Over the years, Saya has garnered a considerable number of accolades since the resounding success of her first single in 2016. “Wet Dreams” amassed over 5 million streams and shot her straight to the top of Spotify’s Viral Global Chart. Since then, she has not let up – with her own Spotify billboard towering over Toronto, being named one of Apple’s Favorite New Artists, getting support from the likes of BBC Radio, Beats 1, the CBC, and now having amassed a staggering total of 12 million streams, Saya’s magnetic artistry is inspiring and everlasting.

She recently unveiled her latest single “SICK”, taken from upcoming EP ‘READY TO BURN’, a collection that announces her return after a hiatus and showcases how she’s more confident than ever in both herself and her music, and PopWrapped are delighted to premiere its video. The song itself is a pulsing dark pop anthem that is equally vulnerable and sultry, while cinematically striking, the music video, created with director Gennelle Cruz, is the perfect visual accompaniment to the track. We caught up with Saya to find out more about the creative process behind the video and what she hopes listeners take from her new music.

Congrats on the new video – it’s stunning. How did you come up with the concept and what is the inspiration behind it?

Thank you so very much! I originally made the treatment for the video in 2019, which was more 80s inspired, taking references from films like Blow, Scarface and Showgirls. A year and a bit later I brought my ideas to the director of the video and was open to taking the concept in a new direction. Though I usually am heavily involved in the creative direction of my videos, I did take a bit of a back seat on this one. My main goal was to show moments of weakness and vulnerability, capturing this character I created in a chaotic romance. Music videos are an opportunity for me to dive deeper into the world I create for my music and I always strive to produce cinematic experiences for my songs. 

“SICK” is such an infectious, dark pop anthem. Can you tell us more about the track and how it plays into the video?

The song is very heavily influenced by the films I mentioned above. I take a lot of influence from characters and storylines in film. The video is an intimate and cinematic experience where I am performing for an audience of 1 – my ex lover. Startled by his appearance, there are moments throughout my performance where I struggle with allowing myself to put up with him. The song explores feelings of frustration, vulnerability, pain, power dynamics and desire. The video is voyeuristic in a sense and is a play on to how the lyrics are perceived. The director did an amazing job working with me to capture the song’s aesthetic sensibilities.

You haven’t released any music in a while; how does it feel to be back sharing your songs with the world? 

To see something you’ve put your heart into making for 2-3 years finally being released feels amazing. So much has gone into this project and every step of the journey of making it was done with intent. A lot of my day one fans have been waiting so patiently for new music and seeing them get excited for this next era makes me so happy and means the world to me. I am looking forward to all that’s to come as I continue to release the new work. 

How do you feel this upcoming EP captures your artistry? How do you think you’ve changed as an artist since “Sugarcoated”?

This project feels more mature and real to me. I have grown sonically since Sugarcoated, for instance there is use of various live instruments on the project, which was completely new for me. As I was making the project, I felt that I was finally making the music that I had always wanted to make, but couldn’t get out. There’s a certain openness to me on this project, highlighting some of the darker emotions I’ve felt at times. The entire project tells one story and again, is very influenced by the movies I love. 

Finally, what are some things you hope listeners take away from your new music?

I hope my listeners can connect to the music in ways maybe they weren’t able to with some of my past music. I think a lot of the topics and emotions expressed throughout the project are very relatable. I hope they can dive into the world I created for the project and feel it all. 

Check out the video for “SICK” above and for more information on Saya, give her page a like on Facebook or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.