Toronto’s Teen Prodigy Sydney <3 Sparks Musical Revolution With K-Pop Elegance In “Picture Perfect”
16-year-old budding pop sensation Sydney <3 is ready to introduce herself to the world with the electric feel-good anthem “Picture Perfect.” Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, the artist is known for a unique sound that adeptly blends the soaring synths of Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers with Korean pop music, bridging the sonic gap between Taylor Swift and MAMAMOO.
Collaborating with 5x Grammy Award Winner Orlando Calzada (known for his work with Lady Gaga, One Direction, and Destiny’s Child), and produced by Adam Hurstfield, Sydney <3 recorded “Picture Perfect,” her first-ever single, in both English and Korean, with the latter translation of the song done by noteworthy names in the K-Pop world: Seung-Hyun Kim (MC the Max, Lee Eun Mee) and Kang Minseo (BASTIONS, JTBC Girls on Fire).
The track is a certified pop earworm tied together by a heartfelt message that’s sure to resonate with young audiences: the mental fallout from unrealistic societal expectations brought forth by social media — and what we can do to move forward despite.
While this may be her first record, Sydney <3 is far from an overnight success. The multi-faceted young artist’s musical journey is ten thousand hours in the making, beginning at the young age of three. She started off with classical training in dance (learning ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and tap), before taking up both piano and guitar. Then, inspired by the Pitch Perfect films, she learned how to DJ and also had the opportunity to train vocally with Cara Chisholm, known for her work in Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, as well as with Canadian rockstar Don Wolf.
Her strong work ethic and raw talent paid off: Sydney <3 soon caught the attention of Adam Hurstfield, a world-famous music producer known for his work with the likes of Ray J, Ne-Yo, and DJ Khaled as well as K-Pop artists such as Super Junior, Girls Generation, TVXQ, BoA, and Lee Hyori. Adam worked tirelessly to help Sydney <3 learn the foundations of songwriting and recording, and they eventually made three singles together, all mixed by Calzada and slated for a 2024 release.
“Picture Perfect,” the first of those tracks, is an addictive listen in both English and Korean and is rooted in strong themes that hold a special place in Sydney <3’s heart.
“It’s about the struggles of seeing things on social media and setting unrealistic goals for yourself, then realizing it doesn’t really matter,” the artist explains. “I want people who listen to this song to feel like they’re not alone. No one’s life is actually that perfect — you’re fine the way you are. You don’t have to change or make it seem like everything is amazing all the time.”
With hard-hitting lyricism and a catchy, bubblegum pop-suffused hook, “Picture Perfect” is a compelling listen — and the perfect introduction to a young, bubbling under artist sure to be on everyone’s radar sometime very soon. Be sure to check out the K-Pop single package when it’s released on January 26th and the alternate pop versions – slated to arrive three weeks later – wherever you stream music.
Care to introduce yourself?
Hey hey, I’m Sydney <3, I’m a singer from Toronto, Ontario. I really like to make music and I’ve been learning about it for the majority of my life.
Tell us about the process of recording “Picture Perfect”?
The process of recording Picture Perfect was super massive for me because it was full of lots of new experiences. I switched vocal coaches to focus more on pop singing which was a bit different from what I was used to doing because before this I focused more on musical theatre singing. Another very new experience was flying to Vancouver for the first time. It was super cool and I got to see some family and family friends. I also met lots of new people (in person) like Adam H., Elise Estrada, Don Wolf, and Shugarboy. Getting back to the process of recording, it was so exciting because it was my first time recording in a professional studio and it was also the first time I had been around so much recording equipment. It was super fun watching Adam H. go through my vocals and hear myself through speakers. While recording I learned lots about singing from Don Wolf during the process of recording like punching the air while singing a big note. Also, the process of recording Picture Perfect in Korean was super fun and challenging because I’m still learning Korean.
Tell us about meeting and connecting and working with XOXO Entertainment?
With my parent’s help, I entered into a worldwide talent search which was super stressful because I had never done anything like this before. It was a very new experience and I was extremely nervous because it was my very first performance/ audition that wasn’t just a recital. I thought I did pretty bad and I remember that I was so nervous that I jumbled all of the words together and I don’t really remember singing. (I don’t think I was breathing properly because I was so nervous) So, I was surprised and a little freaked out when I got an email from XOXO Entertainment. After some back-and-forth discussions and a month-ish with their team, I was on a flight with my family to Vancouver to record my very first song. Going to the studio for the first time was surreal and it was kind of crazy. It took a minute to work through the nerves and recording was a huge exciting blur. Hearing the final mix was super duper crazy because nothing felt real (it still doesn’t) BUT what was crazier was that Orlando Calzada had mixed my song and he’s won 5 Grammy awards and has worked with so many people that I listen to like Beyonce and Lady Gaga. Knowing that made the whole experience feel even more exciting. Most of the time this still feels really crazy and I’m still learning but so far it’s been really fun. I really enjoy working with the team and I can’t wait for what is coming next.
Who was the first and most recent Canadian artist to blow you away?
I listen to lots of music and I don’t always know who’s Canadian but I know that Faouzia is Canadian and her music always blows me away. I really love her voice and I think it’s very unique. I also find her music very catchy and I just like to sing her songs. I even sang a cover of one of her songs for my vocal exam at school this year.
You’ve been making music for a bit of time now, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
Some advice I would give is to find a type of music that really interests you or one that you find fun to do. I also suggest that even if you don’t like it you should learn some theory because it’s important. (no matter how boring it can be) I also think it is important to learn how to play more than one instrument because then you have a better understanding of how it works. (even if you’re not an expert at the instrument) I think the most important thing to focus on when starting out is to make sure you are having fun.