As seen in Guitar Girl Magazine Guitar Girl Magazine Special Edition – I Belong – July 2023
Suyá Synergy, tell us a little about your musical background; how old were you when you started playing guitar, and what inspired your passion for music?
I moved between Brazil, Asia, and the USA with my family at a very young age. Being exposed to different cultures helped train my ears to acknowledge the diversity of sound and music. Around nine years old, I began learning my first instrument (the piano), which led me to compose and play other instruments, such as the clarinet and steel drums, in middle school concerts. At 14, I submerged myself into my greatest passion: the guitar. I taught myself to play by looking up the chords of my favorite songs and performing them with bands. My father was my primary influence and musical idol; I grew up watching him rehearsing and touring. I then formed my first bands with other artists, including Full Gaz, Julia Tazzi, Bergamota, Sex Appeal, and Alouh Jah. I was known for being the first female to participate in a guitar contest in Brazil, in which I won third place battling guys.
My passion for music has been there forever. My mom tells me that I used to wake up singing instead of crying as a baby. Lol. I started composing at an early age. Being a very timid child, I found comfort in embracing my feelings through the musicality I could portray within them. I played with instrument building and experimented with cassette tapes. Music has always brought me closer to myself, being a fantastic tool for self-knowledge and maturity. Because of that, now I make music as an outlet for spiritual growth and emotional maturity, sharing with the public sounds and frequencies that shall alter the states of our bodies of water for the better.
What inspires you to wake up every day and continue pursuing your dreams?
Music got me closer to myself. My life is a musical, not the standard kind, as my brain perceives the conjunction of all sounds as musicality. My sentiments are musical, my emotions, how I move along my day, and my guide towards all goals and walks of life. Music has brought me closer to myself and to all that I love and pursue. Music has gifted me with life in its most genuine form.
Take us through your songwriting process. What types of environments do you feel you need to be your most creative?
Creativity is spontaneous. There is only enough you can plan and organize to compose. My favorite compositions come from random occurrences in my life. It can’t be forced; it has got to come naturally in moments of vulnerability of myself to myself. I get inspired by nature, listening to the sounds of the time, whether it’s how the wind gently brushes across the ocean or the waters of a crystal clear stream dance and stumble down a pile of ancestral rocks. Also, the sounds in our material world, a siren that rushes by while a car honks and a child shouts with great excitement. Melodies come first, through my voice or my chosen instrument. Lyrics are usually the last thing to pop up. I make an entire song with harmonic instrumental structures and lyrics that are just sounds, pronunciations, and words without actual meanings. Later, those melodies appear in my head as words they sound like or remind me of.
Improvisation is also a massive part of my songwriting process. That usually appears through the manifestation of what I perceive to be me by extending my body through the strings of a guitar. When performing, the song may repeat in structures, but the solos are always different. I set myself free from rigid technicalities and let my soul lead.
What guitars are you playing right now? Name your top two to three.
I just put together my first guitar. It is a Gianinni Supersonic from 1978 made in Brazil. I ensured the “Made in Brazil” tag was shiny and visible; I take pride in my nationality and feel so grateful for having traces of magical African indigenous ancestry running through my veins. I named her GALAXY; she is a natural beauty and reminds me of the grand essence of the Universe itself. I also have a red 2015 Gibson Les Paul, gifted to me by my mom (who always cheers me on and encourages me to embrace my all), so there is great sentimental value there. Third but not least, I got a navy blue Indio guitar; I call her Blue Moon. She is a 3⁄4 guitar I got while working abroad at a girl’s rock camp in SoCal; I missed having a string buddy constantly close to me to feed into my creative musical imagination.
Finish this sentence: I believe music…
Music is the face of the New World. A majestic tool for uncovering the abundance lying beneath our skins, developing into a tremendous spiritual awakening that just might save humanity.