Syd on Artistic Evolution, the Meaning Behind ‘Beard,’ and The Internet’s Upcoming Return

It is a warm Monday afternoon in London as we meet Syd in the lobby of Shoreditch’s Aethos Hotel. Dressed in a charcoal co-ord and grey Air Jordan IVs, she is in high spirits, laughing about a recent conversation with her barber regarding whether she should buy her own clippers while on her London retreat. Our conversation eventually turns to her 2025 tour supporting Billie Eilish on the Hit Me Hard And Soft Tour—shows she jokingly claims she “didn’t tell her fans about” because the tickets vanished instantly.

This exchange highlights the diverse roles Syd, now 34, has embraced over a career spanning nearly two decades. Originally appearing in influential corners of the music industry, the Los Angeles native first gained recognition as a member of the cult 2010s rap collective Odd Future, alongside artists like Earl Sweatshirt, Frank Ocean, and Tyler, The Creator. She later formed The Internet with producer Matt Martians. Alongside members Patrick Paige II, Chris Smith, Jameel Bruner, and Tay Walker—with Steve Lacy later joining—the group transitioned from an Odd Future offshoot into a cornerstone of alternative R&B, marked by their 2015 Grammy-nominated album, ‘Ego Death’.

Few modern R&B acts have achieved the cultural breadth of The Internet. Highly acclaimed by critics and fans, the group’s four LPs feature Syd’s silky vocals as their foundation. Yet, despite her journey from cult figure to Grammy winner, she describes her third solo album, ‘Beard’, as a musical coming-of-age romantic comedy.

Tracks like the melodic ‘Jasmin 17’ and the soft-rock influenced ‘Any Time’ (featuring James Fauntleroy) showcase an artist in total command of her craft—embracing experimentation while remaining rooted in soul. “For the most part, it’s just feeling grown up,” Syd tells us. “It’s this newfound confidence and contentment with where I’m at and the skin that I’m in.”

This artistic openness is reflected in the album’s diverse collaborations. Syd invited various creatives to contribute to the 11-track project, including R&B icon Raphael Saadiq, Big Sean, Jordan Ward, and Cube, while personally producing the majority of the record.

“The title is probably deeper than most people would guess,” she explains. “Growing up as a girl, there are standards we’re supposed to meet, and I’ve always fallen short of those. At some point, I just stopped trying. When I was making the album, I started letting my facial hair grow. My wife liked it. I shaved it, and she was like, ‘Ew, put it back.’”

When we last met in spring 2022, it was during the era of ‘Broken Hearts Club’—a soulful collection defined by heavy balladry. During that period, Syd’s personal life also saw significant milestones, including her marriage, which mirrored the romantic themes of her music.

While Syd introduced her partner to fans during a Boston concert in June 2022, other milestones took longer. She notes that buying a house took “an extra 10 years” longer than she anticipated. “My mom bought her first house when she was 23. I expected to be able to do the same,” she says. “Until I did it, I felt like I was failing at those dreams. Back in the day, a massive album placement could set you up for life, but that isn’t the reality anymore.”

“Growing up as a girl, there are standards we’re supposed to meet, and I’ve always fallen short of those”

The complexities of her life are woven into ‘Beard,’ providing the record with a sense of confidence and emotion. Beyond her solo work, Syd has become one of R&B’s most sought-after collaborators, contributing vocals and production to artists such as Giveon, Disclosure, Kilo Kish, and Zayn. For the lead single ‘Callin’’, Syd chose to work with the Grammy-winning production duo Nova Wav, known for their work with Rihanna, Ariana Grande, and Jay-Z.

“When their name came up, I was like, ‘Hell yeah. I’d love to work with them,’” Syd says. “They’re awesome. We connected after both being part of [Beyoncé’s] ‘Renaissance’ a few years back.” The two met during a writing camp organized by Syd’s new label, where ‘Callin’ emerged as the only track from the session to make the album. “Initially, I didn’t even send it to the label,” she admits. Blu June, of Nova Wav, provided the track’s bubblegum R&B hook because Syd felt that doing it herself initially “felt like a parody of myself.”

‘Callin’ captures the feeling of new romance, while the standout track ‘My Love’ offers a different vibe. Syd jokingly describes the song’s sound as “R&B gangsta shit,” noting that it was inspired by a real-life, tense situation.

Recorded at Raphael Saadiq’s studio, the track was largely improvised after a colleague made an inappropriate advance toward Syd’s wife. The result was a tender yet guarded love ballad featuring mellow percussion and glossy synths. “That whole beat was recorded in one take,” she explains. “I wrote the melody in one take as well.”

Her songwriting provides the most compelling moments on ‘Beard’. The closer, ‘2 Many Days’, is a meditative track that revisits her earlier years. She reflects on the “Syd tha Kyd” era, noting that while she appeared confident in her early Odd Future days, she was actually struggling with anxiety. “The anxiety was crippling, but it got better over time,” she says.

Syd attributes a major shift in her mindset to co-writing ‘Plastic Off the Sofa’ for Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning ‘Renaissance’. “To this day, it’s probably one of my biggest accomplishments,” she says. “Honestly, I didn’t feel super secure before that. I guess I didn’t feel validated because it had to come from within, not through external factors.”

This perspective shaped the confidence of her recent work. “I’ve never tried to make a hit,” she says. “Career-wise, the difference between this album and even the past two is that I really had one foot in and one foot out of being an artist—maybe not musically, but definitely career-wise. I feel like ‘Beard’ is me in complete control.”

Looking ahead, Syd remains focused on performing, including a highly anticipated appearance with Tyler, The Creator at London’s All Points East Festival. “What are the odds that we’d all be somewhere else, separate, but still together and as a family more so than a collective now?” she muses.

“The Internet is bigger than all of us; it’s super special to me”

As the conversation ends, Syd reflects on her evolution from an Odd Future DJ to a Grammy-winning solo force. She notes how quickly time has passed, noting that in two years, it will have been two decades since her Odd Future beginnings. Despite her success, her journey hasn’t been without hurdles; during The Internet’s 2018 era, she struggled with performance anxiety that required physical rituals like pre-show push-ups to manage.

However, a new chapter is approaching: Syd reveals that The Internet is currently finishing a new project. “Me and Steve [Lacy] releasing our albums on the same day is very much intentional,” she says, addressing the long wait for a reunion. “We’ll spend a week, a week and a half in the studio just vibing. It’s been almost five years of recording, but we’re almost done now. The Internet is bigger than all of us; it’s super special to me. The great thing about it is we all have flexibility… it allows things like ‘Beard’ to be all that they can be.”

Syd’s growth is evident in her increasing technical involvement. “On ‘Fin’ [Syd’s debut] I think I only produced three songs,” she explains. “For ‘Broken Hearts Club’, I did five. For this new one, it’s 10. I’m doubling up; it’s crazy.”

Syd’s ‘Beard’ is out now via Warner Records.

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