My Moodboard: SINAH

We were told about a new artist called SINAH not too long ago. She immediately caught our attention with ‘Nobody Knows’, a composition of delicate instrumentation and vocals that somehow manage to be composed and fiercely intense at the same time. After downloading her new EP for free on Bandcamp at the beginning of the week, we were totally sold. Her sound’s a sort of futuristic deep house that could be lumped in with her contemporaries doing the same sort of think (i.e. Grimes), but SINAH is much less of a gimmick than artists to whom critics may be tempted to compare her.

We very much like this chick and she seems like an intelligent, well-travelled lady (having come from Berlin and now lives in good old London, via a brief stint in New York). SO, we thought she’d be the perfect artist to do one of PlanetNotion’s moodboards. Here’s what inspires SINAH.

PJ Harvey

She was the first songwriter who introduced me to this style of music. Her approach to music inspires me a lot – you can immediately tell that her intention is pure and simply to serve herself rather than others. Her musical choice for “imperfection” is what creates intimacy, which is a very brave and personal thing to do. I still find it hard to take that step sometimes and redo vocal takes until they sound sleek – subconsciously thinking about what other people might say about my production skills. It’s not the same kind of music to what I am making of course, but this approach will play an important role in my future music.

TED Talks

www.ted.com/talks

“Ideas worth spreading” – INDEED! Whenever I feel like my brain cells need a little attention, I browse through their talks and find very interesting factual information. All the people I have seen so far on TED are very passionate about their subject and have good intentions. They are trying to find solutions that benefit the planet. That in itself is a great inspiration, because it shows people’s selflessness and will to do good.

Jacaszek (live)

I first saw him perform at the Alphaville Festival at Rich Mix last year. His performance was absolutely mind blowing – not because he had fancy lighting and a lot going on during his show, but simply because the music was so beautiful. I never experienced a gig where the audience sat quietly throughout the entire show. Even afterwards people seemed to be in a daze and no one dared to break the silence. You could see how precise and precious he treated his music – a true perfectionist with well-deserved attention.

Blue Planet

Episode 2

I decided to put on one of the Blue Planet documentaries recently with the intention to help me fall asleep. Wrong choice – they kept me wide awake and fascinated. I always wanted to be an oceanologist but thought that everything is explored anyway already, and that it would be very frustrating thinking you’d find something new only to realise that someone else had discovered it already. The documentary series showed me that the ocean is still a completely mystery. It amazes me how life is created in all kinds of environments. It reminds me to take my focus off little problems we all seem to have and just appreciate what incredible beings we actually are rather than trying to “be someone” at all times.

Trent Reznor

He inspired me a lot when I grew up. You can feel his emotions so clearly through his music. It’s not that I completely identified myself with the lyrics and music but I was able to dive into his world through it. It’s just like watching a depressing movie – I guess we do it because we want to be moved emotionally at that time, and then be able to switch it off and let the feeling disappear. This is what I get listening to Nine Inch Nails – they are giving a part of them, that I take on for a while and then leave behind.

Anaïs Nin

 I used to read lots of her diaries as a teenager and they really helped me shape my self-awareness. I still see her as a great inspiration for my personal development.

Bill Hicks/Robert Schimmel

I haven’t found equally great comedians in Britain yet. If you know of some, please let me know! I usually have podcasts of their shows on my phone and listen to them on the tube – any rush hour is doable that way, trust me! Their stage presence and sharpness is so impressive and inspiring. They make taboos ok and put a smile on people’s faces… or even some tears of laughter (in my case, occasionally). How could this not be inspiring to anyone?

Matthew Nichols

My dear friend Matt from New York – Subway musician and true Entrepreneur. He has a great talent in many things and is as humble as someone could be. He wrote a book a few years ago and just finished a script for a movie. While I was living in New York he helped me massively by believing in me and pushing me as a musician.

The Grand Canyon

 I went to the Grand Canyon during my road trip across the US and simply couldn’t believe my eyes. This place has such an immense power to it. Standing at the edge of something so incredible makes all our little problems seem so small and meaningless. It inspired me to explore lots of other stunning places.

Joanna Newsom

She tells such curious stories with her music, using beautiful and weird prose that is very special – it’s something you have to listen to more than once to “get it”. I did give it that little bit of extra time and found myself in her little world with 10 minute songs that tell fairytales. Very unique and inspiring.

Download Sinah’s debut EP for free here.

-Bronya Francis