Cyanca

Listen to R&B/Neo-soul artist Cyanca’s melodic voice as she sits down on the C5 couch. She not only performs, but speaks on how music has affected her life, the emotional reactions caused from her music, and not fitting nicely into the mold of one musical genre.

You can listen to Cyanca’s music on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Soundcloud and YouTube. - Charlotte Five

Soul has found its latest home in one of Charlotte’s brightest new artists, Cyanca. Born and raised in Smithville, NC, Cyanca found her talents in her time with the church during her youth. Now, after honing those abilities in tandem with her drumming and production skills, the local scene has a much-needed, powerful dose of R&B/Soul.

Cyanca just released her music video for “New Phone, Who Dis?” from her 2017 EP, The Isle of Queens, a release that displays the artist in her truest form as she expresses her heavy influence from Erykah Badu in the track “Badu,” and showcases her poetic lyrical delivery reminiscent of artists like Noname and Syd. On top of Cyanca’s musical ability, the EP exudes a deep understanding and appreciation of what it means to be both a strong black woman and a creative, and how those two identities flourish within one another.
The song “New Phone, Who Dis?” serves as Cyanca’s statement to those that would waste her time with flowery words, blatant laziness, or in a more devious context, the false drive that’s become rampant within certain creative circles. The serious words delivered by Cyanca’s silky, beautiful voice creates a sort of tantalizing juxtaposition that draws the listener in closer, hanging on her every word as she repeats, “If you can’t coincide with my mind, we can’t lay up… If you really ain’t tryna grind, we can’t be textin’.”

By Delaney Clifford

April 2, 2018

Soul has found its latest home in one of Charlotte’s brightest new artists, Cyanca. Born and raised in Smithville, NC, Cyanca found her talents in her time with the church during her youth. Now, after honing those abilities in tandem with her drumming and production skills, the local scene has a much-needed, powerful dose of R&B/Soul.

Cyanca just released her music video for “New Phone, Who Dis?” from her 2017 EP, The Isle of Queens, a release that displays the artist in her truest form as she expresses her heavy influence from Erykah Badu in the track “Badu,” and showcases her poetic lyrical delivery reminiscent of artists like Noname and Syd. On top of Cyanca’s musical ability, the EP exudes a deep understanding and appreciation of what it means to be both a strong black woman and a creative, and how those two identities flourish within one another.


Cyanca
The song “New Phone, Who Dis?” serves as Cyanca’s statement to those that would waste her time with flowery words, blatant laziness, or in a more devious context, the false drive that’s become rampant within certain creative circles. The serious words delivered by Cyanca’s silky, beautiful voice creates a sort of tantalizing juxtaposition that draws the listener in closer, hanging on her every word as she repeats, “If you can’t coincide with my mind, we can’t lay up… If you really ain’t tryna grind, we can’t be textin’.”

Directed by local visual artist Alexander Hall, the video is a peculiar representation of the song’s message, detailed to the core and delivered with a stunning clarity. It follows the video’s subject, a man who finds a money tree and spends frivolously, only to become wrapped in his own self-image and lose it all before he knows it. The video also features Charlotte Dreamville Records artist Lute, who portrays a thieving painter. His inclusion in the video is an interesting nod to the intro sample of the song, which shares an eerie similarity to Lute’s song “Home” featuring Elevator Jay. When asked to describe where the lyrics and visuals came from creatively, Cyanca said: “The concept was about setting standards and expectations for the company you keep. I wanted to convey the importance of keeping like-minded and goal-oriented people in your corner. If we not on the same page mentally or spiritually we ultimately can’t vibe. It’s not a wordy song because I wanted it to be simplistic and direct. The visual was more so Alexander’s idea. I wanted the video to give a warm nostalgic 80s feel. He has amazing eye for detail and created the perfect visual for the song.” - Delaney Clifford

North Carolina rising artist Cyanca is making her swidlife debut with the brand new video for “New Phone, Who Dis?” a bass-heavy neo-soul r&b record that has all the right elements. The record appeared on her last 6-track project “The Isle of Queens” which left an everlasting impression on me. The cohesive body of work plays as the perfect introduction piece if you’re currently unfamiliar with the NC upstart as she looks to solidify herself in the game.

Turning our attention to the visuals, the music video translates lively scenes into a unique group of eye-catching clips that will have you clicking replay again and again. With its infectious, refreshing energy, fueled by bright melodies and warm cadences, the video as a whole undoubtedly does the song justice and seems to point to big things for the sophisticated singer-songwriter in 2018 and beyond. Check out the music video for “New Phone, Who Dis?” below as well as the entire EP. - SwidLife

Accentuating the song perfectly, Cyanca's new clip is colorful and detailed with a hint of boldness that makes it all pop just enough. - Revolt tv

Then there’s Cyanca, whose moving Isle Of Queens EP was quietly released last year, following the passing of her mother. This month, she followed it with a music video for the track, “New Phone, Who Dis?” and the results were absolutely stunning. A multi-instrumentalist and former church choir singer, Cyanca is more cut from the cloth of SZA and Ari Lennox than rappers like Cole, Rapsody or Lute, but her sound and style are unquestionably hip-hop. As the album's title suggests, her focus is refreshingly shifted away from the male-centric concerns that typically dominate the genre.

“I experienced a lot of turmoil and heartbreak which led me to write a lot of my songs,” she wrote via email. “Also observing women around me who were going through a similar trend, led me to create an EP dedicated to women and the importance of self-love.”

She may not have the same attention yet as some of her aforementioned QC contemporaries, but the mutual respect is already present. In the “New Phone” video, Lute plays the role of a painter, ultimately stealing all of the protagonist’s money. The cameo comes on the heels of Elevator Jay making a similar appearance in the Lute video for “Still Slummin’”.

“Charlotte is loaded with raw talent,” she says. “A lot of curators are realizing how important it is for us all to work together.”

What does it all mean? For the rest of us spread around the Carolinas, it means reckoning with the fact that Charlotte isn’t just the banking city we’ve grown accustomed to bashing because of asinine opinion columns like this one, but also the leading hotbed of hip-hop in the state. Perhaps more importantly, it means that the spirit of collaboration that the Triangle and other regions often like to lay claim to has, it turns out, no jurisdiction. Where there are great artists with a desire to be a part of something larger than themselves, there will always be a positive, collaborative culture, buzzing with creative energy.

Whether in the form of Elevator Jay, Deniro Farrar, Cyanca, Lute, Frais, our friend Dave Butler, or countless others, Charlotte’s got a lot of that. - Ryan Cocca