Here’s the Advice that Katy Perry Gave Rising Pop Singer Cyn
In this week’s episode of You Should Know, Billboard sits down with Cyn to fund out what inspired her song “I’ll Still Have Me,” what the best piece of advice Katy Perry ever gave her was, how she approaches writing songs, and much more.
Cyn, born Cynthia Nabozny, grew up outside of Detroit in West Bloomfield, Michigan and tells Billboard that the first place she ever performed live was in fifth grade at her elementary school, when she sang Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain't Got You.”
Asked to list her biggest musical influences, Cyn names Jewel, Carole King, and Stevie Wonder. “I love Motown, in general,” she adds. “I love songs from the 1920s, big band jazz, basically the Classic American Songbook is, I think, my foundation.”
When it comes to writing music, Cyn says that she usually starts with one sentence and works from there, finding ways to support that key sentiment. As for what inspired her song “I’ll Still Have Me,” she reveals that she was experiencing heartbreak and she was trying to give herself encouragement, telling herself that even if though that person was no longer in her life, she would still get through it on her own.
In the interview, the singer – who is signed to Katy Perry’s label Unsub Records – is also asked what the best piece of advice she ever received from Perry was. She replies that while the pop star has given her a great deal of advice when it comes to singing and music, one impactful piece of wisdom pertains to songwriting.
“One thing she's reminded me of over and over,” says Cyn, “Is…to think of my friends back home in Michigan, and the way that I grew up, and write for that girl, as opposed to going out in Hollywood and writing for that scene.”
You can watch the full video interview above to hear more from Cyn, including how she feels about baby Yoda.
Cyn’s new song, “Lonely Gun,” will feature on the Birds of Prey soundtrack, which is out on February 7. You can catch her on the road supporting Sasha Sloan, beginning in March. Click here to see the full list of tour dates.