Sina Wynne Holwerda, more commonly known as Wynne, describes the shock of the pandemic as running 100 miles per hour into a brick wall. Prior to the pandemic Wynne had performed her first sold-out hometown headlining show and was on a sold-out tour with EarthGang. Despite the pandemic halting her momentum as an independent artist Wynne took time to slow down and experiment with her music. Wynne released her six-song EP called “DO MY OWN STUNTS” earlier this month with producer Christo. The EP is a peek at what Wynne has up her sleeve for 2022 and reassurance that she’s prepared to remain consistent in the Portland hip-hop scene.
Cortez: Congratulations on your new EP. What has that rollout been like for you and your team?
Wynne: It’s been a hell of a process. My right-hand man, Itay and I have been working on it for months. We actually finished the music back in March. So that kind of gave us time to really hone in on the concepts and come up with a unique rollout theme for the fans. So it’s been a lot, rollout seasons are always busy. It’s a lot of scheduling, video shoots, scheduling, you know, travel interviews, radio, freestyles, things like that. So we have shot a couple more videos that’ll be coming out in December and January. We have more merch that we’re going to be dropping. But you know, the most important thing is the fans are hyped and feel like they’re a part of it. And I feel like we’ve accomplished that.
Cortez: What has been your favorite part of the experience so far?
Wynne: Honestly just kind of getting new music out. It’s been two years since we released the full-length project. And although this is an EP, so it’s a little bit shorter, just kind of showing the fans how I’ve progressed as an artist. I’ve matured a lot, both vocally and just in my personal life, so it’s nice to reconnect with them in that way via music. And it feels like you know, you’re holding on to something for so long. And all people know of you is what you put out two years ago. Especially after the pandemic hit, at least for me, I don’t fully identify with that person. I was 22, now I’m 24, so it’s nice to kind of catch them up on where I’ve been at.
Cortez: I listened to your recent freestyle, I think it was on “Welcome to the Neighborhood” on XRAY FM there were a lot of pop culture references. What are some of your favorite pop culture references in your work or in “DO MY OWN STUNTS?”
Wynne: Yeah, the Red Forman one was a good one. I have 'trying angles on my head like Tinky Winky,' maybe I’m going to hell for that sex reference on a kids’ TV show, but that was a good one. I also have on Bounceman a line that is kind of a deep cut. I think it’ll take people a minute to catch but it’s the 'who you gonna lean on when the Bill Withers away? When you miss the rent like Durant, like it’s winter in the Bay.' So that little couplet is one of my favorite lines I’ve ever written because, obviously, 'Lean on Me' is a huge Bill Withers song. And I do a lot of basketball references. So there’s a bunch of them in Bounceman specifically, but I think kind of all over the project. But yeah, those are a couple of my favorites. Oh, and I have 'my name in your mouth like all that,' because the All That logo is the mouth.
Cortez: A lot of artists have talked a lot about how the pandemic has stunted the direction they were moving in. We’re a year plus deep into this pandemic now, but how have you been able to work through that?
"I get to make music every day with my best friends. And that’s my job. So I’ve made it for me."
Wynne: It was like running 100 miles per hour into a brick wall. To be real, I mean, I put out my debut and we were lucky enough to work with some of my favorites, like Hit-Boy, J.I.D. and Dahi. And then went on a sold-out tour with Earthgang and Mick Jenkins. And we were just on such an uphill climb and sold out Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, my first hometown headliner. And then to get back, everything shut down. And it was really tough. It took me a while to come to terms with it, and I honestly still am. But it gave me a much-needed time to slow down because I’ve been 'Wynne' ever since I was an adult. So it gave me time to really sit and kind of catch up to myself a little bit and spend time experimenting with sounds and as my voice was changing, and you know, just connect with my loved ones as everyone did, and really just slow down, which I think the world needs more of slowing down.
Cortez: A lot of stories or interviews you have been doing are often describing you as “on the verge of” or “the next big thing coming out of Portland.” How do you handle that type of expectation or pressure that implies that you’re about to make it big or you’re about to be the next big thing?
Wynne: Yeah, honestly I just kind of tune a lot of it out. Because I do this because I love to make music and whatever comes with that is a cherry on top. And I’m glad to have that title as one of the next rappers to come out of Portland and, and I wear that proudly because I’ve worked really hard for it. I’ve been rapping for 15 years. I have my thumb on everything that comes out. So whether it’s the marketing, I designed the merch, I do the assets for socials, I’m editing some of my own videos. So I have a lot of pride in that. But you know, just kind of just staying focused on one day at a time, one roll out at a time, one session at a time, is what keeps me focused for sure.
Cortez: A lot of different artists will touch on what success looks like for them or what “making it” looks like for them. Everyone kind of has a different definition. What does that look like for you?
Wynne: Honestly, I kind of feel quote, unquote, making it is, when you’re, to me, like when you’re making a living off of your music, and you’re doing what you love. Definitely being a household name, being consistent and whatever all plays into it. But for me, I get to make music every day with my best friends. And that’s my job. So I’ve made it for me. That was my goal as a nine-year-old.
Cortez: Let’s talk a little bit about the imagery on the EP, it has a dark mood to it. When you announced you were dropping the EP, you talked a lot about “walking through our own fires.” What has that been like for you, walking through your own fire?
Wynne: I guess it’s just kind of confronting everything head-on. I think we were all handed unique challenges over the last two years. And it took a lot in this day and age to get yourself out of bed every day and go to work, whatever that means. And support your family, support your friends, be a part of your community, but also take care of yourself. It’s a lot and the fact that we’ve been going through a couple of years now of mass casualties and a pandemic and for everyone to kind of be able to get up every day and be like ‘nah, like I’m gonna do what I need to do’ is really brave honestly and we’ve kind of been forced into that because fucking capitalism and whatever, but it’s being brave. It’s knowing the issues you need to deal with, it’s dealing with things head-on. I think that’s a big part of being an independent artist. I’m not signed to a label, so like I said earlier, I do all the work, me and my boy, Ty, we touch everything. It’s like backing up your actions. It’s having your own back. Also standing on risks you’re taking a lot of the sonics we put into the project are pretty risky. Whether that’s Christo’s chaotic production or just me. And the way that I rapped and being a white woman, there’s a lot of risk involved in what we do. And to just kind of be confident in that and be like, 'no, I’m confident in this. I stand on it, we got this' kind of a thing.
Cortez: What are you hoping that your fans and new listeners are able to take away from it?
Wynne: I hope it gives them confidence in taking risks. I hope it makes them feel powerful. That’s a big thing with my music, that I want people to feel because that’s something that really helped me growing up, as a kid, is when I was listening to music. I felt empowered. I felt energized. I felt like I could do anything. That’s one of the reasons I fell in love with hip hop. It changed the way I felt. It made me feel bigger. And I felt small a lot. So I want this music to make people feel that way. It’s driving. It’s pushing forward. It’s powerful. It’s aggressive. It’s a lot of things, especially that women aren’t taught to be. So I hope this can specifically be that for everyone.
Cortez: What can we expect from you next? Where can fans see you perform?
Wynne: So going into 2022 we’re just trying to be as consistent as we can with music. Kind of maintain the momentum and hopefully this time not run 100 miles per hour into a brick wall. We’re working on a hometown headline show. I don’t have a date yet, but I’m hoping to get one in early 2022.