From Word Games to Tour Vans: How Lyncs Found Her Voice and Hit the Road with The Ivy
On a spring tour that winds through cities and soundchecks, rising indie artist Lyncs is soaking in the journey, both literally and creatively. Now sharing the road with dream-pop duo The Ivy, she brings her vibrant, story-driven songwriting and magnetic presence to new stages across the country. We caught up with her before a San Diego show to talk about growing up on UK punk, the poetry of screenwriting, and how a word game with her grandma led to the name Lyncs.
Photo taken by Kelsey Mohammed
What brings you to San Diego? How did you end up touring with the Ivy?
“I ended up touring with the Ivy cause (we) got connected through our managers, and through Spotify - they have a great algorithm to show you similar artists. Our teams got linked up and... yeah! I've been on the road with them now for three days, and we're going from March 25th to April 25th.”
Have you done anything like this before in terms of touring?
“Yeah, I toured last year with Cayley Spivey and Laur Elle. We did a spring tour, and then a summer tour, and that was really fun, so - hoping to do the same this year. “
What has the touring experience been like for you?
“So far, it just feels like summer camp. It's a lot of getting to hang out and talk music, talk movies, TV. It's fun exploring new cities and places I've never been to. These guys are great, they've done this for so many years - I think like ten now, so they have so much experience, and I'm just learning a lot and taking everything in like a sponge.”
How did you get your name?
“Oh, I love this question! I always knew I wanted to be an artist, and when it came time to come up with my artist name, I went to my grandma, actually, because she plays this word game for like, her brain.”
What's the word game?
“Oh! She makes it up herself - she takes a piece of paper and writes a word, and then tries to find as many words from that word as she can. So I told her, ‘Grandma, just come up with any word. It doesn't even have to be a word.’ So she took my full name, Jacqueline Hynes, and then made, I think it was like, forty names? She emailed them to me, and Lyncs was the last one, and it stuck out to me. I wanted to have something forever as I grew as an artist [that] could carry ‘home’ with me.”
So where are you from? What are your origins?
“I'm from Lancaster, PA. My origins in music are very rooted in like... UK punk. My mom is really into Depeche Mode, U2, and the Killers. And then my dad's from England, so I grew up listening to a lot of like, Queen, The Clash, and The Police. So I’d say my roots started there. And when I was really young, I was in (the) orchestra - that was just like, an option at school. I loved it because it was music, and I ran with that until I found a bass guitar, and then when I found a bass guitar, I found guitar, and then piano. It all kind of inspired me.”
Photo taken by Kelsey Mohammed
What did you play in the orchestra?
“Upright bass. I started on violin, but then I ended up with the upright bass. I just looked back one day – I was in the violin section, and was like, “That looks really fun.” And the orchestra director said, ‘Oh, our bassist is gone. We need a bassist and there's only one.’ And I was like the only person to raise my hand. Yeah, it got me here.”
What would you say you gravitate towards when you’re writing?
“Yeah, I mean sometimes I like to start with the music first, sometimes I like to start with the message first. I do believe that once I'm done with the song, it is kind of the audience’s. Like, the listeners’. It becomes theirs. So I try to keep that in mind, but just truly write from the heart, and that takes place in many forms. Sometimes it's through poetry, sometimes it's through literally just writing words on a sheet of paper or in my notes app. Sometimes I pull out the voice memo app and just kind of talk to myself and just see what comes out of it - if I'm experiencing something, or whatever I'm inspired by recently. I've been really inspired by watching movies and TV shows, and reading through scripts. For some reason, I'm seeing a lot of scripts on my TikTok algorithm, so I've been really into seeing dialogue and how directors and writers, screenwriters, choose the words and why they're there. I think you can draw a lot of parallels to that with music and lyrics, so that's been just like a fun little new discovery.”
Are there any particular scripts that have stuck out to you?
“The Severance stuff has been really cool, because every word they say is tied to something. And I really like that. I had a friend recently tell me that I'm ‘building a vocabulary of what Lyncs says.’ I think there are words that are used (from) that TV show. Monty Python, as a comedy, is one of my favorite movies. I recently reread that script, which was really cool.”
If you're building your vocabulary right now, what do you think has been integrated into it so far?
“A lot of nostalgic words - I really like telling stories with music. Growing up, that's just what I gravitated towards listening to - I think a lot of my inspirations are similar, and as I was learning to songwrite, that's just what I kind of gravitated towards. But in terms of words, it's hard to pinpoint where they come from. I just kind of stumble upon them. Like, ‘flicker’ would be a word I would use... instead of like ‘turn on the light switch.’”
You mentioned poetry. Are there any other kinds of mediums that you feel are good outlets for you? Is music mainly your home?
“I would say music is pretty much my home... I am really into going to art museums and looking at things - I'm a very visual person, I love a lot of color. I have a painting by Lee Krasner up in my living room, which is just a print, but I'm really inspired by her work, which is abstract. She was one of the first women to paint abstract. She was the wife of Jackson Pollock, and was kind of overshadowed, so I like keeping that in mind because being a woman in the industry can be pretty intense. I like looking at that and being like, oh, yeah, I can do this. She did that, I can do this. Things like that empower me to just keep going every day and not lose myself in it.”
Anything else you want to say to people, artists, or any readers?
“I think whatever you set your mind to, whatever your goal is, it's yourself that’s really the only thing in your way. I think there were a lot of times where I felt stuck because of where I was, but at the end of the day, I just had to do it, and just write the song, put it out. And I think if there's artists who are out there who are struggling - whether it's finding their voice, or... releasing music is really difficult, and even playing shows is hard - but I think it's just putting the pedal to the metal every day and knowing that it's completely possible. As long as you just kind of have that blind belief in yourself, a little bit. But it's completely possible. Anything's possible.”
Anything else fans should know?
“Yeah, I have a new song that just came out - it's called ‘I LIVE IN THIS BODY’ and it's out on all platforms. And I'm on tour with the Ivy from March 25th to April 25th, so come check us out in your city.”
Photo taken by Kelsey Mohammed
Whether she’s writing lyrics inspired by TV dialogue or pulling melodies from late-night voice memos, Lyncs approaches her art with curiosity, courage, and an undeniable sense of heart. With her latest single “I LIVE IN THIS BODY” now streaming and a month-long tour in full swing, she’s only gaining momentum. If she’s coming to a city near you, don’t miss the chance to witness an artist who’s learning, evolving, and lighting up each room she steps into.