Voice Memo
Draft Article
In 2014, Sylvie created her YouTube channel, where she would upload covers and original music, as well as more personal content about her experiences with the mental illness known as Depersonalisation Disorder, or DPD. The combination of her ethereal sound and her lyrical honesty surrounding this lesser-known disorder gained her a small but devoted fanbase, and the rest is history.
Since the release of her debut album last September, Sylvie has been on the road, touring globally to audiences of adoring fans. She took the time to come in and speak to us after the Asian leg of her worldwide tour, ‘F@!# My Feelings’, and we asked her what you wanted to know.
Q&A with Sylvie
Hi Sylvie! Thank you for coming in today!
It feels so weird to be here, I’ve read Violet since I was 14, thank you for having me!
So how’s the tour going?
Oh my gosh, honestly it’s so incredible. I love travelling and music and meeting my fans and it’s a combination of all my favourite things… it’s just such a dream come true.
Has there been anything that’s been difficult about going on tour?
Yeah, there’s been a couple of things that have been really hard. You don’t really get much time to yourself, and you don’t get much rest either. I’ve gotten really run down throughout the tour. There’s been days where I’ve felt so spaced out that I feel like nothing is even real, like I’m living in a dream almost. It’s been really hard to cope with, but when I perform it kind of pulls me back down to earth and grounds me a bit, like ‘it’s real! There are people and they’re here to see me and listen to my music!’
How do you cope with the bad days?
I’ve started on some medication recently and it really helps me to just… function basically. I’ve found that it’s really important to take time for myself whenever I can, because I need to recover a bit between shows. I’ll spend a day just watching Netflix, doing facemasks, painting my nails, stuff like that, little gestures towards yourself that just kind of say ‘Hey. I’m taking care of you.’ I try and channel my feelings into my music, and since music has always kind of been my outlet, the shows are actually really helpful and therapeutic for me. When I hear people in the audience singing along especially, it just makes me think, like, maybe I’m not as alone as I feel. It’s nice. I think it’s the most authentic that I’ve been.
Sylvie said that she’s very excited for the rest of her tour, but also grateful that she can take a break for a while.
‘I’m looking forward to the US especially,’ she said. ‘I’m really excited to meet everyone on tour, but in a way I’m happy that I’m going to be back in London for a bit. I’ve really missed my friends and my family, and it’ll be great to relax, at least for a bit.’
Sylvie’s future is in the making, wWith ana brand new album currently in the works. and the remainder of her tour coming up, and despite her ongoing struggles with DPD, Sylvie’s future is bright and in the making.
‘If you ever need help, it’s so important to reach out,’ she commented. ‘Sometimes life just feels too much, and even though some days it can feel like you’re not a part of the world you’re living in and that nobody cares, I promise you that you are so loved. You can carry on.’
There are still some dates available for the United States leg of Sylvie’s tour, available on her website, www.sylviemusic.com.
If you have been affected by any of the issues spoken about in this article, please call the Dissociative Disorders helpline on 1-800-950-6264.
Targets for Development
- ‘since I was 14’
- ‘of all my favourite things’
- ‘I perform it kind of pulls me back down to earth and grounds me a bit, like ‘it’s real! There are people and they’re here to see me and listen to my music!’’
- ‘Sylvie said that she’s very excited for the rest of her tour, but also grateful that she can take a break for a while.’
- ‘Sometimes life just feels too much, and even though some days it can feel like you’re not a part of the world you’re living in and that nobody cares, I promise you that you are so loved. You can carry on.’