Enter Syd’s Den of Chill

I haven’t felt it in real life. The only major difference is I do photoshoots and I get cooler clothes to wear. Not even necessarily cooler clothes, just more expensive clothes. Other than that, I think having built most of my following from music, that’s all they really care about. Those are the people I see and listen to. For instance, I posted the Louis campaign and nobody really cared. It’s great because it’s part of the resume—my little Instagram resume, but, honestly, nobody cared and I thought that was awesome. Don’t get me wrong, I was honored to be a part of that campaign and I thought it was really cool, but it’s cool that they [were just like], but, the music though.

I’ve always been interested in clothes, I’ve just always battled myself on it to an extent. I don’t understand “fashion.” I know what I like to wear, and I know what I like on other people. I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I just don’t fit into a lot of the trends these days, and that’s okay. There was a time where I felt like, Damn, am I just not fashionable? Am I lame because I don’t like what all these people over here are wearing? Is it me? And then I realized, yeah it’s me. I’m an individual.

I’m very vulnerable to the spaces around me, whether it’s rooms in my house that I’m constantly trying to improve upon, or my studio I’m building right now. I do one day want to flip some houses for fun. Yesterday, for instance, me, my girlfriend, and Matt spent three hours watching this show called The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes. We rented an Airbnb in Brentwood for a couple nights just to get out of my parents’ house. We woke up in the morning, got some breakfast, and Uber’d to Manhattan Beach and walked around the beach talking about the different styles of houses. When we got back, we watched a few hours of that show. Then, we took a walk around Brentwood and started looking at those houses. I’ve never flipped a house before, I’ve only done renovations in my own house. So, I know it would have been a lot to take on. I’ve been that person before—that impulsive investor—and I’ve learned a couple lessons.

I’ve really only committed and invested in one business, it was my business. I [had a] partner, and built a recording studio before we made Ego Death. I was an engineer first, so I was looking for a place where I could build a studio outside of my house. I opened a studio in Hollywood with a friend of mine, her mother was Teena Marie. She had all her mom’s equipment and she was trying to get more into music herself. But, we didn’t make any money. We lost money. Ultimately it was great because we made a lot of Ego Death in there.

No. Once we started working on Ego Death and things started to look like they might become more lucrative in that part of my career, I decided I don’t want to engineer for people anymore. I am building a studio, though.

I’m a very proactive person even though I don’t really leave the house too often, so you wouldn't know. I realized last year that one thing I love to do is complain about not having free time, and then get free time, and then give myself something to do like start a new album or something. Since we’ve been off tour, I’ve really been trying to not work. I’ve still been working a little bit on other ideas that aren’t musical, which is nice. In my personal life, I have a lot of things to write about now. Before and during the tour, I was really anxious to get home and start my next album. Steve is finishing an album and so is Matt, and so with them being so into their projects and me seeing how they’re right back to work, I don’t want to do that. I’m doing it sparingly and at my own pace. I am grateful to be in a position where I can float financially and I don’t need to face the next job, the next check, you know? My year has started off pretty great, financially, because I just signed a new publishing deal. And my next album, once I decide to start that, I’ll have some more money in, and I can just kind of relax. There’s not too much that I want to buy. I live with my parents, I help out with the bills, I take trips and I get Airbnbs sometimes. I rent a car every so often. It’s cool.

Storytelling. Right now, I’m in the process of trying to help create a movie. Well, a film, better yet, because I don’t know what it’ll be yet. But, I’m in the process of helping to create a film and also a cartoon. It’s just new developments. It could change. It could turn into something else. But, for now it’s pretty cool. It’s another form of writing and another form of creation and it’s very exciting.

You know, it sucks. I haven’t really been listening to his music. But, I’ve been hanging out with his mom a lot. That makes me feel good, ‘cause she needs it. Thankfully, she’s got her other son, Miller, and he’s been, from what she’s told me, really strong for her. I know her husband’s been pretty strong for her as well. Mac’s dad is an architect. He actually offered to help me build my studio. I had dinner with them last week. But, something I learned earlier on was that I think the best way for me to deal with it is just to take what I learned from him and utilize it the best I can. Things that I admired about him I’m trying to put in myself. I like that he collaborated with so many people, you know? He had a lot of love to give. I knew how much love he gave me, but I didn’t realize how much he had in him until everybody sent their condolences. I was like, wow, I thought I was special and he made everybody feel that way. That was really cool. So, I’m trying to just be a better person by being more like him.