The Sophisticated Psychos is a New York City based creative partnership consisting of poet-producer Kyriaki and producer-songwriter Nicky Scorpio. The duo met in a recording studio in Hell’s Kitchen in 2012, and they have since focused on building a lifestyle and brand centered around wellness. They create music to “celebrate anxiety, depression, and most importantly, ourselves.” They have just released a new video for their self-produced song “Belligerent”, which Nicky describes as “acknowledging that we are all hypocrites - we say we want peace and choose chaos. Most artists are using their platforms for negativity and false lifestyles - but we are the faces of the new generation who don’t agree with the fear and negativity that is force fed to us and don’t want to be told that we’re wrong anymore.”
The Sophisticated Psychos latest single “Belligerent” is a dramatic single that encompasses a wide variety of emotional content. There are topics of hypocrisy, anger, dissatisfaction and most importantly, overcoming these things. The vocals are unique and unconventional, but it suits the vibe of this song perfectly. The contrast between male and female vocals is pervasive throughout the song and provides some welcome variety. The overall feeling of the song is one of eccentricity, and this dynamic duo definitely bring some unique flavors to the table!
Check out the music for “Belligerent” below and get to know more about The Sophisticated Psychos as we chat with them about
Thanks for catching up with us! Would you two mind describing your background(s) and how you first got involved in music?
Kyriaki and Nicky both come a come from a musical family. If there wasn’t music playing someone was singing. It was really when Nicky first heard Tupac’s voice and his message that he realized he could tell stories through music.
Who would you say your biggest artistic inspirations are?
Nicky - Tupac and The Beatles, more so the energy they had and how they made (and still make) people feel. Nicky appreciates anyone who is artistically not afraid to make bold statements, even if they disagree or don’t understand.
Kyriaki - Sade, classical music, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Stevie Nicks, all of the Oldies, to name a few!
“Belligerent” is quite the emotional journey, how did this song come about?
Nicky produced, wrote & recorded this song on the islands of Greece. After seeing how a culture that is going through hard times is so beautiful and much happier than most Americans because of their community, their family and then seeing the complete opposite in a place like Los Angeles, where people are always looking for the bigger and better deal. No loyalty. The other aspect for Nicky is that he is tired of the older generation disrespecting the younger generation simply because we do not subscribe to old-fashioned and hypocritical beliefs. P.S. clicking an angry face on Facebook will not make a change.
In general, would you describe what your writing process is like?
We channel messages and melodies. Thank God for smart phones so it’s easy to capture the art in the moment.. Nicky does very well writing lyrics and songs when he is in motion & traveling.
Overall, all our songs are focused on a theme of being true to yourself, being okay with being awkward, or different, and talking about uncomfortable things we all share in common and celebrating ourselves as we are!
What can we hope to see from The Sophisticated Psychos going forward?
Our next release is titled “Heart on my Sleeve”. TSP is launching new YouTube TV shows’ Katie’s Corner and The Nicky Scorpio Show. Go to The Sophisticated Psychos Youtube channel to watch their content now!
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