SPOTLIGHT.
SARYA
Photo by Asuka Chen
INTRODUCTION
Sarya is a musical poet from Taiwan based in Edinburgh.
They started as a spoken word poet, performing all over Edinburgh then became more musical in 2017.
Sarya is highly inspired by Scandinavian pop/folk, as well as outsider/DIY music culture/video game soundtracks.
Their music is mostly about love, friendship and support and it’s about making people know they are not alone. They want to make people laugh and cry.
They say their genre is: “sadboi/existential pop/melanchronica(melancholia + electronica).”
INTERVIEW
How did you get into music? What initially inspired you?
I started singing in the echoey underpass near Potterrow with a ukulele a friend gifted me. Coming from a spoken word background, writing songs came naturally and I've always loved singing and I'd always dreamed of being some kind of real-life bard from the medieval RPGs I loved to play. Music had always coloured my memories, and particularly the emotions of indie emo folk, so I wanted to make music that moved people the way it moved me, or at least make you feel less alone in the world.
What themes do you tend to interrogate in your music?
Isolation, loneliness, heartbreak, self-care, and friendship.
What would you like to see more of in the Scottish music scene?
I want to see much more diversity in every way. It would be great to celebrate more artists of colour as well as trans and queer folk from all backgrounds and styles. I always love to see more experimentation between artists and musicians, and I hope the artists in the scene remain open to collaborating and providing testbeds to those who want to try new and exciting things. The thing I've always loved about the Scottish music scene is that you can certainly feel that everyone is there because of a genuine care for all things musical, and musicians tend to support one another and have a laugh.
What advice would you have for creatives of colour looking to get into music?
I would say, whatever is holding you back, to address it and just do what you need to do in order to play the music you want to play. It may be daunting to start, and isolating at first to be the only person of colour in many musical situations (especially in Scotland), but knowing that you're adding to the flavour of a music scene is really empowering. Don't be too hard on yourself if you're not perfect, because the fact that you're trying and making beautiful noises is a gift in itself. Do it for yourself, the love of music, and everyone will feel it. Have the confidence of a mediocre white man, and you're golden.
What are you currently working on?
Currently I am working with Ben Lobban, professionally known as Rufus, as well as Robin Brill, DJ Honey Badger of The Honey Farm, to release some new electropop projects that we've been discussing for the past year. It's always such a pleasure to work with such down-to-earth Scottish talent, and I am so happy to call these people my friends. Our new tracks will be out in the beginning of the year.