that I was able to walk away from but the car was done for. That gave me some extra time on my hands to focus on the studio since I couldn’t drive and get into shenanigans. I was recording a lot and promised myself I’d drop a song a month until something cool happened in my life. ‘Glass’ was one of the first songs. It’s one of the fan favorites which always makes me chuckle. I was so uncomfortable in life when that song was released.
Your ‘Buy Me Some Time‘ EP was my introduction to your music, and I’ve been a keen follower ever since! The EP has since received some serious plays on Spotify! Could you tell us what it feels like to have so many people listening to and resonating with your tunes?
Appreciate the love and support! Sometimes it feels unreal. I don’t check the numbers every day but if I open the app and see a few extra thousand people tuned in it does feel good. I get more happy that my team sees it and they are happy. They’re just numbers to me at the end of the day. I’m just happy people are actually playing (and replaying) my music. It lets me know that I’m helping someone and that they find something I’m saying relatable. I haven’t done any shows yet but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to people saying lyrics back to me on stage one day.
Who would you put down as some of your biggest musical influences and who would you ultimately credit for helping shape and mould your overall sound?
Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, Bryson Tiller, XXXTentacion, A$AP Rocky, Frank Ocean, and The Weeknd.
These are the core. There are a few other influences, just not as heavy as these. I also have a couple of bands and female artists I listen to and draw inspiration from.
Einstein famously said, “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician.” If you were not a musician, what would you be?
Dead. I think I really had something of a rebirth or awakening in that car accident. A piece of me died but another took its first breath. I think I was allowed to walk out of that situation to actually do good for myself and those around me. I’m here to make music and hopefully a few movies down the line haha. I always wanted a main role in a really dope series. Like on HBO, Hulu, etc etc.
Please tell our readers a little bit about your creative process. How do you take just a thought or an idea and turn it into a song?
I get inspiration in different ways so each song is a bit different in process. Sometimes I have a random poem drafted up in my head already or other times we just let the beat rock in the studio until I catch a vibe. Now and then, I might hear a conversation on the subway somewhere or on my way and I hear an interesting dialogue between people passing by and use one of their quotes or something.
Which of your lyrics would you like to see printed on a T-shirt?
I have a new merch design dropping soon that has a lyric I won’t spoil. If I had to choose a different one it would probably be “Tweaking out but I’m keeping my composure” or shorten it and just have “Keepin’ my composure” with some muted design. It’s from my song ‘California’.
OK, Breon – desert island time! You can grab 3 albums before being stranded on an island. Which do you choose?
‘Man on the Moon Vol.1’ – Kid Cudi
‘Good Kid MAAD City’ – Kendrick Lamar
‘Life Of Pablo’ – Kanye West
It’s been great getting to know you better Breon! Thanks for chatting with us! Before we let you go though, what comes next for you musically?
More music, more collaboration, more visuals and hopefully more love. I just want to make what I want to make and enjoy myself while helping people get through a tough time.
Hopefully, that comes through in the shows, visuals and music. I’ve got some really cool stuff coming man. I can’t wait for you all to see!
