After seeing out her 2023 with the captivating single ‘Shards’, London-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer MYRY recently returned with her shimmering new offering ‘The Weakest Seams’.
Featuring pounding drums and percussive handpan melodies from Valentino Fanizza, ‘The Weakest Seams’ sees her returning with one of her most passionate releases to date. So we caught up with her to find out more about her background and what has inspired her motivations over the years.
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Can you tell us a bit about your musical background and how you got started in music?
Music has been a constant in my life, ever since I can remember. My earliest memories are of singing or dancing around and being silly. During school years, I found my ‘safe space’ in the school choir – we had an amazing teacher who I will never forget who saw potential in me, allocated me solo parts and helped me find some confidence despite being bullied.
I began writing songs around the age of 12, and while those early attempts weren’t anything special, the process stuck with me. As a teenager, YouTube became my outlet for sharing covers while I developed my own material in the background. Song-writing became my safe way of communicating the things I felt that I couldn’t say otherwise.
Throughout my youth I explored different instruments – piano, guitar, drums, and of course plenty of singing lessons, and I tried all the styles of dance – anything to express myself. Apart from singing lessons, however, I was inconsistent with most things (ADHD did not help with that) so I ended up self-teaching ‘as needed’ a lot.
In the more recent years I have delved into the production side of things a lot more and I have really enjoyed it. I am still learning, as we always are, and I have enjoyed the process including the challenges. Though I don’t love my early works, I like that I can look back and be proud of how much I have learnt and how far I have come since.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, both past and present?
My musical influences are really diverse. I was a huge Beyoncé, Rihanna and Eminem fan in my school years, but also loved the voices of Lauryn Hill and Aretha Franklin and tried to learn from listening to them.
My teenage years were a whirlwind of rock and alt-metal, from classic bands like Guns N’ Roses and Led Zeppelin to more alternative ones like Radiohead, System of A Down, Editors, Coldplay or Muse.
Today, I find endless inspiration in alternative, electronica and soft indie music – Alt-J, Glass Animals, Florence + The Machine, Daughter, Bonobo, Moderat and HVOB all really resonate with me.
Are there any specific artists or bands that have had a significant impact on your music style or approach?
This is always a tricky one! I’d say Daughter is a band whose approach to songwriting has really resonated with me and had a big impact particularly on the first few singles. Their lyrics are so raw and honest, and the music is understated but powerful. Similarly, Radiohead’s raw vulnerability and depth has always been a huge influence.
As I’ve grown more confident with production, I have tried to incorporate some of the techniques I admire from Alt-J, Glass Animals, Bonobo, and Moderat – experimenting with layers, textures, and pushing my creative boundaries.
Could you share any memorable moments or experiences that have shaped your musical journey so far?
That first time in a London studio, arranged by my at-the-time label, with musicians who had played for some of my favourite bands (including Luke Saunders from Daughter), working on a song I wrote… it was a pinch-me moment. To have so many talented people in one room doing their amazing work to help me with my song was genuinely incredible.
Also, hearing my song on BBC radio for the first time, listening in the car with a work friend on my way back from a hospital shift. That was really special. Getting those ‘congrats’ messages from friends who heard it premiere on the radio was memorable.
How do you express your personal experiences and identity through your music?
For me, music (and art in general) is the most natural way to process things I struggle to put into words. I have ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, so emotions hit hard, good and bad. Song-writing helps me channel those feelings, transform them into something others might connect with.
When I struggle to connect with my current emotions (or they are not particularly intense), I sometimes try to put myself in the shoes of others to find inspiration and I write ‘for’ them. Sometimes, I try to put myself back into how I felt during difficult times, because I seem to have a slight preference for melancholic lyrics over jolly ones – though it is not an absolute rule.
Have you faced any challenges or obstacles as a female musician, and if so, how have you overcome them?
One challenge I’ve encountered is the importance placed on image – this is true for all artists, but particularly for female artists. It can be difficult to find a balance between sharing yourself authentically (which helps people relate and connect and tends to drive more engagement) while maintaining privacy and keeping music at the forefront.
I honestly think there is no easy solution, and I am still working on this balance. I think where you draw the line is going to be different not only for each musician but also for an individual musician across different stages of their life or musical career.
Are there any particular themes or messages that you aim to convey through your music?
I would say that in general, the more melancholic themes of solitude, uncertainty, introversion and grief have tended to predominate in my music, but that is partly a result of the musical influences that have shaped me rather than purely always a result of how I am feeling while I write the song.
I can shift my mindset in the moment and put myself in a state where I think I will write the songs that I will like the most, regardless of whether the underlying feelings/messages align with how I am currently feeling, as I can always remember feeling those things at some point in life.
More recently, however, I am trying to explore the themes of relief, fierceness and liberation and these tend to go well with more electronic sounds, which I am experimenting with.
Can you talk about your creative process and how you go about writing and producing your music?
It varies a lot! Sometimes a sleepless night sparks a melody, or something randomly pops into my head. Sometimes a drumbeat sets the mood. Sometimes it starts with chords on the piano or guitar, exploring how they make me feel. Sometimes it’s lyrics first, and then I read them in different ways until they sound melodic. I don’t have a fixed formula for songs.
I tend to start many songs, let them sit, come back to them with a fresh perspective, and tweak as I go. Learning production has been life changing, I really enjoy the challenge of bringing those song ideas to life. I have noticed that it takes me much less time nowadays to ‘transfer’ the music that’s in my head into a DAW, which makes me really happy with the progress I have made.
How do you hope your music will resonate with your audience, especially with other aspiring female musicians?
I want honesty in my music, but also space for listeners to find their own meaning. Above all, I hope anyone feeling alone, sad, confused, or overwhelmed can hear my songs and know they aren’t the only ones. My lyrics tend to lean on the melancholic aspect but for most songs I try to keep them open to interpretation rather than too specific (there are exceptions of course).
This is what I got out of listening to my favourite bands, that magical sense of relief of feeling understood by someone you have never even met who describes in music what you often had not even managed to acknowledge or shape into a fully formed thought yet.
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Watch the new video for MYRY’s ‘The Weakest Seams’ below.