2020 Vision: An In-Depth Talk with Buffalo Musician Skylar Forester

(EDITOR’S NOTE — A few months back, we stumbled upon 31-year-old Buffalo singer-songwriter Skylar Forester after they posted on social media they were seeking gigs. Curious, we looked them up on Spotify and discovered their debut EP, ‘Then and Now.’ We gave it a spin. And then we spun it again, and again and again. Bright, personal, and expressive, the record is comprised of well-crafted songs enhanced by crystalline vocals. And now, Skylar will be following up that debut release with a new single titled ‘2020 Vision,’ which drops tomorrow (Friday Aug. 22). Recently, Skylar was kind enough to meet with 1120 Press for a wide-ranging discussion that covered everything from their writing process, to being a queer musician, overcoming self-doubt and becoming more comfortable as both a songwriter and person, their new single and what else might be on the agenda for 2025. It was a great talk and we’re happy to bring it to you. Skylar’s new song hits streaming platforms at midnight. You can find their music on Spotify HERE and Bandcamp HERE, follow them on Instagram HERE, and catch them playing around Buffalo, often with fellow musician Ke’rrah Bell. — Photos Provided)

1120 PRESS: Thank you for speaking with us and congrats on all that’s been happening: a new single dropping tomorrow, your debut EP ‘Then and Now’ released earlier this year, and all the shows you’ve been playing. Let’s start with the EP. Can you talk about writing and putting it together and how you feel about it? It’s very good.

SKYLAR FORESTER: Thank you. Yeah, so, it’s a collection of songs I’ve written over the years. I started writing songs more seriously when I was, like 13, or 14. The first song — ‘Brighter’ —I think I wrote that one when I was 15. The second track (‘Doesn’t Feel Like Home’) was from when I was 21-ish, and then the third, (‘Notice Me’) was from a couple years ago. Maybe 2018. So, I was old (laughs). The final song (‘Alive’) was from a year or two ago. So, it was really interesting just kind of getting everything together to make it happen because I didn't anticipate putting out music.

1120: Really? Why?

SF: I didn't like my music when I was writing it. I never felt confident in it, so I didn't feel comfortable putting it out into the world. When I went back to school for music, I started talking about it more with people at Villa Maria — the professors and other people, and they were like, ‘You should put out your music.’ So, when it came time for my senior project last fall, initially, I thought maybe I’d put together a show or something. But then I ended up thinking, ‘why don't I just do an EP? It doesn't have to be anything crazy. I'll just record what I have: my voice, my guitar, my ukulele, whatever, and then just put it out.’ And so, that's what I did. When I started recording it, I was like: ‘I don't know how this is going to go; I don't know how people are going to receive this. They might think this is silly, that these songs are just very juvenile.’ I didn't think that people would like them. But I kept recording, and I decided: ‘You know what? It doesn't matter. I like it and that's fine.’ So, I put the songs out and then I had an EP release party at Villa. People came and they really enjoyed the songs and connected with them. I thought: ‘This is cool. Maybe I should actually start playing out.’ I started going to open mics at Caffe Aroma. People would say, ‘Oh, your songs are really good. You should play more places.’ So, then I started playing Porch Fests and branched out from there.

1120: You identify as non-binary, transmasc. These aren’t easy times. The policy and politics are scary. At the same time, when we listen to your music, there’s an optimism. Can you talk about that? Where does that come from considering the climate right now?

SF: It's so funny because I've had songs that I've written years ago which I don't even know where they are anymore. They don't exist in my files anymore. But they all used to be really, really depressing and it was because I was a teenager, and I was going through a lot of stuff. And so, I was just kind of writing about that. But in recent years, I've been a lot more comfortable with myself, comfortable with where I am in life, more comfortable with being alive. So, a lot of stuff has been kind of more optimistic lately. It's just, I guess, growing up and not being sad anymore as much. And that’s not to say I don’t get sad, but…

1120: You use simple language in your songs. You tell stories. Can you talk about

your lyrical approach and who you're influenced by? It reminds us of Tracy Chapman and Bruce Springsteen in the way you use simple scenarios to weave stories, like on ‘Doesn’t Feel Like Home’ where you talk about walking into and looking around your room. Not everyone can pull that off. If you're not good at it, it can come off corny, which isn’t the case with you.

SF: One of the things I've always had contentions with was my lyric writing, which is why I was so hard on myself for so long. I was like, ‘Oh, I'm just being very simple in how I'm saying things and not using metaphors.’ But I've also never really been a metaphorical person. It just doesn't work for me. I just usually end up just saying what I mean. And that's okay. I don't think everyone has to do metaphors or really complex language to tell a story.

