Check Out Sydney Dunevitz’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Dunevitz.

Hi Sydney, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

Hi! Music has always been the purest form of expression to flow through me. My relationship to my purpose is to move me forward — how I connect to myself, the planet, and my community. I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember, as if it’s been my most-intuitive nature passed down from my past lives. 

My first encounter with my ancestors began in kindergarten when I participated in the temple choir for six years. The Hebrew music of my Jewish ancestors conjured deep-rooted melodies and mantras that now reside in my soul. 

I acquired my fundamentals of music from various extracurricular activities. I began reading music and training my voice in Young Voices of Colorado, a professional touring children’s chorale. I played violin in my high school chamber orchestra, performed in theater productions, and took voice lessons. As I continued immersing myself in music, I began writing songs on my guitar and performed them at local venues and open mics. 

I always knew that music was not only my spiritual gift, but also the only career path I’d ever want. I envisioned that creating, performing, and breathing a life of music and creativity would be my job every day. Although the stereotypical view 

of a music career is “starving artist, broke, unpractical,” these words meant nothing to me, because I knew there was more to this human experience than living to work. 

I earned a certificate in sound engineering, music production, and music business from Arapahoe Community College at the age of 20. I then took Ableton/production courses at Denver-based KMG Academy. 

I am a born and raised Coloradan, but my whole universe shifted when I moved only 30 minutes north of my hometown. The music, art, festival, and spiritual community in Denver embraced me as if I were being welcomed home after a long journey away. 

One day, when I was on my morning stroll through icy duck ponds, I heard a soft drumbeat in the distance. My heart could not deny this rhythm, so I trotted along

the rolling hills, pink hula hoop in hand, until I found the source of this heartbeat. In the park’s amphitheater, I witnessed the magic and aliveness that my soul had been yearning for. The hand drummers, belly dancers, and Saz player waved me into their circle. I entered their portal that reminisced the warm embrace of dancing with my tribe around a fire, with bells and tambourines wrapping our waists and feet. 

This song encompasses the way it felt: 

“And the women dancing with their timbrels 

Followed Miriam as she sang her song. 

Sing a song to the One whom we’ve exalted. 

Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long. And Miriam was a weaver of a unique variety. 

The tapestry she wove was one that sang our history. 

With every thread and every strand 

She crafted her delight. 

A woman touched with spirit, she dances toward the light. 

As Miriam stood upon the shores and gazed across the sea, 

The wonder of this miracle she soon came to believe. 

Whoever thought the sea would part with an outstretched hand, And we would pass to freedom and march to the promised land. And Miriam the Prophet took her timbrel in her hand, 

And all the women followed her just as she had planned.

And Miriam raised her voice with the song, 

She sang with praise and might, 

We’ve just lived through a miracle, we’re going to dance tonight.” [Music and lyrics by Debbie Friedman, based on Exodus 15: 20–21.] 

This peculiar troupe told me they would be playing music during sunsets throughout the summer. That was all I knew of them. I came back two weeks later and found them again. From there, the rest is history. This group of people played a pivotal role in the shaping of my spiritual, personal, and creative self. I have learned and mastered my coding and techniques for channeling creative sources and fearless improvisation from playing with this group. I found yoga, belly dancing, tai chi, roommates, friends, teachers, mentors, bandmates, holy lands, and other like-minded communities from this tribe. The troupe has evolved and shape-shifted into many forms during the last few years. Today, we create and hold ceremony spaces where anyone can show up exactly as they are and discover a new part of themselves and be held in the gift of song, poems, instruments, atmospheres, and infinite creative freedom. 

I would not be where I am today without the support of my father and brother. My small, sweet family has supported me and loved me unconditionally through all of my falls, breakthroughs, rock-bottoms, accomplishments, and waves of days in between. My conscious and artistic communities continually inspire me and include me. I have never experienced a sense of competition in the Colorado music scene. The creatives here love to collaborate, share performance opportunities, and inspire each other constantly.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story. Has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Like any journey, mine has placed me in phases of life meant for greater awareness and understanding of the condition of human suffering and my own suffering. I’m not one for sob stories. We all have a story. We all go through our dark night of the soul. And usually, we go through many of those throughout our lifetime. I am no different.

The relationship with my body, my health, my physical pain, my emotional turmoil, my addictions, and my traumas have been essential chapters in my life to emerge with strength; to return to my truest light. I am so grateful for the most-difficult edges of my life that continue to weave and awaken me to my highest path.

Thanks. So what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

I am an intuitive vocalist, recording artist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, event curator, and entrepreneur. Through the support of my loved ones, participation in a community, and devotion to my craft, I birthed my project of musical prayer, called Syd the Indigo. For the last eight months, I have been blessed to play several shows and festivals, as a solo live looping vocalist/DJ, and am now evolving into Syd the Indigo with a live band project and two to eight other members. 

The live performances include original music mixed with channeling and improvising. I use my Boss RC-505 looper as a tool for my songwriting process as well as a main feature in my live shows, to layer sonic waves together and envelop you in a universe of higher frequency and awareness. I use my voice as an instrument by emulating various textures, rhythms, and shapes and weaving the voice between the other instruments. 

I would describe my music as a blend of folktronic, soul, and world flavors. Some of my musical inspirations are Yaima, Ayla Nereo, Aurora, Tash Sultana, and Ajeet. My musical prayer is backboned by ancestral rhythms; levitated with ethereal atmospheres of live looped vocal harmonies, instruments and poetry; and rooted by frequencies from Mother Earth. The sound journey offers an invitation for introspection, playfulness, and opening to the present moment. 

I realized how much my community meant to me and how much I enjoy bringing my favorite artists andfriends into one room. I began curating and hosting my conscious events at venues, such as the Inner Transformation Collective and Your Mom’s House. These events gather heart-centered individuals who craft a cohesive vibe with unique music, art, movement, sound healing, and intention. I have shifted my energy away from the parts of the music scene that centered around drugs and alcohol. I create gatherings, heart-work, and events that center

around growth and intention and that rejuvenate our collective well-being instead of deplete it.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?

Stand true to your values. Don’t compromise who you are and what you believe in. Embracing your uniqueness, your perspective, and your heart will lead you to your most-aligned life. When you are in alignment with yourself, the rest of your life flows. The gigs come, the opportunities come, and the collaborations come. Just focus on being the clearest channel for creativity, source, and abundance to flow through. 

This means being uncomfortable — sitting with yourself in silence and removing yourself from situations and relationships that are not growing environments. Show up for your creative process, and be consistent and patient with it. Embrace the small moments with yourself. Don’t forget to enjoy your creativity. Be picky to whom and what you give your energy, time, and attention. You do not have to be a struggling and broke artist. Instead, start thinking like an entrepreneur. With whom are you spending your time and collaborating? How can you create various streams of income through being yourself and using your gifts? How do you align your values with your personal life and your career? What do you have to offer the world? How can your gifts bring more light to the world? How can you make more peace within your own life?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/sydtheindigo
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syd.the.indigo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SydTheIndigo
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sydtheindigo?si=hrvOk0OwzGSFoZ1U
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sydtheindigo
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/57sVV1YY8T44CJpSHL1f0G?si=C1pCcKfaTOmGCKdGd933ow

Image Credits
Tony Perez, Rocky Montano Photography, and Lexi Ambrosino