Sydney Adams Shows Off Her Country Rocking Side on New Single “It Never Was”

First impressions may be key, but so is avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump. Luckily for Sydney Adams, she has checked both boxes over the last year and a half with both her debut EP, Always Home to Me, and her new single, “It Never Was.”

Released in July of 2019, Always Home to Me not only served as an excellent introduction for Adams; because the EP was crowd-funded, it allowed her to tangibly see the support she had out of the gate. Adams says that support, as well as the positive response to the five songs on the EP, have meant a great deal to her.

“The response I received from my first EP had me overwhelmed with gratitude for all my friends and fans that gave it a listen and still continue to support it,” says Adams. “I’m glad Always Home To Me gave me a chance to put myself out there for the first time and really plant my roots with my fanbase. Their support meant everything to me.”

While Always Home to Me fell closer to acoustic, bluegrass and traditional country sounds, Adams turned up the electric guitars and added a thumping backbeat on “It Never Was,” but at the same time, keeps steel and dobro prominently in the mix, feeling that it was important to showcase sonic diversity with her new single.

“I feel like following my freshman EP with something a little more edgy and contemporary was the perfect move for me,” says Adams. “Though I absolutely love the singer/songwriter, traditional country and bluegrass feel that encompassed Always Home To Me, it’s always important to me to show the other side of my artistry.”

With its energetic and rocking melody, “It Never Was” is made for the stage, something Adams was focused on when recording her new single.

“I do many singer/songwriter events, but I also spend a very large amount of my time playing in bars. I think it’s important to appeal to my full audience. I don’t feel like limiting myself to a very specific style of country music would be completely genuine,” says Adams. “I’ve grown so much as an artist in the last year and a half, and I feel like taking the leap of faith towards a more electric country sound, though nerve-wracking for me, was the right move for me right now.”

Though she was admittedly cautious about releasing a song she didn’t have a hand in writing, Adams says the opportunity to record “It Never Was” couldn’t be missed.

“’It Never Was’ was written by a group of Nashville artists, and the demo was pitched to me by my producer,” says Adams. “I was extremely hesitant to release a song I hadn’t written myself, but it was the perfect fit for me and too good to pass up! I knew I wanted this song to be on my next EP, but It wasn’t until much later that I decided to release it as the single.”

Though COVID-19 essentially stalwarted Adams’ touring schedule, she is thankful to have been able to stay busy and stay creative during the shutdown.

“Due to the shutdowns of COVID-19, my touring schedule had come to a complete halt. I spent a lot of time in the studio, and I was fortunate enough to be a part of a handful of projects, including the recording of a Christmas EP, cover videos, a music video for ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ and the recording of my new single,” says Adams. “I am blessed to have played a handful of shows here and there, but I am very excited to see my schedule starting to fill back up.”

With 2020 now in the rearview and 2021 ahead of her, Adams says she looks forward to returning to the stage and better times ahead.

“I am looking forward to anything 2021 will bring given what 2020 was,” says Adams. “I’m looking forward to playing as many gigs as I can, but I am most looking forward to playing the festivals I was booked for in 2020; just playing them a year later. I worked extremely hard to get those gigs, and I’ll finally be able to play them come spring/summer.”