A Quick Chat with Sidney

What is the inspiration for your new EP what if it ends?

The EP was inspired by a question I didn’t want to ask: what if it ends?

I was engaged, my career was building, everything looked steady from the outside. But internally I felt this quiet shift I couldn’t ignore. I couldn’t tell what was anxiety and what was intuition, so I avoided the thought completely.

Writing the EP became the first time I let myself sit with that fear honestly. It’s essentially a record about confronting the possibility of endings instead of running from them.

Is there a theme or central point within this record? Where did it grow from, and how did it come about?

I used to say the theme was doubt versus hope, but I think that was the surface layer.

Underneath that, the real tension was internal. It was the push and pull between what I deeply wanted and what I believed I was supposed to want.

From the outside, my life looked aligned. Which made it harder to admit that something inside me felt unsettled. The record grew from that private conflict. Most of the songs started as journal entries where I was trying to untangle expectation from instinct.

By the end of writing it, I was more honest with myself than I had been at the beginning.

What was the creation of this record like? Take us through the process!

The record came together over about a year, across lots of different sessions and emotional states.

Some days, I walked into a session knowing exactly what I felt. Other days I was still trying to convince myself I was fine. The songs reflect that. They capture different levels of awareness.

A really special part of the process was a writing camp at my parents’ house. Two songs came from that, including “The Difference”, which is about my dad. Writing and recording something that personal in their house added a layer of intimacy that I didn’t plan but I’m really grateful for. We even used the original vocals for the final version recorded in the living room there.

It felt less like creating a “project” and more like documenting a year of internal change.

What is your favourite memory from writing and creating the record?

The writing camp down at my parents’ house with Grant Konemann and Ben Oldland was really special. I remember driving there in the rain for 1.5 hours and coming up with melodies on voice memos that turned into full songs! That was also where “The Difference” and “Anything” came to life, and both of those songs are really personal in different ways. Being in that environment made it feel safe to go there emotionally.

I think one of my favourite parts, though, was how spaced out the process was. I’d write a song like “what if it ends?” and then live with it for months. I’d go for walks listening to rough mixes and realise it was actually helping me process what I was walking through in real time. The songs weren’t just documenting the season, they were guiding me through it. My hope is now it gets to do the same for others – how cool to be making music that does that!

Who or what are your influences and inspirations?

Musically I’m really inspired by artists who make vulnerability feel normal and conversational. That is how I try to live in my day to day and always connected to others who did the same through and outside of their music. Lizzy McAlpine, Lennon Stella, Julia Michaels to name a few.

Outside of music, I’m inspired by journaling, therapy, and long dramatic voice notes between friends. I’m very interested in the psychology of why we stay, why we leave, why we self-sabotage.

I think I’m just fascinated by humans and how we all seem to struggle to communicate what we really feel – something I find easier to do through music.

What do you love about making music?

Connection. Hands down.

When someone messages me and says, “I thought I was the only one,” that’s everything. Even in a live room, there’s this look people get when you’re singing something emotional and you can tell it’s landed. That shared understanding is really special.

My audience tends to be people who feel deeply and think deeply, and I love that music gives us a place to sit with those feelings instead of rushing past them.

I also really love the collaborative side of it. Writing with other people means they bring their own musical instincts, but also their own perspectives and life experience.

Sometimes someone will hear a lyric differently than I intended, and it opens up a whole new layer of meaning. It reminds me that songs don’t just belong to one person once they’re out in the world.

And honestly, songwriting is still how I make sense of my own life. It’s the place where everything gets processed properly.

If you had to summarise the record in one sentence, what would you say?

It’s about asking, “what if it ends?” but also daring to ask, “what if it doesn’t?” and realising the best part of your life might be waiting on the other side of the answer.

What do you have planned for the rest of 2026?

2026 feels really full in the best way.

I’ll be releasing another reflective and honest record that explores the aftermath of the breakup and what it’s actually been like falling in love with this new version of my life. It feels lighter, more open. There’s still depth to it, but there’s also this sense of freedom that I didn’t have before. I genuinely can’t wait for people to hear the full arc.

I’ve just toured with Hazlett and I’m about to head out with Josh Pyke, which feels surreal in the best way. I’d love to keep building on that with more tours and hopefully some headline shows of my own.

I’m also heading back to Nashville to write again, which always feels creatively energising. So, it’s a year of new music, new places, and really leaning into this next chapter.

Sidney’s debut EP what if it ends? is out now via Nettwerk