Singled Out: Sydney Sherwood's Creep

Sydney Sherwood recently released her new single "Creep," from her forthcoming EP "Headspace," (Out Feb 27th) and to celebrate we have asked her to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

Being someone that has struggled with anxiety, when it came to writing 'Creep,' I really wanted to give an inside look on what anxiety feels like, the emotions you experience while in a panic attack, and the idea that the same mind that thinks of the beauty of life is also the one that thinks negative thoughts which can really drag you down. I found in my experience that some people didn't understand what it was like to have anxiety and would just tell me to "be positive" or "just don't think about it" and I wished they understood or could feel what was going on inside.

The song is very visual and reveals some details that are in reference to my personal experience with anxiety such as the line "after the sun goes down, you try, try creeping back around." This line is probably one of the most meaningful ones to me because when I had bad anxiety and depression, I hated the nighttime. The nighttime signified fear and darkness and as soon as the sun went down my anxiety skyrocketed and almost every panic attack I ever had, happened at night. I would not leave my house and it was especially bad in the winter when we would have to set the clocks back. As a result of that, I felt even more trapped and at one point I did not think I was going to get better or see that light at the end of the tunnel.

However the second part of that line is the positive counterpart and says, "but now I've got you figured out" and it references the moment when I realized that I could not let my anxiety and depression control me. It also signifies that after all I had been through, I finally knew better then to let my negative thoughts affect me as much as they had in the past.

I share such personal details in this song because I wanted people to be able to relate and have an anthem if they struggle with this as well. I also want to let them know that it will get better, easier, and THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE. Sharing those details meant I was strong enough to talk about it and that feels SO good because for a while I felt that I had to pretend (and seriously like the song says,) "hide behind a smile" when I was really struggling inside. Music and songwriting is my therapy and putting these types of experiences into song help me put them to rest for good. With everything that I have been through in my life, God knew I needed a coping mechanism and he gave me music- and to that I am eternally grateful.

My hope is that this song not only brings awareness to mental health issues but serves as a visual aid for those who may not grasp what anxiety really is and how debilitating it can be. And overall, with "Creep" my main goal was to accurately illustrate the war that goes on in your head when you have anxiety as well as how you can either choose to let fear overcome you or you can overcome that fear.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the EP and her next single "Let Me Down" here

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