Pre-med student balances studies with singing career

By MORGAN BUCKLEY
November 12, 2015 in Featured, News, Profiles

You would expect an artist with almost a half of a million YouTube views on her debut music video to have already quit school in pursuit of a music career. But Skylar Steinberg, a junior majoring in health promotion and disease prevention, studies while perfecting her musical chops.

“I like school, I like science, I like doing that stuff,” Steinberg, who is also known by her middle name and alias Skylar Renee, said. It’s nice to be in an environment where I can do both: singing and science.”

Steinberg released her first single, “Good As Gone,” with Hazan Records on iTunes in late July. Her music video racked up over 400,000 views on YouTube. Meanwhile, she’s taking chemistry at USC and finding time to finish her album which will be released next year.

“Right now I’m in organic chemistry, and that class takes so much time,” Steinberg said. “But any second of the day I can spend singing or writing songs, I am. I’ll be studying, and I’ll come up with a song idea, and I’ll just go to the piano [to]do it.”

Steinberg, a Malibu native, found her passion for songwriting earlier than her love of science.

“I’ve been singing since I was a kid, just ever since I did karaoke once when I was 8,” Steinberg said. “Ever since then I’ve been singing in my free time. I was in choir, and I wrote lyrics. Every once and I while I would just come up with an idea and write it down.”

Though she was in choir in high school, she has had less institutional involvement in music at USC. Steinberg only recently declared her songwriting minor, and for the most part, she separates her life at school from her life in music.

“I feel like a lot of my life at USC does not have to do with singing just because I kind of ignored it in the first few years here,” she said. “I’m growing as a musician now and meeting more people through music.”

Steinberg works with a producer in Studio City and has also begun songwriting classes, which have helped her get feedback from music students at USC.

“It’s hard to find time to write songs and play during the school year,” Steinberg said. “I started taking a songwriting class which helped me make a scheduled time to write songs, show them to other people and get feedback.”

Steinberg said she jams with a band in her free time, which helps connect her social life to her music life. Originally, she said, it was hard as a spring admit to originally connect the two.

“We’ll just chill and play, and I’ll just sing a random tune,” Steinberg said. “It’s fun to be in an environment with friends, doing what you love to do.”

Tunes like those come to Steinberg throughout the day, and because of her busy schedule, she grabs them on the go. She says her songwriting process is somewhat randomized.

“I’m inspired by a lot of things. I’m inspired by my own experiences and people and life and the world around me,” Steinberg said. “Sometimes I’ll go on walks and a song idea will come to me. I take in my surroundings mostly. I could be doing any activity and a song will come to me, and I’ll grab a quick voice memo.”

Steinberg is hoping to finish her album by next summer so she can play shows in Los Angeles or elsewhere. Right now, she’s just excited for the future.

“I don’t like planning too much in advance,” Steinberg said. “You never know what’s going to happen. Right now I’m focusing on the music.”

Artist Sky Renee talks Memorable Moments, RADD and the LA WineFest

Sky Renee

1) Where do you draw inspiration for your music?

From everyday life, my relationships, what’s going on in the world, what’s going on in my mind, I never know when inspiration strikes – sometimes a song will just flow out of me. Sometimes I’ll go on a walk or listen to music and be immediately inspired other days I just wait till it comes.

2) What techniques do you use, both in and out of your music, to relate to your audience?

I like communicating to the people that listen to my music, I have found a place online through platforms such as instagram and soundcloud that allow me to connect with people who enjoy my music, I really love DM’ing the people that listen and sustain a conversation. I love hearing about others lives and perspectives and music has given me the availability to interact with a lot of great people. I also try and write from an honest place, I think we are all human beings and thus encounter similar experiences and feelings, we can empathize with one another. I think that if I maintain being genuine with my lyrics my listeners will be able to relate just out of pure human nature.

3) What musician or producer have you been most excited to collaborate with?

As I was saying I have found a really amazing community online, known as vaporwave or future funk, its been really awesome cause I’m finding other artists that enjoy the music I make and make similar tunes themselves. They are all super open to collaboration so I’m just really excited overall, to work with them and just meet more people I relate to. I just finished writing to a track by Binary Stars called “Fire” so I’m excited to record that and release really soon!

