For Sjoerd IJpelaar, music came naturally.
From a tender age of 8, he started playing with drums and by the age of 17, he had determined to prove his adept musical skills to the world. As of this, a unique and splendid artist came into existence, who was later to be called as “Suyano”.
Starting with the alias “NOPEISDOPE”, Sjoerd played gigs in some of the biggest clubs in his native country, catching the attention of many of the big stars in the EDM Industry. However, his biggest and crucial breakthrough came when he was finally signed to the mega-label Spinnin’ Records. And hence, there was no stopping for Suyano, who became even more resolved and went on to release further in Wall Recordings, Armada and finally in the year of 2016, he released in one of the most prestigious and esteemed labels of dance music, Revealed Recordings.
Suyano’s discography is strikingly impressive and remarkable. With tunes like “Shockwave“, “Bottles Up“, “Overload“, “Otherside” and many more, Suyano has undoubtedly proved time and time again that he has a unique dynamic and progressive sound which is inimitable. Due to this very fact, his works have gathered millions of streams in Spotify, one of the largest music streaming website. This year was no exception to Suyano’s distinguished achievements. He played at the 300th successful episode of Hardwell’s notable radio show, “Hardwell On Air”. In June of 2017, he released his first album “The Sound Of Revealed”, which got major appreciations. Suyano also successfully debuted in Ultra Miami, a leading festival in dance music scene. He further went on to craft some splendid singles and remixes, all released on Revealed Recordings. His latest single with the Belgian artist Robert Falcon, titled “Loved By You” is a catchy deep house tune, which got released in Tiesto’s label AFTR:HRS, available here:
Today, we have the important chance to talk with him and discuss some important points of his career, personality, and history.
1. Your artist name is quite mysterious and particular. How did you strike upon it?
Well, that’s a good question. It’s not as mysterious as it sounds 😉
The S is from Sjoerd, my first name. The Y is from my last name Ypelaar.
The rest of the letters are randomly combined to make it a good stage name which is also easy to pronounce in every part of the world.
2. Which artists do you draw inspiration from, on a daily basis?
That’s a hard one. There are so many great artists out there. It really depends on my mood. I really like Hardwell, Don Diablo, Throttle and Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano. I also like the music of Chris Brown and Usher. Besides that, I like to listen to hiphop and urban, especially when I am on the road or travelling.
3. How would you account for your exponential success in the music industry in the past few years?
Thanks for the huge compliment! You know, it’s all about working very hard and believe in yourself. First, my tracks were denied by all the big labels.
I kept believing that my music was good and kept practising for hours and hours to improve my skills.
A few years later I signed music on the labels of Hardwell, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren and Afrojack.
Nothing is impossible. Everybody starts at the same point. I learned everything from YouTube, Trial and error and if you really want something you can do it!
4. It is a well-known fact that every artist faces creative blocks occasionally. How do you get past it?
Basically, you need to accept that creativity comes and goes. I’m not always on a roll. That’s just how it works. Sometimes I am not making music for a few days. Then I am just doing some other things like meetings with my team, making edits, working on my sets, going to the gym etc. I am also a drummer and I still like to play on my digital drumpad, also during my sets! Besides that, I am a real food lover and I like to cook and all those things inspire me to get back to the studio with a lot of new ideas.
5. How would you describe your recent experience in India, playing at the esteemed “World’s Biggest Guestlist” alongside Hardwell, KTB and W&W?
It was UNREAL! India is incredible and all the people I met were so kind and thankful. It was one of my biggest and best shows so far in my career. After my show, I had no words and I am so thankful that we were able to do something back for India. Trough the World’s Biggest Guestlist festival we were able to pay for the education of 100.000 underprivileged children. I will never forget this unique experience!
6. What would be your golden piece of advice to all the aspiring music producers out there?
Try to spend as much time in the studio as you can. You know, when you want to become a good producer you have to work on your skills for years. Don’t expect to be a pro producer after 1 year. I still learn a lot every day.
Try to find your own ‘unique’ sounds and always try to improve your tracks. Also when you think they are finished. Compare your tracks to the tracks of other DJ’s like Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Don Diablo etc. and take all the time you need. Don’t force yourself to get signed by a big label in 1 or 2 years.
Most important thing: always keep believing in yourself and always listen to the feedback people give you. Follow blogs, Youtube channels etc. If you really want it you gonna make it!I also like to help young talent. Especially because I know how important good feedback is. Via my socials, I do a lot of ‘live demo sessions’ where I check demo’s and give feedback on it. I always do this online so other producers can also learn from the feedback. If you like to sent me your demo’s you can use demo@suyano.comThanks for this interview!
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