BLKBYRD is an indie pop and alt rock storyteller built from past selves and future dreams. Her music reaches back to the young girl who wanted to be someone larger than life and stretches forward to the woman reclaiming her voice with clarity and fire. She writes with a nostalgic edge that feels like Y2K memories wrapped in modern grit, blending clean hooks with raw honesty. From the late nights in a tiny San Diego apartment that gave birth to her debut song Instinct Love to the fully self-produced spark of her new single bumps & bruises, BLKBYRD is discovering her sound in real time and letting listeners witness the rise. This is an artist rooted in intuition, experimentation and the belief that chasing your dreams begins with trusting yourself first.
SNQLX: When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you want them to feel?
BLKBYRD: I want my fans to feel y2k nostalgia with a little spice; a little edge. When I make music, it feels like a love letter to and from the past versions of myself—the child who would secretly sell her dog to become Hannah Montana, to the hometown-heartbroken teen. The life-of-the-party college girl, to the broke 20-something living in a NYC shoebox. The free-spirited traveler that said f*** it, to the woman who came back to her roots. My music has every real version of me in it. I hope that connects with the very real versions of those who listen.
SNQLX: Every artist has a spark moment when a project stops being an idea and becomes something real. When did BLKBYRD turn into the thing you knew you needed to follow?
BLKBYRD: At the end of 2024. I wrote music as a child, but I never saw how I could make it real.
That was, until I discovered the most terrifying truth–that despite all of my fears and all other things I could dedicate my life to, this is what I have always truly wanted.
I decided for the first time that instead of pushing it down, I would try instead. And just like that, it was like the universe handed me the missing pieces.
My partner revealed that he had produced music for a label years prior. Our first song Instinct Love was seemingly made out of thin air. On nights after our shitty jobs living in San Diego, it became real. With a song out there, I saw how possible it really was. But only after I decided that it had to be.
SNQLX: You are still in that early phase where people are just starting to discover you. What do you enjoy about creating while you are still under the radar?
BLKBYRD: Being a new artist feels like having a world of potential at my fingertips; I get to see it all with fresh eyes. I get to experiment and mess up and learn how to make it better. Without anyone to ask for approval, I am learning to trust my own intuition and taste, first and foremost. I feel like I am slowly creating the artist that I am becoming. That is the coolest place to find an artist because you’re strapped in for the whole ride—not only discovering them, but watching them discover themselves.
SNQLX: When you first started shaping the sound of BLKBYRD, what was the moment that felt true? A lyric, a tone, a melody, or something visual?
BLKBYRD: Recording my new single, bumps & bruises, was really the moment things locked into place. After a year of learning, I have fully produced a song. A whole song. That is the coolest thing I thought I would never do. It pays homage to the indie pop and alt rock genres that I adore and overall, feels very true to me. I was in full control–I played electric guitar, produced the drums and layered harmonies. I even drew the album cover and set up an impromptu photoshoot in my bathroom. To me, it feels like an exciting start to the world that I am creating.
SNQLX: Your name and imagery carry this sense of movement and shadow. What does the idea of a blackbird represent to you creatively?
BLKBYRD: I chose the blackbird because it felt right. It feels like a side of me that has always existed, but was kept as a secret to myself. My love of music has always felt so personal, and so has my voice. To share these things is to share a side of me that I’ve kept hidden. Movement in shadow is so eloquently put. At this moment in time, this project really is just that.
SNQLX: Since you are also a visual artist, how do the two worlds inform each other? In what ways has painting shaped your musical viewpoint, and how has making music shifted the way you create visual art?
BLKBYRD: Painting has kept me in the habit of creating. I find the creative process to be very similar regardless of medium—an idea that slowly molds itself into something.
Music has taught me to lean into what I like—into my style and taste. I’ve been painting for clients since high school and while developing other people’s ideas, I’ve forgotten how be my own driving force in the creative process. I’m learned to do what I like again—choosing the imagery, colors and themes that speak to me.
SNQLX: Artists often feel pressure to fit into a lane right away. What part of your sound feels non-negotiable no matter how you evolve?
BLKBYRD: Regardless of how I evolve, authentic lyricism and willingness to experiment are non-negotiable for me. If I like something and it feels true to me, that will always take priority over fitting into some box. I’ve never been one to fit in a box, anyway.
SNQLX: When you write or record, what feeling are you chasing? Catharsis, clarity, connection, or something else?
BLKBYRD: It is less of me chasing a feeling when I write and more of a feeling chasing me until I write. When I can not seem to understand how I am feeling, I can sing a voice memo into my phone and suddenly, it becomes clear. The emotion is out of my body and the words are there for me to understand. With the feeling out there, I can then start to build a song around it.
SNQLX: There is something special about catching an artist right before their moment hits. How do you see this stage in your journey? A slow build or the early seconds before takeoff?
BLKBYRD: Timing is a magical thing. I am open to seeing how the journey unfolds for me and am really just excited for it all. I know it feels right and I will continue to create this world. Ultimately, if what I’m doing resonates with people, I would love for them to be a part of it.
SNQLX: For the people discovering you now, what do you hope they remember about finding you this early?
BLKBYRD: I hope they remember how much I believed in myself at an early stage and eventually see how powerful it is. Creating music is something I’ve always wanted and simultaneously always denied myself of. The second you decide that your dreams are not only possible but meant for you, everything changes. The universe reconfigures. It doesn’t matter what anyone else believes. It is your own approval that is needed. I’ve told my friends “I believe you can do anything you put your mind to—so long as you believe that you can, even more than I do”.
To anyone reading this—I believe in you. So please, believe in yourself far more than I do.
SNQLX: And looking ahead, what is on the way? Any hints about what comes next for BLKBYRD?
BLKBYRD: If you dig my new single ‘bumps & bruises’, you’ll definitely want to stick around for what’s coming next. To stay in the loop about new releases and all things me, follow me on:
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Catching BLKBYRD right now feels like catching a moment that will not look the same a year from today. She is still building her world, still shaping the edges of her sound, still trusting the creative pull that keeps finding her. What stands out most is her belief in the power of choosing yourself, even when the path feels uncertain. If bumps & bruises is the first chapter in the story she is writing, the chapters to come will only grow louder, braver and more defined. Follow her journey while it is still unfolding. You will want to remember that you were here at the beginning.
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