What’s the significance of your musical moniker?
Sky: Sky Wyatt is actually my birth name. It was a tough name to get through elementary school with, but now I love it because it’s so original and Starbucks Baristas rarely get it wrong.
What are your musical influences?
S: As a teenager, I loved rap, G-Funk and early 90’s pop/rock like Chili Peppers and GNR. A little older I discovered Motown and delved deep into discovering the roots that influenced so much of the music we love today. It wasn’t until my early 20s that I discovered country music and fell in love with the songwriting.
What are your musical inspirations?
S :I love anything with great melody and lyrics. Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars, Brad Paisley, Zac Brown… I either want to be told a great story or I want to dance.
If given the chance, what musician(s) would you like to collaborate with? Rather this is to either write a song or be featured on a track.
S: There aren’t many interracial male/female duets – especially in country music. I would love to do a duet with Mickey Guyton. Recently I wrote a beautiful duet called “I Love Your Skin” that would be just perfect!
What’s the songs about off your recently recorded new album?
S: The new songs we’re finishing now are playful fun songs about getting tipsy and a little naked while on vacation, finding love even in the middle of the wild and crazy storms of our younger years, supporting trans youth, and finding the energy to still enjoy parenting during the difficult toddler years.
What’s something you hope people take away from the new song(s)?
S: I want to tackle issues that most of country music isn’t talking about. I’m passionate about human rights and the environment. Music has always been a portal to feeling a certain way. Whether it’s just to relax and unwind at the end of a long week or to see the world through different eyes, I’m hoping these songs impact the listener. If it’s not learning something about themselves and others, then hopefully they get up dancing
Which songs on the album were the most fun to write and which were the most challenging to write?
S: There’s one new song on the album that I had been trying to write for about a year on my own unsuccessfully. I brought it to a writing session with Tom and Lynda McKillip and it gained a whole new life. “Adios Pantalones” is about escaping on a much-needed vacation to a tropical place where you don’t need much- not even pants. It’s an all-inclusive fuelled party song!
“The Time That Counts” is about mustering strength to spend quality time with your young children when you have nothing left in the tank to give. It’s about digging deep to make good memories even in the hardest sleep-deprived times. We re-wrote it a few times to get just the right descriptive words to encapsulate that feeling of always wanting to be the best parent we can be while not always having the energy to do so.
Do you have any favourite song(s) from the new album?
S: “Chasing Storms” really surprised me when we got into the studio with it. I’ve always loved the production of Hunter Hayes songs and that’s what we went for here. The band came together under Tom McKillip’s direction to create something really strong and exciting. It’s hard to pick favourites among your own songs but I will say I’m really excited about this one. Do you have any favourite songs to perform live? Could be your own music or even a cover. Any reason why?
I sing in a Vancouver party cover band called “Cakewalk”. We’ve been performing for over 15 years and have the absolute best time together. Only picking songs that we really enjoy playing, we keep the crowd dancing their feet off. We perform a version of “Kiss” where I get to sing the first verse in Prince’s ultra-high voice and the second verse in Tom Jones’ ultra-low range. It’s so fun.
If you could perform a show this very second anywhere in the world, where would it be? Is there any particular venue(s) or city/cities that comes to mind?
S: I’d love to perform a benefit concert for the environment/climate change. If it could be somewhere tropical and warm that would be even better – and yes the irony of wanting to play a global warming awareness concert somewhere hot is not lost on me.
What do you currently have planned for the remainder of the year?
S: With two albums from two separate projects coming to completion, there’s a lot coming up to be excited about. Now I just have to decide how and when they get released!
Thanks for the time today. Is there anything else you may want to add before you go? S: If there’s one moment that tests your metal today, whether it be reacting to someone who’s cut you off in traffic or deciding the fate of hundreds of employees – I urge you to take an extra deep breath, take a moment to be compassionate to what those around you are going through, and choose love and charity over anger or profit. Each time you practice this, it gets easier, and I believe continual practise of kindness is the path to the happiness life.