Nancy Dunkle is the type of person you meet once and immediately get the sense that someday you will brag about interacting with her. Besides her roles as one of my best friends and one of the most remarkable people I know, she is a talented, up-and-coming artist in the Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University, majoring in sound recording technology in their Jazz & Commercial Music program.
Her first single, “Poster Child,” was released in the summer of 2022, while her upcoming song, “Symptom” and its music video will be released on Nov. 6. I decided to sit down with her to get a sense of her thoughts during this exciting point in her life and, hopefully, to help you see why she is an artist to keep on your radar.
“Can you share a specific moment that sparked your passion for music or helped you decide that this was what you wanted to do?”
I have always loved music but didn’t pursue it much in high school. My family consists of artists who are very into music, but none are musicians. It was not something I felt like I could do, even though I genuinely loved it and had been writing songs for as long as I could remember. I considered fashion for a while, but the feeling of wanting to learn more about music and play songs on my ukulele was always there. Even when I had no plans to share songs with anyone, I would still write and play them for myself.Â
I was undecided and uninspired when I got to college, which was not fun. I wanted to feel passionate about my work, and my gut told me to pursue music. Once I found the program I’m in now, the decision was quick and instantly felt right. After I got in, I went home for the semester and made my first song, “Poster Child,” with my neighbor. After dropping it with no promotion at all, I got back to school and got booked to open for another band. It was terrifying, but once I got used to playing shows, I knew I wanted to do it forever. It’s been insane to see myself grow, but I feel confident in my abilities now.
“How does being a college student influence your music, specifically with your unique position at Setnor as a sound recording technology major?”
Overall, it’s a super motivating and inspiring experience. I’m in the epicenter of all these crazy musicians who want to work together and do the same things I do, and learning from them is incredible.Â
It’s especially cool because many of them are my closest friends. Everyone is so ambitious in their own way, and being surrounded by that many motivated people makes it hard not to want to work towards your goals. It’s also amazing to have such helpful professors who will answer any questions, listen to my mixes and help me write originals.
“How would you describe your style of music? How do you hope that will evolve throughout your career?”
I love so many different styles of music, and I tend to get into specific bands or genres at various times and then decide that I need to make music just like them. But after I write, I often don’t end up recording it because of the difficulty of balancing music with my homework and other commitments. It’s a lot to balance, but postgrad, I want to explore and make as much music in as many genres as possible.Â
For now, folk comes most naturally to me writing-wise and I adore it in every capacity. I didn’t grow up on it, but I’m a lyrics person. I love music that makes me feel strong emotions. I grew up mostly on new wave and indie rock, which appeals to me in a different way. Writing in that genre is much more challenging because it doesn’t come to me as intuitively.
I hope to get a better handle on different genres in the future and be able to write a broader range of stuff. Through that, I want to draw from various other things and find a style that feels most authentic to arrange and perform. My goal is always to experiment!
“What vibe were you going for with your upcoming song? What do you want listeners to take away?”
I wrote “Symptom” last fall when I was not doing well mentally. I was feeling overwhelmed and not confident in who I was. I felt susceptible to acting like others and didn’t feel I had a strong sense of self. The first riff and chorus melody came super easily to me, and I was so excited about it. I contacted my friend Jack Harrington, who helped me record and arrange it. He was very helpful in transferring what I felt in my head into the song.
At the moment, I wanted to keep the lyrical vibe of “Poster Child” but make it more crunchy folk, which I had been listening to a lot at the time. Beyond that, I didn’t have much of a pre-existing vibe; it was about capturing my thoughts and doing what felt right. I am not expecting to break bounds or reinvent anything with my music; it’s a personal thing to constantly work on and evolve with me. Even if I hate my songs in the future, they all reflect my past mindsets and what I was listening to at the time. It’s really cool to look back on.Â
In the music video, I am at a skeleton party at my friend’s house, doing leisurely activities with the skeletons. It was so much fun to film. This was my first time combining music with visual art so closely. Dreaming it all up and throwing ideas around with my friends in film school was so much fun, and I’m grateful that my friend Jackson Barnes, who produced the video, really understood how to translate the song into visuals.
“Who are your dream collaborators?”
Adrienne Lenker is my god; she is magical. That would be so cool, but I don’t know if I could match her energy! Also, of course, Frank Ocean. Even a new Frank Ocean song at this point would be awesome, but a collab would obviously be sick, too. If I could only pick one artist for the rest of time, it would easily be Frank Ocean.
“Tell me about the songwriting process. How do you get started, and what is your favorite part?”
I am not a journaler, but songwriting fills that role for me. I kind of just brain dump, which is very therapeutic for me. I will have dry spells where I have no ideas; other times, I’m constantly putting things in my voice memos. My favorite part is after a dry spell when I quickly come up with an idea I like and get to put it into motion. It’s such a dopamine rush.
The songwriting process is always happening; I feel like the back of my mind is constantly churning with random little thoughts and melodies. I keep my guitar beside my bed and try to write as much as possible. I’ve been trying to make it a bit more scheduled and less sporadic to see how it would affect my music if I made it more of an official process.
“Before we wrap up, if you had to form a band of animals to play with, who would play which instrument?”
Hmmm, it’s tough picking just one animal per instrument. The first thing that came to mind was a green lizard/gecko situation with a crazy, spikey electric guitar. Obviously, Zebra is on the keys because they match colors, and Hippo is playing bass. I think I would need a toad on the drums. That’s my dream animal band.
Take my word for it: everyone who knows Nancy or even just hears her voice loves her. You will, too. Stream “Symptom” on all platforms starting Nov. 6, and brag in a few years that you knew about her before she was famous.