Start Listening To: SEY.MOUR

Confronting misogyny, politics, and personal pain with fierce honesty.

SEY.MOUR is an artist who refuses to shy away from difficult truths. Raised in Maidstone and shaped by experiences of discrimination and frustration, she began writing music at 14 as an outlet for her struggles with mental health, and over time her songs have grown darker and more politically charged. Her debut single ‘I Don’t Like You Having a Body’ is a raw protest against abortion bans and the misogynistic narratives that underpin them, blending the defiance of punk with the emotional unpredictability of jazz. We spoke with SEY.MOUR about the urgency behind her music, the balance of personal and political in her songwriting, and what comes next.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

I am basically just an angry girl from Maidstone who’s creative outlet is making music. Growing up in Kent there was a lot of misogyny, racism, homophobia and just a lot of discrimination and right wing opinions in general. I started writing music at about 14 about my experiences mainly with mental health issues but as I got older I started writing more about darker themes such as alcohol abuse and controlling relationships. I’ve always been drawn to writing about serious subjects which people choose not to talk about because they’re too ‘uncomfortable’. 

Your debut single “I Don’t Like You Having a Body” is such a fierce statement to open with, what made you want to lead with this track?

I wanted to use ‘I Don’t Like You Having a Body’ as the title of the song because of how serious the subject of the song is. The statement itself is really awful and degrading which relates directly to how women feel in response to male politicians having control over our bodies.  The song explores the political opinion that abortion should be illegal which implies that women should not have the right to make decisions about their own bodies. But also explores how certain podcasts normalise misogyny and recruit young impressionable boys to believe that all men should have control over women's bodies.

The song directly confronts anti-abortion legislation. Was there a specific moment or event that pushed you to write it?

I started writing this song after Trump won the election in 2024. In project 2025 it's outlined that Trump plans a nationwide abortion ban and currently 20 US states have banned or limited access to abortions. This has led to an increase in pregnancy related deaths and women being charged after having miscarriages. I felt driven to write the song in protest of the abortion ban and use strong shocking vocabulary to let people know the effects of an abortion ban on women.

You’ve described your music as sitting somewhere between punk’s defiance and jazz’s unpredictability. How do those two worlds come together for you?

I’ve been listening to Jazz and Punk music since I was a teenager and I’ve always loved how Jazz expresses emotion through different melodies and reflects the complex nature of human emotions often with more unpredictable musicality. I’ve always been a very emotional person and my moods can be quite unpredictable due to having ADHD, so I’ve found a lot of comfort in Jazz music. Additionally I’ve been feeling really angry since I was a teenager about the injustices in the world and I found a lot of comfort in punk music because it's honest about the state of the world. After so many years of writing in different styles like indie and alt rock I’ve ended up writing more punk music in order to be completely honest about the subjects i write about whilst expressing the anger i feel about it, but i still find myself  adding softer and unpredictable parts in my music because of how i feel about the subject is complicated and there's a lot of sadness there too.

How was the single produced? 

The single was produced by Colin Lanz. He's such a great guy and it was so easy to work with him, he really understood how I wanted the song to come across. Harry Pike came to the studio to record live drums for us and then The Misses (Ryan McArthur, Ellie Hope and Daniel Wangusi) have featured on this track, they bring so much amazing creativity and musicality to the songs we play live and it was really important for that to be heard on the track as well. 

You’ve been writing dark, atmospheric music since you were 14. Looking back, how do you think your teenage self would react to this debut single?

I think she would be shocked at how brutal I have been in the lyrics and maybe even surprised at the style of music I make now. Back then I was writing softer music. A lot has changed since then in terms of my life experience so I think overall my 14 year old self would be proud that I’m making music to speak out about  important issues.

Lyrically, your work is unapologetically feminist and political. Do you see your music as protest first, or does the personal come before the political?

Honestly I think personal comes before politics when writing my music. I make music because I have to as an outlet otherwise I would probably lose my mind. When writing songs I tend to write from my own personal experiences and feelings about the world first  and because I am an outspoken opinionated person it ends up being political.

You’re already aligning your gigs with activism, like the Gaza fundraiser at The Shacklewell Arms. Do you feel a responsibility to always link your music with political action?

I think the answer is yes and no. I really wanted to play and host a Gaza fundraiser because it has felt like one of the only things I could do to help that situation other than speaking out about the issues. I had seen other previous fundraiser gigs raise a lot of money so I felt putting on a gig was the best approach. At this time things are so bad in the world. I feel like the only thing I can write about is politics and align that with activism but I hope one day in the future I’ll be able to write more about my personal experiences whilst still being politically active in other ways.

Beyond this debut, what can we expect next from SEY.MOUR? Any more music or shows on the horizon?

Right now other than the Gaza fundraiser I’ve been focusing more on recording. We’re working on some music which has a similar vibe and I’m very excited for people to hear it soon. I do love performing live though so who knows maybe we’ll have another gig soon.

What do you love right now?

Right now I love theatre. I feel like theatre is so good at also expressing the need for activism and exploring darker subjects and I just love how plays come together to create that.

What do you hate right now?

Capitalism. 

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

I cannot stop listening to The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga. I feel like I forgot about it until recently and I've just remembered how much joy I got from listening to it when I was a kid. As an adult it's so important to me because it's so theatrical and I feel like Lady Gaga does an amazing job at conveying darker emotions and exploring important themes, that really inspires me.

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?

I hope that the emotion I try to convey related to the subject sticks with them. I feel like it's so important for me to show people how much these serious subjects affect people everyday. I really try to show this through my music to encourage people to speak out more about their experiences and injustices in the world.