# Syd (singer)
**Syd** (born Sydney Loren Bennett, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and engineer from Los Angeles, known as the frontwoman and co-founder of the alternative R&B band the Internet and as an early member of the hip-hop collective [Odd Future](https://www.edgepedia.org/odd-future). She has released three solo albums: *Fin* (2017), *Broken Hearts Club* (2022), and *Beard* (2026).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) • [2](https://pitchfork.com/news/syd-announces-first-album-in-four-years/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Sydney Loren Bennett; earlier stage names include Syd tha Kyd and Syd tha Kid[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) |
| Born | 1992, Los Angeles, California[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) |
| Band | Co-founder and frontwoman of the Internet, formed with Matt Martians in 2011[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/13/syd-the-internet-odd-future-interview-hive-mind) |
| Grammy recognition | The Internet's *Ego Death* (2015) was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album; "Plastic Off the Sofa", which she co-wrote for Beyoncé, won Best Traditional R&B Performance, awarded to Beyoncé Knowles[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) • [4](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/syd-announces-north-american-tour) • [11](https://www.grammy.com/artists/beyonce-knowles/12474/) |
| Solo albums | *Fin* (2017), *Broken Hearts Club* (2022), *Beard* (2026)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) • [2](https://pitchfork.com/news/syd-announces-first-album-in-four-years/) |
| Labels | Columbia for her first two albums; Free Lunch/Warner Records from 2025[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) |
## Early life and Odd Future
Bennett grew up in Los Angeles in a musical household. Her mother played soul and reggae at home, and her father's family is Jamaican; his brother, Mikey Bennett, is a reggae producer in Jamaica whose studio she visited as a child.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/13/syd-the-internet-odd-future-interview-hive-mind) She started piano at age four, later learned drums and taught herself guitar, and attended the Hamilton music academy, where she became interested in sound engineering.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/13/syd-the-internet-odd-future-interview-hive-mind)
**A teenage studio.** Around age 14 she built a home studio in her bedroom, later moving it to the family guesthouse, and advertised recording time on MySpace at ten dollars an hour.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/13/syd-the-internet-odd-future-interview-hive-mind) That studio is how she met Odd Future: a client brought Hodgy to a session, word reached [Tyler, the Creator](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-the-creator), and Tyler arrived with a group to record; she says they cut the song "Seven" that day.[5](https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2016/08/syd-tha-kyd-interview/) She and her younger brother Travis "Taco" Bennett joined the collective in 2007, and the crew recorded in the Bennett family studio.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/09/syd-odd-future-internet-music-interview-beard-broken-hearts-club)
Within Odd Future she served mainly as DJ and house engineer, recording and mixing the entirety of Tyler, the Creator's album *[Goblin](https://www.edgepedia.org/goblin-album)*.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/09/syd-odd-future-internet-music-interview-beard-broken-hearts-club) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) As the group's only woman and only openly gay member at the time, she was frequently asked to answer for the collective's homophobic and misogynistic lyrics, a role she later said she came to resent.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/13/syd-the-internet-odd-future-interview-hive-mind) She has described suffering from depression while touring with the group and announced her departure in 2016, while remaining on good terms with its members.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/13/syd-the-internet-odd-future-interview-hive-mind)
## The Internet
In 2011, while still in Odd Future, Bennett co-formed the Internet with producer Matt Martians. The band's lineup came to include [Steve Lacy](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-lacy), Patrick Paige II, and Christopher Smith.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/13/syd-the-internet-odd-future-interview-hive-mind) • [7](https://www.vogue.com/article/syd-sydney-bennett-tha-kyd-the-internet-band-new-album-hive-mind-interview) The group released an album every other year from 2011 through 2015, beginning with *Purple Naked Ladies*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505)
The third album, *Ego Death* (2015), was nominated for a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) After its release, the members pursued solo projects, reconvening for the fourth album, *Hive Mind* (2018).[7](https://www.vogue.com/article/syd-sydney-bennett-tha-kyd-the-internet-band-new-album-hive-mind-interview) In 2026, Syd, Steve Lacy, and Chris Smith each released solo albums on the same day while confirming a band comeback; a new Internet album, largely written by Martians, is planned.[8](https://origin.dazeddigital.com/music/article/70680/1/syd-the-internet-interview-trump-america-beyonce-solo-album)
