Cydney McQuillan-Grace

“We Got to Love” is a solid new pop song with a lot of heart! It’s a song that encourages you to choose to love again and again, no matter what could go wrong or already has.

The Brooklyn-based singer and actress Cydney McQuillan-Grace delivers a superb vocal performance on “We Got to Love.” She balances just the right amounts of sensitivity, soulfulness and enthusiasm in her voice to make the lyrics stand out. And stand out they do, like with this, my favorite verse – ‘If we knew how it would go / When we said our first hello / Would we have done it anyway or would we stray.’ There is so much emotion in those meaningful lyrics. I got teary just typing it. And Cydney McQuillan-Grace makes those words just flow with poetic ease, all while projecting an optimistic sparkle.

I will definitely be adding “We Got to Love” to my new songs of 2021 playlist! Give it a listen and see what you think. - Gas Mask Magazine

Today's late afternoon brings, here to the blog, the most recent single by North American singer-songwriter Cydney McQuillan-Grace , " Grace Like Fire ", a melodious and vibrant song, with a striking, sensitive and captivating voice, with the dose a certain melancholy, which balances the Pop strength and makes it an unforgettable song. Turn the volume up and press play , please." Grace Like Fire " is the third single by the American singer-songwriter and, in addition to evoking an intimate and emotional moment, which we have all experienced at some point in our lives, it also reminds us that life is made up of cycles and that, in order to move forward, we must leave some things behind.

Marked by a multidimensional melody and full of delicious details and details, without forgetting its Pop base, seductive and very sensitive, " Grace Like Fire " is an emotional and strong song, as good Pop songs should be.

Perfect to make us feel and to listen to on loop .
Word from Chavininha. - Phonograph Me

Cydney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I would say my original music is the most meaningful project I’ve worked on. I have been a working performer since I was 13 years old and I believe all of the projects I’ve been a part of before have been preparing me for releasing my own music. There’s nothing more incredible than seeing something you’ve created from nothing come to fruition. It’s the most vulnerable and deeply personal project I’ve ever shared with people. I was very nervous to put my first single out. It was terrifying because when it’s your song there’s no where to hide. It’s your lyrics, its your performance. Intrinsically it’s such a part of who you are and if people don’t like it it’s hard not to take it personally. Now that I’ve released a few songs I realized that there’s nothing to be scared of. Your music won’t be for everyone, but it will find its audience. When your music does find it’s fans there is nothing more satisfying than seeing people relate to your lyrics or dance along to your songs. I cannot wait to release more this year!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started my performing career in musical theater participating in my first show, The King & I, at the age of 11. I was very shy growing up, but I found that the lights on the stage were so bright that I felt like there was no one there with me and I could be in my own little world. I continued to follow that passion through high school where I attended Educational Center for the Arts, and arts magnet high school, in their music program. I later went on to attend Emerson College for Theater Studies and Berklee College of Music for voice. After school I moved to NYC and started my career as a company member of the touring dance theater company, The MoveShop. I found my true passion in music though. I started in cover bands and expanded to singing backing vocals for different indie bands in the city. This became a huge passion for me and is something that you will hear a lot of in my original music. I also fell into vocal arranging for other artists and recording demo vocals for songwriters. Finally, I started to write and record my original music- which is available on all streaming platforms.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

When I first started writing my own music I had a mentor ask me the question, “If you could only make one album what message would you want your music to leave people with?”. I decided to make it my mission to have my music to be so unabashedly vulnerable and such a fully self expressed version of myself that it gives the people listening permission to do the same. It’s our differences that are our super powers, so let’s uplift and celebrate what makes us unique. This question has really guided all of my choices throughout every inch of this project.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think it’s vitally important to pay indie artists. Buy their merchandise, buy tickets to their shows, share their videos, social media content, and music on your platforms, add their songs to your Spotify playlists, or just tell a friend about them if you like them. So much time, effort, and money goes into creating music, content, and live performances that if we want to continue to have as much new music in the world we need to support the artists that are creating it. Additionally, we need more places to play. So many performance venues have closed during the pandemic that we need to start utilizing unconventional spaces as performance venues. SOFAR Sounds does a great job of this- but we need much more of it. - Canvas Rebel

Your new single “Grace Like Fire” is so fresh and exactly what music needs right now! What was the story behind this song?

Cydney: Wow! Thank you so much!The song is about the cyclical nature of life; how one burns things down to create space for something new.This lesson was most obvious for me during the pandemic.It was such a tumultuous time for everyone, and in my case it was a massive catalyst of change.I left a job, moved from my home, left a relationship, and had to figure out how to quarantine without losing my mind haha. But I knew I needed to cut out the things that weren't working for me in order to create space for something that would.


I know a big reason you got into music was because you’d sing in the car with your parents growing up, so I must know…what is your guilty pleasure song to belt when you’re in the car now?

Cydney: Oh jeez- it’s a bit of an oldie now but River by Bishop Briggs!That chorus hits hard!
Do you have a favorite memory from studying Voice at Berklee College of Music?

Cydney: Definitely! My favorite class was a Motown ensemble with Lawrence Watson!What a fantastic teacher- so filled with musicianship and joy!It was a 9am class and he’d be clapping and dancing around- his class woke me up better than my morning coffee!He definitely taught how to perform and embody a song.


I love the music video for your new single! The use of the paint and effects are incredible and so visually impressive! What was the inspiration behind it?

Cydney: Thank you! Brian Michael Suggs directed, shot, and edited the video and we had so much fun making it! There are a lot of visual references in the song lyrically and we definitely played with that i.e. the use of fire and incorporating light bright references.The whole concept of the song is a phoenix rising from the ashes so we went with a stripped down almost naked look and juxtaposed that with a blacked out room and glow in the dark paint.We really tried to play with visual opposites in this one.Fun fact half of the video was shot in Brian’s bathtub!
Tell us a bit about your company, The MoveShop!

Cydney: Oh wow! You guys really did your research!Unfortunately, TheMoveShop disbanded a few years ago but it was a dance theater company that I was lucky enough to be a founding company member of.The group started in college and it was a theatrical experience that told stories through the use of dance, theater, and live music.It was one of my favorite things that I’ve ever been a part of and it’s still my favorite way to tell a story.


What can we expect next from you? We can’t wait to see where this journey takes you!

Cydney: I’m happy to say that I have a bunch of music waiting to be released this year!I’m excited to share more sides of myself & my sound in my next few releases!I really think it will surprise listeners.Also, Brian and I are currently dreaming up the next video!So stay tuned!


Interviewed By Sarah Curry - Pop Passion Blog