4) What’s your most memorable moment as an artist so far – either a performance, interview, or recording session – and why?

I think my most memorable experience would be the day I played the Troubadour, it was my Dad’s 50th birthday and my debut show that I ended up selling out. It was incredibly exciting for me just because it was the start of me really taking initiative with my career and getting my message out there, since I booked and promoted the whole thing myself.

Sky-Renee-Music

Sky Renee

5) Can you tell us a little bit about your history (and exciting future projects!) with RADD?

I’ve been writing poems and singing my whole life, I started songwriting in college and working with some really amazing producers and songwriters like Eric Jackson, Storm Daniels, David Frank and Greg Penny. I spent a lot of time discovering my voice and learning what I wanted to make and say. In the past year I took the leap to producing myself and its been incredible! I really want my music to come from a unique and honest place, I’ve always messed around on Logic but never thought one day I could actually make a song for myself. I started producing “Why Don’t We Dance More?” and everything just clicked for me. It all feels right. I’m still learning and growing as a producer but I want to grow with my audience so I am currently releasing a song a month for the next year and making lots and lots of visual content. It’s cool cause I started making these visuals and disco songs on my own and in the past month I’ve discovered a whole online community that is surrounded on similar funky songs and cool graphics. I truly believe when you listen to yourself, the world forms around you. In this case it proved to be true, I’m just excited to share everything I’ve been working on.

RADD is awesome!! They hosted a concert at the Hi Hat with Uber in the beginning of the year that I M.C.’d it was a beautiful event

6) You’re a USC grad, and USC is one of our RADD partner schools. Can you tell us why you decided to support RADD?

I remember we had every 15 minutes come to our High School and it scarred me for life, and then a friend I went to college with got hit by a drunk driver and was on the verge of death so immediately upon hearing of them I wanted to support. It’s so easy now to get an Uber or a Lyft, there are no excuses to drunk drive. It blows my mind that someone would get behind a car drunk and put others at risk.

7) Being the person that has to step up and say “hey, maybe you’re too drunk and shouldn’t drive home tonight” is always hard. How do you deal with that, or how do you approach those situations?

Honestly, I’m not a big drinker – in fact usually I’m not drinking. I do like taking lyft/uber when I go out though just in case I do drink or because I personally think that driving tired is dangerous too. So I am always there to offer a ride to anyone who needs one. Also its better to suffer a difficult circumstance than have something bad happen and know you could have stopped it.

8) What can attendees and RADD music fans expect from your June 2^nd performance on the RADD Stage at the LA Winefest?

I’ll be doing a more ambient, laid back acoustic set that I am really looking forward to. A lot of my online music is uptempo, but I’m a soul singer at heart so I’m excited to be bringing some of that to my live show ?

Sky Renee talks new single ‘In My Life,’ J. Cole and Bruno Mars SPECIAL

BY MARKOS PAPADATOS DEC 4, 2017 IN MUSIC

Singer Sky Renee chatted with Digital Journal about her new single “In My Life,” as well as her dream collaboration choices, which include Bruno Mars and J. Cole.

On the origin of “In My Life,” she said, “I was in a place where I was surrounded by people with similar ideas on how they should behave based on societal norms and I wasn’t being exposed to anything new. I had been spending a lot of time writing music and I was finding a deeper perspective within myself, however I wasn’t finding it in the people I was surrounded by. I was starting to feel trapped and was looking for something more meaningful in my relationships and in life. I wrote ‘In My Life’ in response to this, as a way to express that I was searching for perspective. I wanted to meet more people that could help grow my own point of view in order to develop a greater understanding of life.”

Renee continued, “I think it’s really easy with technology to close ourselves off to really learning about one another. I want to encourage all my fans and listeners to be aware to what’s around them and make conversation with people, even if it seems scary. It’s shocking the amount of life changing conversation I’ve had with strangers in a coffee shop or concert. We are all people and it’s amazing what we can learn from one another if we just embrace each other’s perspective.”

