Still Woozy, or ​Sven Gamsky,​ never disappoints. He’s created his own distinct sound that just always delivers. There’s hidden notes that offer listeners a glimpse into Sven’s attention to detail. The music Still Woozy makes is unlike anything else— it’s often described as genre bending or genreless. The truth is, it's simply Still Woozy.I was fortunate enough to attend a press conference with Sven where he discussed everything from how his fiance inspires him to self producing his work.

Here’s some of what he had to say:

Your cover cover art is created by your fiance. How does her art inspire your music?“

I would say, more like... she just inspires me... she inspires my art... She puts art into every little thing she does... She just- kinda like- makes her whole life into the art, and I feel like that kinda has just inspired me more than anything else.

”Somehow, even with the sore or sad subjects, you do end up making your listeners feel better by the ends of your songs. How do you think that aspect of your music is reflective of your own character or personality?

“... For me, music is kind of like a coping mechanism. I definitely have, like, emotional stuff that I’m like working through, and it just kind of helps. My goal is to kind of create... more of a safe space, just, you know, to get a little break from yourself, or whatever you need... I... create it so it can help me first... If it can provide some level of a buffer or some sort of, you know these feelings that will help me... I just know that it can do the same to other people, I think.

”What about the production process do you most enjoy? As you’ve gained traction, why do you continue to self-produce?

“I just love, like, playing with sounds and textures... it’s so much fun to make beats, basically, and just create something out of nothing... building from the skeleton outward... as it takes shape it kind of always just blows my mind a little bit... I’m just such a perfectionist that— when you give stuff to someone else to do, it’s never going to be... your true vision... You would be able to tell if I, you know, got someone else to produce me a song. It would just not really sound like the stuff that I’ve done because I have— I’ve like curated my own taste over the years... with all these little things you hear that you love...”

“I would say most people would categorize your music as psychedelic pop... How do you feel about putting music into genres?

“ ... It’s a tool for people to navigate music, so I can’t really knock it. But from someone... I could never really describe my own music... I don’t ever want to get stuck in a genre... I have too many ideas to be stuck in one place...”

Still Woozy has accomplished that goal— his music is ever evolving as he continues to find his footing in the music industry. His new single “BS” begins with soft and quiet vocals before both the beat and lyrics transition to the foreground of the song, which offers a glimpse inside Still Woozy’s brain:

I leave in the morning, don't be mad, I know
I know you got some things hurting you bad, although I got a million voices in my head, hollow
All of them keep telling me to go

The back and forth between inner turmoil and how to deal with such difficulties explored in “BS” is the epitome of Still Woozy’s music as an escape. While listening to the lyrics of the upbeat track, one can’t help but be reminded that they’re not alone in their struggles. Still Woozy’s music isn’t just great to listen to, it’s comforting and uplifting.

photo by Sergiy Barchuk