Azmeryth is the workings of an Austin, Texas based singer-songstress who creates beautiful sounding music that float you away to another world entirely. Combining dream-pop and indie folk to create a spiritual sonic exploration, she has teamed up with fellow artist and producer Dizzy Bridges to release 'Soothsayer', a deeply resonating and simply beautiful song.
From Pink Floyd to Radiohead vibes, there's something to love about this release and we sat down with Azmeryth and Dizzy to learn more about what makes them tick, their creative process for this track and much more, exclusively for FLEX.
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Sum up your music in three words...
Wintery, mellow, indigo (yes, we went there with the whole musicians-experience-synesthesia cliché).
Who are your main musical heroes/influences?
Dizzy: There are always a ton, but for writing this particular song, I was thinking of Beach House, Radiohead, and Broadcast (I legitimately almost typed Beach Cast, Radiohouse, and Broadhead). Azmeryth: There are too many, but let’s go with Beyoncé, Pink Floyd, and St. Vincent. How does it feel to be releasing Soothsayer to the world?
It feels good, and a long time coming! Melanie (Azmeryth) was putting a group together when Dizzy was living in Austin in 2019. Sadly, Dizzy moved to the Midwest to be closer to family during the pandemic. Afterwards, we made this song remotely via Dropbox... We like to think it's like an alternate reality representation of the music we would have made together had Dizzy stayed in Texas.
What do you want this single to say about you as an artist?
Dizzy: I want this single to say that I can hear another artist, pick out some vibes/influences we have in common, and write a song that can fit their voice well. I hope this means more collaborations are in my future. Azmeryth: Versatility. The song has a different, very vintage dreampop sound. It was also nice to sing someone else’s music for a change. I want to do more of that in the future. What was the recording and writing process like for this track?
Dizzy: Well, I wrote this song after reading a graphic novel called Seconds, by Bryan Lee O'Malley. It reflects on this theme of struggle with self-image and self-esteem. I wanted to translate that into lyrics. That's where the first couplet came from - "you are not a monster / you are just a mirror." After I showed Melanie a voice memo of me playing it on piano, we agreed it would be worthwhile to realize as a full recording. I tracked most of the backing and Dropboxed it to Melanie and co. for mixing. We communicated back and forth about different drafts of the mixes and refined the percussion arrangement a bit. I'm happy with how it turned out! Azmeryth: I am a big fan of the song, so I’m glad I was able to sing it. My friend, Jon Snead, also added some percussion, mixed, and mastered it.
Favourite lyric from the song?
Dizzy: I like the simple rhymes of the third verse. They're clear, earnest, and I like to think they're an elegant solution for ending the song on an optimistic note. "And thinking about the morning... it's something so exciting." That's almost as straightforward and sincere as a Brian Wilson lyric, el oh el! Azmeryth: Oops. I’ve been singing “is” instead of “it’s” this whole time. Don’t tell Dizzy. I like the first line of the song. “You are not a monster. You are just a mirror.” I think that sums up a lot about people.
And lastly, what are the rest of your plans for 2023?
Dizzy: I think I'm here to stay in the Midwest. It's home for me. I've lived for a couple of years in Chicago, though I've been flirting with the idea of moving to maybe Minneapolis or Madison... who knows. In the meantime, I released my third Dizzy Bridges album on Valentine's Day this year, and I'm hard at work writing and recording two companions-piece albums to follow it up. I've been on an Andy Shauf kick lately (Norm just released) and I love how conceptual, subtle, and tasteful his songs are. I wish I could write like that, so in the meantime I'll try to write like that! Azmeryth: I want to make some more music and collaborate with more artists. Having fun is also on the to-do list.
Stream 'Soothsayer' in full here: