Biography
Skye was born on May 5, 1988, to Deirdre and Greg Sweetnam. She was named after the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Along with her sister, Aurora, and her brother, Cameron, Sweetnam was born and raised in the small town of Bolton, Ontario, where she studied dancing and singing from a young age. She began singing at the age of 5, performing for family members and friends only. By her early teens she had moved on to songwriting, and recorded a demo with the help of a local Bolton music school. Sweetnam was also a full-time Regional Arts Program student at Mayfield Secondary School in Caledon, Ontario, majoring in drama.
Noise from the Basement (2004–2005)
She worked with local producer and instrumentalist, James Robertson. Together, Robertson and Sweetnam worked on what would later become Noise from the Basement, her Capitol Records/EMI debut. The single "Billy S." appeared in July 2003 on the soundtrack to the movie How to Deal, and quickly took off in Canada. Two more singles were released from her debut and fared moderately on the charts. In 2004, Sweetnam went on tour over Europe and North America, as the opening act for Britney Spears on her Onyx Hotel Tour, although her performances were cut due to Spears' knee injury. In early 2005, the album was re-released with a DVD.
Various Soundtracks (2005–2007)
Skye eventually gained a bigger following with a younger crowd by doing theme songs for various television shows for children and teenagers, such as The Buzz On Maggie, Wayside, and Radio Free Roscoe, the latter of which she also guest starred on for one episode. Sweetnam then took part in five compilation albums for Disney: Radio Disney Jingle Jams, Radio Disney Jams, Vol. 8, DisneyMania 3, and DisneyRemixMania.
In 2006, Skye acted as the singing voice for Barbie in The Barbie Diaries. In 2006, she recorded the song "Boyhunter" in Simlish for the October 2006 release of The Sims 2: Pets. "Sugar Guitar" was featured in a Zellers commercial for the 2007 back to school season. It was also the 9th track featured in the Love For Nana - Only 1 Tribute CD for the Japanese comic Nana. Tim Armstrong and Sweetnam released the single "Into Action" in March 2007.
Sound Soldier (2007–2008)
On August 30, 2007, Sweetnam performed at the CD release party for dodger, her first live performance since her August 2005 Sea World gig, and her first live performance with her new band. She performed brand new material including "Boyhunter", her version of "Into Action", "Makeout Song", "Ghosts", and "Music Is My Boyfriend". All of the songs are included on her second album, Sound Soldier, which she describes as "Nine Inch Nails meets Britney Spears". The album was originally set for a spring release, but Capitol Records pushed the album back, partially due to re-structuring from its merger with Virgin Records. Their parent company EMI released the album on October 30, 2007 in Canada only, with the leading single "Human." Sweetnam was the opening act for Canadian Idol winner Kalan Porter on his 2007 tour. She then toured as part of the School Rocks Canada tour and then co-headlined a tour with Faber Drive from October - November 2007.
The album was released in Japan on February 14, 2008 as stated on her MySpace page, which also featured the bonus track "Girl Like Me".
In a recent video she posted on her Youtube page, "Skye Plays Dress Up 2.- Princess Purple", she showed previews of two new unreleased songs entitled "Heartbreak" and "Boomerang".
The music video for "Human" was nominated for a 2008 MuchMusic Video Award for Best Cinematography, but lost to Hedley's "She's So Sorry".
On April 25, 2009 Skye posted on her personal Twitter that she was at the studio. Previous to this, Skye also announced that she would be in the studio working on a new album. An unreleased song "Love Sugar Sweet" was featured in a video she posted on Youtube. On August 26, 2009 Skye posted on her twitter that she is recording vocals for a new single that will be released in Japan.
Skye provided vocals for the song "Where I Want To Be", a song on Jun Senoue's new album, The Works.
Sweetnam also recorded "Where I want to be" for Jun Senoue's album, The Works, and directed a music video for Leah Daniels' song "Northern Señorita" as well as for Ashes' song "Explode (Makes My Head)". Sweetnam also co-wrote two songs for Ashes.
2009–present: Sumo Cyco
Sweetnam began working on new music in 2009 and formed a new band, Sumo Cyco, a four-piece heavy metal and punk rock band that opened for Hollywood Undead in Toronto in April 2011. Sweetnam now went by the name Sever, which was her current alter-ego.
As of July 2012, Sumo Cyco has released six singles: "Mercy", "Limp", "Interceptor", "Danger", "Loose Cannon", and a cover of Oingo Boingo's "Who Do You Want To Be?". With each new song, Sumo Cyco would direct and put together their own music videos for their YouTube channel which, as of July 2022, has received over seven million views.
