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Syna So Pro Interview

Oct 13, 2016 | Interest

FPE asked Syna So Pro’s ego, Syrhea Conaway, a few questions about her upcoming album VOX.

Why did you choose to make an a cappella album?

Not really sure. It’s some of the first pieces of music I created as a pre-teen into a teenager and upon revisiting them, I was reminded of where I was in that time of my life. I thought these songs are even better than what I’ve written as an adult, so why not share them?

Is there anything else besides the unusual instrumentation that holds the album together conceptually?

Not really. None of the songs I wrote when I was younger had any lyrics to them, which is about half of the album. Except for “Petey the Turtle”. I didn’t think of myself as a lyricist at all in any fashion. My thought was to write the music, and have someone else handle the words. I’ve obviously grown from that state of mind, but I still don’t think of myself as a good lyricist… just an adequate one. [I think she’s pretty good actually – Ed.]

Did you really write “Petey the Turtle” when you were 12?

Not 12, probably younger. 9 maybe? I can’t remember. I found a notebook of one of the first composition classes I took. I was about 8 or so when I took the class. I found “Petey the Turtle” when reading through the notebook and immediately laughed. I wondered if it would be too cheesy to put on the record, but it was a part of me. Why hide it? Should anyone feel ashamed for anything they created as a child? It was like trying to forget all the embarrassing things you’ve ever done in your entire life. Why not embrace it? So it’s on the record with my frustrated dad in its intro.

Are the other songs more recent, or did you write a lot of them when you were in your teens?

“Kickman”, “Rain”, “Holiday”, and “VOX” were all written within the last couple of years. “Petey” was when I was very young. The Chinese Folks songs are not mine. And the rest were written around 14-19. And there’s actually more that didn’t make the cut. Perhaps a VOX pt 2?

The lyrics and title of “Sputnik” hint at anxiety about surveillance technology. Can you tell me something about this song?

The music to “Sputnik” was written around age 17 or so, but I didn’t write the lyrics to it until I was in this Shoegaze band called Stella Mora about 10 years ago. We had a song called Sputnik that I sang lead on, and I realized the lyrics synced up with the choral arrangement. So I transferred the lyrics over. But to actually answer your question, when I originally wrote the lyrics, I was just writing about a possible perspective of the creator. Trying to wonder what it’s like to create something so ahead of your time, powerful and extraordinary. Something that is destined to do great things, but also capable of ending everything that humans have known to that point. Like a weird dependence shift. The creator becomes dependent on its creation, whether they want to or not.

“Make a Move” feels anxious as well, though here the subject seems to be an externalized angst. Do you experience a catharsis through these songs, and/or aim to provide that kind of a catharsis for your listeners?

“Make a Move” is similar to “Sputnik” of the time frame the music was written then the lyrics added much later. I was finishing up writing songs/stories for the new The Pat Sajak Assassins record which focuses on Aliens, UFO’s, spirits etc. So when I decided to add “Make a Move” to the acapella record, I listened to it and felt like something unexplained was chasing me. Was the feeling incepted by all the research I was doing for another record? Possibly. But I wanted the song to convey, lyrically, that we always have the power even when we feel helpless. I was also reading a lot of Napoleon Hill at the time, and trying to touch on how the mind can be easily influenced outside of itself, especially if you are not in control of your own mind. But again, to actually answer your question, I do want to provide catharsis for the listeners for this record, and really all of my records. Because I don’t think my lyrical skills are par with my musical arranging skills, I try to make the music say what I want, rather than the words. Especially when I was younger and didn’t understand truly what I was doing musically. It was rather nice to get a chance to “finish” these pieces as a matured adult, thus making the songs mean something completely different than what my teenage self might have been experiencing.

What do you want listeners to take away from VOX?

Mostly a short time to think about what is it that you truly want to do. To regain your self expression, and more importantly your free will. To have a moment on this ride we are all currently on.

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