interview with Etienne Sin
What is the name of your band? There is a common misconception about this. I've never been in a band. I am a solo artist. Everything that I do on recordings are done by myself and a producer. Of course, when I need to play live, I have a live band who helps me through that every step of the way and I'm extremely grateful to have talented musicians playing with me.
What does the name "Etienne Sin" stand for?/What made you call the band "Etienne Sin"? It's my real name. Etienne is french for Steven. Sin is a shortened version of my last name. I chose it because "Etienne Sin" doesn't sound like any guys name; it has that "ethnic" flare to it, at least here in the U.S. Now if my name was common here, I probably would have gone with a more "band sounding" name.
How was the it formed? What made you form your art? I formed my own solo project back in 2009, after realizing that I wanted to do music full time. Before that, I went to school for music, attempting to get a regular 9-5 in some random music field. But once I realized I needed to take my destiny into my own hands, I quit school to pursue the dream. I did it so that I could really take control of my life and not rely on any "boss" to tell me what to do, or how I should do things.
What was your ambitions when you started? I wanted to be an artist, producer, and businessman independent from the bigger corporations, or even bigger indie labels. I wanted my own thing. I love building things from the ground up. I started The Sin Circle Records for that one purpose, to mold my own piece of the industry. I wanted to give people good music, but to be on a personal level with each and every one of them. I feel that the bigger the company gets, the farther away from the music supporters you are. My mission is to become a big music company, but to never lose my touch with the supports of the empire. That's my slogan really, The Sin Circle Records, The Independent Empire
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? I'm not going to just talk about myself here. My whole goal is to unite everyone under The Sin Circle banner, so it would be impossible just to talk about MY music. That's super selfish in my opinion. I produce everything from Metal to Pop Punk, to Death Metal to Dubstep. As a producer, I'll work on anything that can get people moving. Recently, as of 2013, I produced both a Pop Punk record and a Death Metal E.P, both of which will be available on The Sin Circle Records.
If I absolutely had to talk, just about myself, I would describe my own music as "sky's the limit." Simply, I would say it was "Metal Music." However, I bring everything into my style, from melodic Metalcore to lighter Post-Hardcore sounds and hooks. Sometimes, I'll throw in a technical death metal riff, just to make things random. I utilize each octave that my voice has when doing vocals and I blur the line between singing and screaming. If someone hasn't heard it, I wouldn't explain, I'd let them listen.
Where was your first and latest gigs? My first live show, I think it was at a school. When I was 15, I was in a jazz collective for school playing guitar. It was definitely a weird memory. As far as my latest stuff, I haven't been playing. I do have a tour coming up in January, 2014 though, called The Sin Circle United Tour.
Who writes your songs?/ who writes the music who writes lyrics? I write all of it, from drums, guitar, bass, to vocals and synth parts. Lyrics and song structures are the last things that I do once all of the other stuff is done. Recently, I hooked up with a producer named Jonah Telyas, who works with me at Sin Studios. He provides awesome input when it comes to making new material.
What's good/bad with your art?/What genre do you feel you are? The worst thing about being a Solo artist in charge of a record label, recording studio, and clothing company, is the lack of control. You'll have everything going at once, and not enough eyes to monitor it all on a daily basis. It's just a lot of work that gets overbearing each day, but in order to accomplish the goals that you set, you really have to hammer down on it all.
If I needed to pick a genre, I'd simply say Metal. Going into too many sub-genres can and will just confuse people and cause arguments amongst people who feel the need to over classify.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? My songs, specifically, are about this one ambitious goal. To create an empire with my own two hands. I picked hardcore and metal because they are aggressive forms of music that fit into my musical spectrum. Of course, I'll weave in some love-songs and things like that here and there, but it's mainly about conquering one's dreams.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? Well, as anyone who found me online can see, I do a lot of covers. I do this to entertain. It's a fun way to promote my original music. I also love many of the covers that I do.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? I came out with an album way in 2010, but it was a rushed project, completely botched by my old management. Not blaming them completely, but it was the wrong move for my career. After that, I focused on singles, which did really well online. Recently, I put out an EP called "The Paradox Divide." It's been released under The Sin Circle Records and it was co-produced by Jonah Telyas of Sin Studios.
Do you have any clips on YouTube? YouTube; I owe my success to that site. You go there, you'll find me everywhere.
How old are you? What got you started in music? As I aforementioned, I started because I seriously just didn't want to help anyone else build their dream. I wanted my own to come to fruition. As of now, October 28th, I am 23 years old.
At what age did you start playing? I started in music since a little child. Like 8 or 9. I began on the piano, than moved to guitar and vocals.
What year did you start? If we're counting, I'd say since 2010. It was a bit before that, but I didn't put 100% of my focus until 2010.
How old were you the first time you saw a liveband play? Oh crap, maybe 6 or 7? I can't even remember the first band I saw, I think it was Bon Jovi.
What places will you be playing in in the intimidate future? I'm setting up a tour for January 2014, for New York, Maine, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and Ohio.
What songs are in your live set's? Almost all of my singles and a few new ones from The Paradox Divide.
Is it always the same set's live? Only for every tour. Each tour, I'm planning to change the setlist.
Have you had any bigger tours from start till now? Unfortunately no, 2014 would mark the first year of touring performances.
How big crowds do you usually play for? We're expecting at least a few hundred supporters per night.
What are the plans for the rest of the year? So many damn plans to list. To summarize: I'm getting my clothing company back up and running, it has been re-branded as "Sin Circle Apparel." Second, I've got a ton of artists to release under The Sin Circle Records. Third, of course that tour I mentioned, I'm preparing for that. Fourth, I'd say to continue to release good music to the kids that love what I do!
How do you get psyched up for a gig? Just seeing my supporters at a gig would make me psyched. Don't need much more than that energy to feed off from.
What are your goals with your music? As I mentioned before, to create this empire for myself, my artists, and my supporters.
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Older, for sure. I'm really selective when it comes to music, especially modern music. I never get inspired by new bands unless I'm looking at them in a supportive way. Meaning, if I'm trying to help them succeed in their career, and I see that they are working hard, I will be inspired by just that fact. Older bands are also not really easy for me to get into, but I have some of those bands on my list that I just can't dislike. Names like A Skylit Drive, The Word Alive, Paramore, Confide, and Bring Me The Horizon.
What are your sources of inspiration? My own ambitions and those who help me fuel such ambitions.
What's the first step when making a new song? I form a new song based from a riff and chord progression. So I always start on the guitar.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? I'm alright with it. Denying such technological progress is futile. Musicians and music business owners just need to find different ways to make their living. It's just like jobs that aren't around any more because technology stepped into the picture. The touring and merchandising industries are still there, so they should capitalize on those facts.
What would be your dreams for your art? To finally gain control of all of my sub businesses and my artistry.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? I really don't listen to my genre, especially not for leisure. It's super hard to get into it because I hear it every single day. Being involved in something for too long makes you want to do something else for leisure. When I need a dose of music, I personally listen to hip-hop. When I want to listen to rock or metal music, I turn to Paramore or Bring Me The Horizon.
What do you hold most dear? My relationships with my girlfriend and family and my career.
What would be your greatest fears for the future? Not being able to finish my goals. I hate it when that happens.
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? Being on stage, well I'd like to say that I'm fearless up there, but it's not 100% true. I'm super confident in my performance ability vocally and giving the crowd energy, but I'm always afraid of my own balance. I've been on stage and one of my live guys ran his head into another guys guitar and started bleeding horribly. There's chaos on stage and you've just gotta be careful of those things.