Sweetnam's song "(Let's Get Movin') Into Action" was also used in an episode of the Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, in one deleted scene from Bandslam, and in the films Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach, Hotel for Dogs, and the 2010 popular film Ramona and Beezus (starring Joey King and Selena Gomez). It was also included in the soundtrack for Music from Degrassi: The Next Generation.
In April and May 2014, Sumo Cyco toured Ireland and the UK after their performances at Indie Week Ireland. Then, on June 10, 2014, they released their debut album, Lost in Cyco City, in Canada.
On March 10, 2015, Sumo Cyco announced that they had signed with TKO (The Kirby Organization) Booking Agency, known for its representation of hard rock and metal acts, for worldwide representation.
Sumo Cyco released their second album Opus Mar in 2017.
In January 2020, the band announced that they had signed a deal with Napalm Records. They released their third album Initiation through Napalm Records in 2021.
Billy S.
Skye Sweetnam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's way too early to catch a bus,
Why conform without a fuss,
Daddy Daddy, no, I don't want to go to school, woo!
I don't need to read Billy Shakespeare,
Meet Juliet or Malvolio,
Feel for once what it's like to rebel now,
Teachers treat us all like clones,
Sit up straight, take off your headphones,
I don't blame them, they get paid,
Money money, woo, lot's of money money, woo!
I don't need to read Billy Shakespeare,
Meet Juliet or Malvolio,
Feel for once what it's like to rebel now,
I want to break out, let's go!
Get out, get out, get out, get out, woo!
Get out, get out, get out, get out!
To skip or not to skip? that is the question.
Get out, get out, get out, get out, woo!
Get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out,
Get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out!
I don't need to read Billy Shakespeare,
Meet Juliet or Malvolio,
Feel for once what it's like to rebel now,
I want to break out, let's go!
I don't need to read Billy Shakespeare,
Meet Juliet or Malvolio,
Feel for once what it's like to rebel now,
I want to break out, let's go!
Get out, get out, get out, get out, woo!
Get out, get out, get out, get out, woo!
Feel for once what it's like to rebel now,
I want to break out, let's go!
Get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out!
Skye Sweetnam’s song “Billy S.” is an anthem for teenage rebellion and a rejection of conformity. It opens with the relatable struggles of waking up on a Monday morning for school. The singer does not want to conform to the expectations of society, as represented by the institutions of school and academia, and instead wants to rebel against them. The song mentions the famous playwright William Shakespeare and his works, specifically Romeo and Juliet and Malvolio, but the singer rejects the idea that she needs to study them to be considered intelligent or educated. Instead, she wants to experience the thrill of rebellion, to break free from society’s expectations and expectations of conformity.
Throughout the song, the singer emphasizes the need to break free from societal norms and expectations, to rebel and feel alive. The chorus repeats the refrain, “I don’t need to read Billy Shakespeare, meet Juliet or Malvolio, feel for once what it’s like to rebel now, I want to break out, let’s go!”. She is calling for others to join her, encouraging them to break free from their own confines and to seek out adventure and rebellion. The song ends on a note of empowerment, with the singer urging everyone to leave behind the expectations of society and explore their own paths.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up tired, Monday mornings suck,
Starting the week is never easy, especially early in the morning.
It's way too early to catch a bus,
The daily schedule can feel too demanding, starting with catching the bus at the crack of dawn.
Why conform without a fuss,
Why fall in line and follow the expected norms without some resistance?
Daddy Daddy, no, I don't want to go to school, woo!
The artist would rather avoid school altogether and laments having to go.
Teachers treat us all like clones,
Teachers tend to treat all students the same, as if they are interchangeable clones.
Sit up straight, take off your headphones,
Students are often told how to behave and how to focus, with rigid expectations of posture and attention.
I don't blame them, they get paid,
The singer has empathy for teachers as they are only doing their job, which is paid work.
Money money, woo, lot's of money money, woo!
Money is an important motivator for some people, and this line implies they are paid well.
Get out, get out, get out, get out, woo!
A repeated cry to escape from the constraints of school.
To skip or not to skip? that is the question.
The artist is weighing up the decision to skip class.
Feel for once what it's like to rebel now,
The singer is seeking the feeling of standing up against the norm.
I want to break out, let's go!
The artist wants to break free from the limitations placed on them.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES ROBERTSON, SKYE SWEETNAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind