Kat Harlton
Lead Photo: Chuckx Pix
Birmingham-born, London-Based Sydney Jo Jackson, recently released her latest single, “You Should Be Here”. A sultry slow burner that drips with smoky brass, hypnotic beats, and vocals that command attention artist whose gritty, soulful voice cuts straight to the heart. Inspired by legends like Millie Jackson, Tina Turner, and Prince, Sydney fuses old-school soul, blues, and funk with a modern edge, crafting a sound that’s as fearless as it is addictive.
Written in one spontaneous take while vibing to a beat by Jonas Bauer in Bali, the track captures raw emotion and the kind of energy that can’t be faked. It’s a deep dive into confronting personal flaws, breaking cycles, and finally understanding accountability. Sydney’s music is born from life’s chaos. She’s lived through domestic abuse, a failed high-profile relationship, followed later by a painful divorce.
Sydney Jo Jackson is for anyone who’s ever felt broken and fought their way back. With over a million streams to date, Sydney has collaborated with notable artists, including James Essien, Kobalt’s newest signing. She achieved a number one spot on Australia’s ARIA Dance Chart with Husky’s “Get Down” and worked on tracks like “Gonna Be Mine” with Guz and “Automatic” with Redondo. Sydney has also performed with Jools Holland at Abbey Road and has upcoming singles off her forthcoming EP with number-one producers like Syience (known for working with Beyoncé and Jay-Z) and Mastreo the Baker, a Grammy winner associated with Tyla, Balmain, and Disney.
I had the opportunity to chat with Sydney Jo about her new single, her musical journey so far, and what’s next.
Kat: “You Should Be Here” is such a powerful, sultry track—what was going through your mind during that spontaneous writing session in Bali?
Sydney Jo: This is the first song of mine where I’ve actually not gone into it with the preconceived idea of what I wanna talk about. This song came so naturally and cringe as it sounds. I feel like there was something that took hold of me and I ended up just being a vessel to communicate it. I’ve never written a song in one take, I’ve never had all the words in one take and this is what happened when you should be here. I don’t know if it was my subconscious mind that was leaking out, but something happened that has never happened to me before to make this song
Kat: You’ve said your music is your therapy. How has writing and performing helped you process the trauma and chaos you’ve lived through?
Sydney Jo: I find that the music helps me unpack the situations that I’ve been through and when I’m normally doing my music, I end up thinking about how other people might feel and the best way to communicate my message to them through my writing. I consider other people that live through the same so it doesn’t make me feel as alone . I think that gives me some solace in being able to process the trials and tribulations of my life.
Kat: Your voice is incredibly raw and soulful—who were your earliest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound?
Sydney Jo: Thank you! I honestly think I’ve been inspired a lot from the Spice Girls and Britney Spears, which is crazy I think right cause I don’t think that really shows in my music, However, these are people that I grew up on and that I adore vocally. I really loved Toni Braxton and Donell Jones. Mariah Carey has also been a vocalist that I’ve adored from a young age.
Kat: You’ve lived through intense personal struggles—how do you protect your emotional well-being while sharing such vulnerable material with the world?
Sydney Jo: I’m not sure if I’m able to protect it at all because I feel like once you expose parts of yourself it’s hard to then ask for protection because you’re literally given that to the world and allow them to have their own opinion of you. I tried to keep my circle small so people who actually have contact with me and who know me intimately I feel like I can trust implicitly. And those are the people who matter to me and their opinions and perspectives and views on artistry are valuable to me. Obviously anyone who enjoys my music and calls themself a fan their opinion matters also. But I feel that for the general public or people who don’t know me, then I allow them to think whatever makes them feel comfortable at the end of the day. I can’t be affected by everybody’s thoughts and their opinion of me and my history because I would never be successful in pleasing everybody. It’s very important for me to stay centered and who I am and be confident in what I am delivering. That way I think I keep that inert peace which is sacred.
Kat: From domestic abuse to a painful divorce, your story is one of survival. Was there a turning point when you realized music would be your way forward?
Sydney Jo: I’ve always had Music to turn to, but I ended up trying to hide behind Music, which I didn’t enjoy and I think I was trying to fit a mold , but I wasn’t made to be. Music has always been something that I’ve lived and breathed since I arrived on this planet I think lol. But writing things that actually explain my story has definitely helped me in connecting with people and making people see me more than just on face value because it gives them a bit of depth and insight into who I am as a person.
Kat: The brass and hypnotic beats in “You Should Be Here” feel almost cinematic, can you talk about the creative process with producer Jonas Bauer?
Sydney Jo: Jonas is someone that I’ve been really privileged to work with. From when I heard the sound I had to go and meet him in person I remember being in New York and calling him like, how can I work with you in person? I need to meet you in real life!! and I need to create more songs with you, and luckily, he was down to do it. So we’ve created some more songs actually that are on the EP and due to be released. I found him randomly on YouTube. I was putting in an instrumental for some music and he came up and I literally fell in love with the beat for you should be here and the rest is history.
Kat: You’ve already had major collaborations and chart-topping success—how does it feel to now step into the spotlight with your own debut single?
Sydney Jo: I get really nervous every time I do it release because there’s always that little voice in the back of my head telling me that I’m not good telling me that the music sucks and it’s really hard sometimes to overcome that I found that with release in my own music I am so invested in it that I kind of have to tune out prior to the release because I put too much pressure on myself and that’s when I begin to care about what people think. So I tend to just put the song out and not monitor how it’s doing until a couple of weeks after when I feel like I’ve settled into the fact that the music is out there.
Kat: How do you balance honoring the legacy of icons like Millie Jackson and Tina Turner while forging your own modern, fearless sound?
Sydney Jo: I love Millie Jackson for the fact that she was so unique and fearless, and she confronted a lot of stereotypes and made music fun. Tina Turner is legendary and will forever be an inspiration to meet due to the struggles that she faced as an artist and also the fact that her imagery and music is just so iconic there will only be a few artists like that in your lifetime you will forever be able to say Tina Turner is definitely one of them. My voice doesn’t sound the same as everybody else says then I do have a very unique tone and it’s something that I used to be scared of, and I wasn’t sure if it could be embraced, but I feel like these two women also have unique tone and they were inspiring to me to listen to because it showed me that there was room for my voice in the industry.
Kat: You’ve got some heavyweight producers lined up for your EP — what can fans expect from your upcoming releases in terms of sound and themes?
Sydney Jo: The sound of the EP is quite eclectic. I mean, I work with people who specialize in pop music so it’s a crossover. I have obviously kept one consistent thing which is turning the truth and making sure my story is told, but I didn’t wanna keep myself in a box and just Play it safe and fit into a genre because this is what everybody expects. The EP is an expression of me and I’m a mix of many different things.
Kat: Your music speaks to anyone who’s ever felt broken—what do you hope listeners walk away with after hearing “You Should Be Here”?
Sydney Jo: I think that I just want them to feel connected to the song . I want them to heal in some capacity if they can , I want to at least have this song sit with them while they go through whatever they need to get to the other side.
Connect With Sydney Jo Jackson
https://www.instagram.com/sydneyjojackson
https://www.facebook.com/sydneyjojackson
https://www.tiktok.com/@sydneyjojackson