Coming in from Portland, Oregon, singer-songwriter and interdisciplinary recording artist Pseudonymph releases their deeply reflective and authentic single entitled "Lately..."
21-year-old Brianna was sitting outside for a smoke one night when a purple, pink, and orange mass of light descended upon her with a noise that could be understood to humans as "Pseudonymph." They describe Pseudonymph as not a self-fulfilling prophecy but a cosmic force of divine healing bestowed onto humans for an opportunity to succeed.
With her latest single, "Lately...," Pseudonymph touches on incredibly meaningful and conceptual words that speak on her ever-changing frequency and the energy they radiate on this plane of existence. The song offers a lush and soothing lo-fi-type beat while Pseudonymph hums in the background while delivering her spoken-word bars.
Listening to "Lately...," the song takes off with a soulful and unconventional organ-like synth and Pseudonymph's mysterious and haunting vocals that float in from the background. As they begin delivering their powerful spoken word bars, Pseudonymph fixes our ears on their whispery and gentle delivery that resembles a narrator in our dreams. She continues to explain how she's got all the love and patience in the world, but emotions stand in the way of general acceptance.
We love the haunting and mysterious appeal of this track, as it offers a perfect sonic tribute to the alien experiences that Pseudonymph has vividly experienced. As she holds our attention until the song's last beat, Pseudonymph closes the track while asking how we go about saving the earth when we don't see each other as humans.
Do some intense reflecting with help from Pseudonymph's latest single, 'Lately...," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
We're thoroughly impressed with the unique tone and approach of your recent single, "Lately..." What inspired you to create this deeply reflective track?
They say forgiveness is healthier for the mind. In some ways, I have to agree. I'm working on forgiveness-- whether for substantial relief or prioritizing my emotional energy. But in forgiveness is still accountability. I have grown up feeling less than; this is my declaration of purpose. My ideas are my own, and that I do not and should not care so deeply about others' opinions unless my actions are harmful. Sometimes those closest to you can pray for your downfall, and I'm lucky to have some beautiful people in my life, though. "Lately..." is a freestyle metabolizing my incessant thoughts.
What message or concept did you want to convey to listeners who experience your single "Lately..."?
That in order to address the predatory biases that we either uphold or oppresses, must be addressed with empathy and logical compassion. By "logical compassion," I mean problem-solving in a way that prioritizes the afflicted and their healing and puts aside one's pride. To ask humans to reflect on ourselves honestly. Everybody has intuition, some are more in tune by life experience (racism, sexism, being "othered"), and it's a skill that can be trained just like empathy.
What was your songwriting process like for "Lately..."? Was it easy for you to write such dense, vulnerable, and powerful words?
Honestly, yeah, it is easy, my art is my life, and my life is my truth. I've been writing poetry to deal with emotional pain for years, ever since I was 13. So sitting down and externalizing my thoughts is pretty straightforward. The only challenge is I can second guess my word choice all the time. I tend to overanalyze myself. That imposter syndrome is paralyzing.
How would you describe the music you create? What artists or acts inspired this unique sound of yours?
I grew up listening to Tyler the Creator, Nirvana, Nina Simone, and Lana Del Rey. I still listen to Tyler today, CMWYGL was pretty amazing. And I put Nina Simone on at work to stay calm. Since I've developed my independent music taste as an adult, I listen to Erykah Badu, Noname and SZA when I need to cry or relax, Flying Lotus when I'm looking for sonic inspiration, Gorillaz when I'm feeling genreless. Truly I am constantly listening to new artists because, as an artist, I think eclectic consumption is informative and enjoyable. It provides inspiration. I can't do just one sound as an artist.
I want to play with concepts in music all the time. I will be making a YouTube video on what I call "cyber-jazz" to classify an era of accessibility in music. With this overflowing market of ideas, new music concepts are gaining traction every day. I also acknowledge that my Black American ancestors truly did and continue to innovate and reinvent music in America (with or without proper credit). Cyber-jazz acknowledges this inherent truth. Jazz has been the catalyst for so many contemporary musical genres we have now, and this is my homage.