## Solo career
**Fin and Broken Hearts Club.** With a Columbia deal of her own, Syd released her solo debut *Fin* in 2017, an album she has said was motivated by a desire to prove her songwriting and build a career writing for others; it drew on mid- to late-1990s R&B by artists such as Brandy and Aaliyah.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/09/syd-odd-future-internet-music-interview-beard-broken-hearts-club) A three-track EP, *Always Never Home*, followed later that year.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) Her second album, *Broken Hearts Club* (April 2022), was a breakup record she has described as a form of therapy; production help came from Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Troy Taylor, and G Koop, with featured appearances by Smino, Kehlani, and [Lucky Daye](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucky-daye).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/09/syd-odd-future-internet-music-interview-beard-broken-hearts-club)
**Collaborations.** Between and alongside her solo records, Syd has been a frequent featured artist and writer. She appeared on the [Queen & Slim](https://www.edgepedia.org/queen-and-slim) soundtrack ("Getting Late"), on songs by Free Nationals, Lil Uzi Vert, Disclosure, ZAYN, and [Brittany Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/brittany-howard), and co-wrote "Plastic Off the Sofa" for Beyoncé's chart-topping *[Renaissance](https://www.edgepedia.org/renaissance-beyonce-album)*, for which she won a Grammy as a co-writer.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) • [4](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/syd-announces-north-american-tour) Tyler, the Creator, Beyoncé, and Childish Gambino are among the artists who have sought her as a producer, writer, or vocalist.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505)
**Beard.** In 2025 she released "Hey Girl(s)" with [Moses Sumney](https://www.edgepedia.org/moses-sumney) and [Meshell Ndegeocello](https://www.edgepedia.org/meshell-ndegeocello), then returned with "Die for This," a ballad written with Sarah Aarons that marked her debut on [Warner Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/warner-records) subsidiary Free Lunch and coincided with her first date opening Billie Eilish's Hit Me Hard and Soft tour.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505) Her third album, *Beard*, arrived on July 17, 2026, via Free Lunch/Warner Records, with guests including Raphael Saadiq, Big Sean, Rodney Jerkins, James Fauntleroy, Van Hunt, Jordan Ward, and the Florida duo Blu June on the lead single "Callin."[2](https://pitchfork.com/news/syd-announces-first-album-in-four-years/)
The album's title refers literally to the peach fuzz on her upper lip, which she has embraced after decades of shaving; she has polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), one symptom of which is hair growth.[2](https://pitchfork.com/news/syd-announces-first-album-in-four-years/) • [8](https://origin.dazeddigital.com/music/article/70680/1/syd-the-internet-interview-trump-america-beyonce-solo-album) She has called it her "first really me album," and ten of its twelve tracks carry her name among the production credits, including solo productions such as the bossa nova-flavored "My Love" and "Do Better."[6](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/09/syd-odd-future-internet-music-interview-beard-broken-hearts-club) • [9](https://music.apple.com/us/album/beard/6789743852) Critics received it positively: the review aggregator Chorus records an average score of 79/100 across four professional reviews, its highest-rated entry in her discography.[10](https://chorus.reviews/index.php/artists/syd)
## Touring
In support of *Beard*, Syd announced a fall 2026 UK and European tour beginning at London's All Points East festival, with dates in Manchester, Glasgow, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen.[2](https://pitchfork.com/news/syd-announces-first-album-in-four-years/) In September 2026 she announced a North American tour promoted by Live Nation, kicking off in Vancouver that November.[4](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/syd-announces-north-american-tour)
## Personal life
Syd married her longtime girlfriend, the model Simone Clay, in 2025, in a courthouse ceremony; she has said the couple moved quickly in part because of uncertainty about the future of gay marriage rights in the United States.[8](https://origin.dazeddigital.com/music/article/70680/1/syd-the-internet-interview-trump-america-beyonce-solo-album) She has spoken openly about depression during her twenties, saying that therapy and psychiatry in her late twenties helped her, and that buying a house near her childhood street in Mid-City, Los Angeles, brought her a sense of contentment.[8](https://origin.dazeddigital.com/music/article/70680/1/syd-the-internet-interview-trump-america-beyonce-solo-album) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/09/syd-odd-future-internet-music-interview-beard-broken-hearts-club)
## References
1. [Syd: Biography, Discography & Reviews, AllMusic (biography by Andy Kellman)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/syd-mn0003565505)
2. [Syd Announces First Album in Four Years, Pitchfork (May 29, 2026)](https://pitchfork.com/news/syd-announces-first-album-in-four-years/)
3. [The Internet's Syd: 'I'm the only person like me that I know', The Guardian (April 13, 2019)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/13/syd-the-internet-odd-future-interview-hive-mind)
4. [Syd Announces North American Tour, Live Nation Entertainment (September 15, 2026)](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/syd-announces-north-american-tour)
5. [Syd Tha Kyd on Finding Success with Odd Future and Her Work in The Internet, Red Bull Music Academy Daily (2016)](https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2016/08/syd-tha-kyd-interview/)
6. [R&B star Syd on her new album, the return of the Internet and Odd Future fallouts, The Guardian (July 9, 2026)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/09/syd-odd-future-internet-music-interview-beard-broken-hearts-club)
7. [Syd on The Internet's New Album Hive Mind, Vogue (July 23, 2018)](https://www.vogue.com/article/syd-sydney-bennett-tha-kyd-the-internet-band-new-album-hive-mind-interview)
8. [Syd: 'America is worth fighting for – I'm not leaving', Dazed (July 2026)](https://origin.dazeddigital.com/music/article/70680/1/syd-the-internet-interview-trump-america-beyonce-solo-album)
9. [Beard – Album by Syd, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/beard/6789743852)
10. [Syd: Critical Consensus, Reviews & Best Songs, Chorus.Reviews](https://chorus.reviews/index.php/artists/syd)
11. [Beyoncé Knowles Grammy Awards and Nominations, Song & Bio](https://www.grammy.com/artists/beyonce-knowles/12474/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B singers, 2010s to present › Surnames P to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license