Nabozny – who has since adopted the artist name CYN – grew up in Michigan, outside Detroit .
Growing up, CYN pored over the American Songbook. CYN spent a lot of time with her grandmother listening to Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, and Carole King. The voices she grew up on were far subtler than some of the belting pop vocals of today.
During her teenage years, she tells Billboard that the first place she ever performed live was in fifth grade at her elementary school, when she sang Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain't Got You.” .
CYN performed in talent contests, posted covers on Facebook, YouTube then to SoundClick , all of which failed to produce ideal outcomes. She was rejected by a music school in Chicago, she kept making music but never shouted about it and quietly took inspiration from her new city’s surroundings .
2014, she started working on a EP, which was released on her birthday through her SoundCloud page, the self-titled EP included an intro and four songs.
CYN wrote "Thriver" and some original songs and also collaborated with producers, such as "Sorrow", " KHAI", "Midoca",...
A remix of “The Only Lo Lo Lo" from the EP "CYN" featuring "Jerms" was released to Spotify and SoundCloud on November 2014 (Video was cancelled).
The rising singer wrote “something”. The original song got more than 4M plays on SoundCloud and Spotify.
Cynthia ended up signed to Unsub records, a music label by the Super-star Katy Perry. Katy said that she loved CYN's voice, and asked her to play in her living room before asking her to join her record label.
Jul 2017, She released her debut single under Katy Perry's label the song "Together", it had a lyrics video on YouTube, then followed by another song “Only with you” on september which featured a music video.
2018, She released “Alright” and “Believer” as a part of "Blue Hour", Both had music videos received more than 1M streams. September, 2018 she released her biggest hit song “I’ll still have me” and the final song from " Blue Hour" , the fan favorite song received +8M plays on Spotify & YouTube within 6 months, CYN’s “I’ll Still Have Me” explores the aftermath of a failed relationship with a performance that is both haunting and beautiful.
April, 2019 “Terrible ideas” which featured an intimate video directed by Quinn Wilson, in partnership with CHANEL Beauty. "Terrible Ideas" marked a decided shift in sound for CYN, revealing an edgier and darker side to the rising pop artist. followed By "Holy Roller", a song about sacred dedication and blind faith in someone. The song received many criticals acclaims and was her first song ever to be sent to radios .
August 2019, "Never-endin' Summer" got released and revealing that "Mood Swing" is coming. The upbeat and eclectic debut EP arrived September 20th, it contained the immaculate singles “I’ll Still Have Me” and “Holy Roller”. followed sooner by an "even moodier" rework of the debut EP, where its tender tunes about heartbreak and recovery now simmer alongside soft synths and echoey electronics.
2020, on October 20th Cyn unveiled a new song “New York", an ode to the city that never sleeps.
Cyn has recently secured multiple placements on popular movie soundtracks, including "I Can't Believe" on Netflix's To All the Boys , "Uh-Oh" and "Drinks" for the Oscar-winning film Promising Young Woman and a cover of Sixpence None the Richer's ''Kiss Me'' for Netflix's remake of the 1999 teen flick 'She's All'.
I’ll Still Have Me
CYN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought you would too
I'd run in circles
I thought you would too
Maybe in another life
Everything worked out alright
And things that made this harder passed us by
Know I got it bad when it's the morning
And you're all that's on my mind
If I don't have you
At least I'll still have me
And if I don't have you
At least I'll still have me
I never thought twice
'Cause you were my number one
I put you first 'cause
You were my only thought
No more riding on the train
No more smoking in the ally
Now my secrets only stay with me
Everybody knows I'm upset
They don't even have to ask it
They know I believed in us last week
And if I don't have you
At least I'll still have me
And if I don't have you
At least I'll still have me
And there's no reason to speak badly
We just reached our end
I will see you in parts of me
In who I was back then
If I don't have you
At least I'll still have me
And if I don't have you
At least I'll still have me, me, me
The lyrics to CYN's song "I'll Still Have Me" detail the aftermath of a breakup where the singer has been left feeling used and broken. The first verse describes how the singer gave everything they had to their partner, even breaking their back in the process, only to find out that their partner did not reciprocate the same level of effort. The chorus is an affirmation that the singer will always have themselves, even if they do not have their partner. The singer comes to terms with the reality that they cannot change the situation, yet there is still a glimmer of hope that things could have been different in another life.
The second verse continues with the theme of a broken heart, except this time the singer expresses frustration and anger towards their ex-partner. They no longer have someone to share their secrets with and feel like everyone around them knows they are upset. The chorus repeats to emphasize that the singer knows their worth and will not let the relationship define them. The final verse is about forgiveness and looking back on the relationship with a sense of nostalgia. The singer acknowledges that although the relationship did not work out, their ex-partner will always have a place in their memories and who they were back then.
Overall, the song is empowering and encouraging for anyone going through a tough time in a relationship. It highlights the importance of self-love and acceptance, even when things do not go according to plan.
Line by Line Meaning
I broke my back 'cause
I thought you would too
I put in a lot of effort because I assumed that you would do the same.
I'd run in circles
I thought you would too
I was willing to go around in circles for you because I thought that you were just as dedicated.
Maybe in another life
Everything worked out alright
And things that made this harder passed us by
But there's no bad dream to wake up from
Know I got it bad when it's the morning
And you're all that's on my mind
In an alternate reality, things might have worked out and our struggles would have been minimized. But in this reality, I wake up each morning feeling bad because you're the only thing on my mind.
If I don't have you
At least I'll still have me
And if I don't have you
At least I'll still have me
Even if I don't have you in my life, I won't completely lose my sense of identity because I will still have myself.
I never thought twice
'Cause you were my number one
I put you first 'cause
You were my only thought
I never hesitated to prioritize you because you were my top priority and the only thing I ever thought about.
No more riding on the train
No more smoking in the ally
Now my secrets only stay with me
Everybody knows I'm upset
They don't even have to ask it
They know I believed in us last week
Now that you're gone, I no longer share my secrets with anyone and people can tell that I'm upset without me having to say anything. They remember how optimistic I was about us just last week.
And there's no reason to speak badly
We just reached our end
I will see you in parts of me
In who I was back then
I don't need to speak poorly of you because our relationship has simply reached its natural conclusion. I will carry a part of you with me in my memories of who I was when we were together.
If I don't have you
At least I'll still have me
And if I don't have you
At least I'll still have me, me, me
Regardless of what happens, I will always have myself and my own sense of identity.
Writer(s): Matias Mora, Cynthia Nabozy
Contributed by Liam E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.