Tyni is the girl who, despite the name, is destined for big things.

For her debut EP, the 21-year-old has worked with singer-songwriter Ana Diaz and Wayne Wilkins, who has put his hand to major music by Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Bjork. Recorded between her South Yorkshire hometown of Sheffield and the sun-basked hills of LA, the EP serves up a mix of synth bangers and elegantly sparse masterpieces.

Ahead of the release, we caught up with Tyni to find out more about the synth-loving starlet.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3S8iszOC48eZyxfJBPN55U

Tell us a bit about your sound.  

A lot of the sounds used in my music are quite unique. I spent most of my time obsessing over the 80s period and wanted to incorporate the sounds of that era and make it modern. I guess you could say this influenced the way I interpreted things and shaped the way I delivered vocals on a track. I got really into Lene Lovich and that set me off in a whole other direction, that’s when I discovered my quirky licks. Drums really are the driving force, in fact most of my stuff started out with more of a tribal feel when I first began writing the album. I also like a creepy kid choir sound, along with built up vocals that are pitched up and make everything much more in your face and epic. 

When did you first get interested in music? 

I can’t say I really remember a specific time that I became interested in music, as far as I know it was always in my life. I was probably more aware of it when I was around six when I would sit with my dad whilst he would play the guitar.

What music did you grow up listening to?

I grew up listening to a lot of the songs my dad would play by The Beatles, The Monkee’s and Genesis. I’d say most of the stuff I grew up listening to were 60’s bands. As I got older I realised there were so many more avenues I could explore within music. I discovered that I was really into Bowie especially the visual aspects of his work around the time of his Aladdin Sane phase and became intrigued by the various personas he created throughout his career. Anything eccentric and a little over the top had my attention and Bowie was certainly one of them.

How does the LA music scene compare to the music scene in your hometown of Sheffield? 

I come from a very working class background and we all just made the best of what we had. You don’t really get paid that much gigging round Sheffield starting out, its more the privilege of playing. Making it here isn’t easy. That stuff is difficult and you have to work really hard for it! In LA my experience has been in the studio creating music, I enjoyed bringing my Sheffield flare. I think in Sheffield a lot of people share the same dream of one day being able to leave that regular job and become the greatest band that ever lived. I think we’re all dreamers.. including myself. Everything starts with a dream and this dream has produced some pretty amazing bands from where I grew up.

Tell us what your new track “Fighter” is about. 

“Fighter” was one of the more serious songs I had. It definitely felt more dark to me when we recorded it. Everybody has a reason to fight for something because we are all passionate about something at some point in our lives. For some people, I think its a fight within themselves. I hope everybody can relate to “Fighter”, to me its very empowering and very real. I loved how Sophie Kipner who is one of my favourite visual artists interpreted this through her artwork. I think everybody will have a different interpretation of what the song means to them.

What was it like working with Wayne Wilkins and Ana Diaz? 

Wayne is one of the most talented and genuine people you will ever meet. We first met when I was sixteen and we’ve always had a very good relationship both in and out of work. When we work together we are always in a very focused space. Ana is a tough chick with an enormous talent who is an absolute sweetheart. She introduced me to a different style of writing. Swedish writers have an incredible way of crafting songs. We never forced sessions to be a particular thing, it all came very naturally to us and kinda just happened. Overall, I’m very grateful to have been given the opportunity to be around such wonderful people from all parts of the world. I’m very lucky.

Who would your dream collaborators be and why?

I would like to bring a different flavour to my music at some point. I would love to collaborate with Skrillex, I’m quite fascinated by him. I saw him play live in Vegas last year which was completely magical.

What do you have lined up for 2017?

In a dream scenario I’d get to continue the privilege of playing live with my band, so i’m hoping I get the opportunity for lots of gigs/festivals. I think festivals could be fun [as] you get to play alongside lots of musicians. Fingers crossed but you’ll just have to wait and see!