I listened to a lot of pop and country growing up because that's just what my family listened to. I listened to some other things too, but it was a lot of pop and country. So, I think that is where just being simple with my language comes from, because with that music they're just like: ‘This is what I'm saying. This is what I mean.’

1120: Your voice is very good. What is your training and musical background?

SF: When I was in elementary school, I stumbled into a chorus room just randomly. I had a friend who was like, ‘Oh, I wanna go to this thing, but I don't wanna go alone. Will you go with me?’ So, I went. I had no idea what I was getting into. We get there and it's the chorus, and the music teacher says, ‘Alright everyone, I'm putting you in voice placements…’  At this point, I had been singing for years. I grew up around it. My dad sang and played guitar, my sister sings, my grandmother on my dad's side sang in the choir in church and everything. It’s something that’s been in the family for years. So, anyway, I joined chorus, and I loved it, and I was in it all the way up through graduation. I was in chorus, chorale, women's chorus, our school musical… I also took two semesters of lessons when I first went to Villa, so that's like my formal training. Now I'm in voice lessons. I wanted to take lessons because I felt like my voice was really not great for a couple years and it’s been helping me get my voice back up to par again. As good as I might be, I don't think that I am done with lessons. There are things that I want to improve upon. There are things that I want to be able to do that I'm not able to do yet.  And breath control is hard. (laughs)

1120: You are also a multi-instrumentalist. Are you self-taught on the guitar or do you take lessons for that too?

SF: My dad actually taught me. ‘Here's some chords. This is what the parts of a guitar are.’ And I played those chords obsessively for like two hours a day. And then I would come up to him and be like, "Teach me more." And he'd say, "You're not ready yet." And I’d tell him, "Well, too bad. I am ready." And so, then I would just go online, and I started looking up chords and teaching myself songs. My dad had a song book with all his songs in it. And I went up to him and I said, "Look, I can play one of your songs." And I played it, and he was like, "Um, what? I gave you four chords." (laughs) So, I just learned that way. But I don't know scales or anything. I don't play riffs. I just know chords. And that was enough for me.

1120: You have a new single coming out tomorrow. What can you tell us about it?  

SF: The song is called ‘2020 Vision.’ This one's not acoustic. I recorded it with some of my colleagues at Villa for our recording class, actually. A lot of it is digital. The only things that aren’t are the bass and the guitars.

1120: We heard a little of it. The subject matter seems heavier.  Is it about Gaza?

SF: Actually, it's kind of a collection of thoughts about everything that’s going on. So, like, the first verse is about Gaza, and then the next verse is about people being homeless. It also talks about people protesting and being attacked in the streets for protesting. So, it's kind of like me talking about seeing all this stuff happening and feeling hopeless about it and not knowing what to do.

1120: Do you feel a responsibility as an artist to write about social issues?  

SF: At times, yes, because I feel like if I don't talk about things then I'm just being quiet and complicit, and that's not great. There are a lot of people in this world who are being quiet and complicit in what's happening, and I don't want to be one of those people, you know? I want to talk about those things. And on social media, I do post about those subjects. I've always been, very outspoken about things. But I just wanted to put some of those thoughts with my music. I've always liked political music. And I have really just gotten into political music more. It’s an outlet. I feel super overwhelmed all the time because I'm like, ‘Oh my God, there's so much happening.’

1120: With your EP out, and new single dropping tomorrow, what else do you have going on in the near future? Do you envision another EP this year?

SF: Not this year, no. Since I graduated Villa, I don't have access to recording equipment anymore. So, it makes it a little bit harder. I used to write a lot more when I was younger. Now, it’s been more sparse; it's kind of like when inspiration strikes, it comes out. I have another song that I wrote that I have been playing out that I want to get recorded. So that's something that's on the back burner. I want to eventually do a cover album too because there are so many musicians and songs and artists that have inspired me. I also have a friend who's graduating from Villa this upcoming year, and he’s working on some music for his senior project, and he asked if I would sing with him. So, I might, pop in on a single with him.

1120: Thank you again for speaking with us. Is there anything else you want to mention that we haven’t touched upon?

SF: You know, just check out my social media and my Bandcamp. I'm working on trying to get merch going too. So maybe that'll be a thing at some point. And visit my website, schuylerforester.com, which I might rework again for the millionth time because nothing's ever perfect (laughs).