SYD

Former Odd Future Member Steps Out On Her Own For Dazzling Solo Debut.

- Michael Cragg

Ignoring a ringing doorbell as she tries to find a quiet spot in the bustling LA house she shares with her parents and younger brother, 24-year-old Sydney “Syd” Bennett is talking Q through her morning ritual. “I usually wake up and spend the first hour or so in bed on social media, text and what not,” she drawls in her hazy California accent. In recent months, however, her morning catch-up has tended to avoid the real world. “I used to pay more attention to the news but now it’s hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t,” she sighs. Thankfully, the artist formerly known as Syd Tha Kyd has created the perfect escapist balm in the shape of debut solo album Fin, a soothing deep-dive into late-’90s/early-noughties R&B that fuses peak Aaliyah and Missy Elliott’s early Timbaland collaborations with FKA twigs’s modern sonic experimentation. Surprise released last month, it’s already shaping up to be one of the albums of the year. “I wanted to make music you coul