Regarding her future plans, she said, “I’ve started producing more and more for myself, so I’m hoping to release songs that allow my fans to gain a deeper understanding of me as an artist. I have a music video on its way for ‘In my Life’ and will release an EP in the beginning of next year with a producer named Greg Penny.”

Her music inspired by her love for people. “Naturally my relationships are the thing that inspire me most, but people in general inspire me. I’ve always been a keen observer of interaction and also love talking to people. Whenever I have a good conversation, it takes me out of my mind and I’m able to learn about someone else’s human experience. It helps the lyrics flow and hopefully makes my music more relatable,” she said.

Digital transformation of music

On the impact of technology in the music business, Renee said, “It’s amazing! I never could have predicted the turn that music would take with technological advances. It gives someone who may not have the resources to create music, the opportunity to produce and release music on their own terms. It gives everyone the capability to create their own vision of who they want to be as an artist and have the access to build a fan base. Before, people couldn’t even make music unless they paid thousands for studio time, even though this still exists. Anyone can make music with their laptops, without having connections in the industry. Some of my favorite artists have come up this way. It’s crazy to think their music wouldn’t be heard if these technology advancements didn’t make it possible.”

Renee is an avid user of technology in her daily music routine. “Well first of all, I don’t think I would remember half the songs I come up with if I didn’t have voice memos. I dictate pretty much all my songs into my iPhone, while I’m on a walk or driving. I then use logic on my computer to make a demo. I’m also pretty active on social media, Instagram and Twitter, giving updates and making stories, so overall technology is pretty important in my life.”

Renee listed Zak Abel, J. Cole and Bruno Mars as her dream male collaboration choices.

“In My Life” is available on Soundcloud by clicking here.

EXCLUSIVE: Premiere of Sky Renee’s New Single ‘Loveshine’ and Interview

by Laura Klonowski 2 months ago

Sky Renee is a super exciting rising talent from Los Angeles, California. She has already been in the recording studio with the legendary Ron Anderson and utilising what she learned from him the skilled artist now self-produces and performs all her own music. This approach has earned her mass critical acclaim and a growing fanbase.

And, now Sky Renee is back with a zappy soul-funk driven single all about the power and struggle of self-love. The new release ‘Loveshine’, sees the initially relaxed synths align perfectly with a funky guitar and punchy bass. And her unadulterated lyrics are plain and simple, and there’s a real power in that.

There is no miscommunication with her listeners, and the catchy chorus pulls them into her well of positivity. The seamless transition into the chorus from the verse is reminiscent of her hit single “Good as Gone”, but even more succinct and focused sonically.

Here we chat a little to Sky Renee about her latest release and also bring you the exclusive premiere of ‘Loveshine’:

What is the inspiration behind your new single?

I’m extremely inspired by the self love movement. It’s so easy to wake up first thing, look in the mirror and criticize ourselves. I think women especially have been trained that they can always be prettier or thinner, and should always be looking to improve themselves by the media. I’ve been trying to practice being grateful for who I am and this song came out for me almost as a mantra to myself – to remind myself that I should love who I am regardless of if I match others expectations of who I should be. In that love for myself, I can then spread that love to others.

What do you hope listeners take from the track?

I hope they feel a connection, there is nothing better than knowing that someone is going through similar circumstances and that we all feel the pressures of the social world. Through the messages of the song, I hope to spread a little more love and happiness into the listeners life.

What do you hope to achieve with your latest release?

My goal is to interact with more people and build a community rooted with the foundation of love and empathy for one another. I love people and I hope the song just gives me more opportunity to communicate with others my message and hear their stories.

How would you describe the overall vibe of the song?

I’m a very visual person – so I’d best describe the song as a purple hued retrowave sunrise – a harmony between natural soul and glitch elements – merging old inspiration with a modern sound. A song that will get you moving that you can meditate to.

You can listen to ‘Loveshine’ exclusively here:

Make sure you follow Sky Renee on Twitter @enterskymind to keep up to date with all her latest music and tour news!

What do you think of Renee’s latest single ‘Loveshine’? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @CelebMix.