SYML

Biography

SYML (stylized in all caps) is the solo venture of Brian Leseney Fennell (born January 16, 1983), an American musician from Issaquah, Washington. He was previously part of the indie band Barcelona. SYML released his eponymous debut album on May 3, 2019, through Nettwerk Records.

Early life

Brian Fennell was born on January 16, 1983, in Issaquah, Washington, to 17- and 18-year-old second generation Welsh immigrants. He was adopted soon thereafter. From a young age, he began studying classical piano, often playing in his grandmother's retirement home. He was raised a Christian but stopped following the religion during his teenage years. He began writing his own music when he was 18 years old, his first song being used as a coping mechanism after the death of a schoolmate. After high school, he attended Seattle Pacific University and graduated with a degree in music education with an emphasis in percussion. After years of living in and around Seattle, he returned to his hometown and resides there where he writes and produces out of a home studio.

Career

In 2005, SYML finished his first solo album Safety Songs. By the end of that year, he formed the band Barcelona with Brian Eichelberger, Chris Bristol, and Rhett Stonelake. Their debut album Absolutes was released in 2007. Universal Records signed Barcelona in 2008 and re-released Absolutes with four new songs in 2009.
He currently performs under the solo project SYML Welsh for "simple" and pronounced "sim-muhl", inspired by his own personal heritage from his biological parents, who are Welsh. His experience grappling with his adoption and heritage are influences in his songwriting.
He shared his self-titled debut album in 2019 with the now Platinum-certified single "Where's My Love×Where's My Love2017 · Other · DemoSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Where's My Love (Radio Edit)3:342Where's My Love (Acoustic)4:003Where's My Love3:224Where's My Love (JordanXL Remix)3:39" and the wordless EP You Knew It Was Me×You Knew It Was Me27 November 2020 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1I Wanted to Leave3:242In Between Breaths3:243Next to You3:274Pure3:365Bright as Ever3:276Where We Landed4:35 in November 2020. In 2021, SYML released his third body of work, titled Dim inspired by his late father's cancer diagnosis. Fennell believes the word 'dim' perfectly describes mourning, a theme he continues to visit throughout his work.
After his song "Where's My Love" was used on the drama TV show Teen Wolf, the song charted for 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart. In 2018, the song received Gold certification in Canada and Belgium, and held the number one spot on Canada's CBC Top 20 chart twice. SYML's "Wildfire×Wildfire22 March 2019 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Wildfire3:492Wildfire (alternate version)3:543Wildfire (piano solo)3:554Wildfire (piano and violin version)3:55" appeared in the Belgian teen drama web series wtFOCK, an adaptation of the Norwegian series SKAM. "Where's My Love" was featured prominently in the trailer for the 2018 film Adrift. SYMLs singles "Where's My Love", "Fear of Water" and "Body" were featured in the American supernatural drama television series Shadowhunters. In 2020, "Where's My Love" appeared in the movie Chemical Hearts. In Season 1 of Prime Video's German Original series Maxton Hall - The World Between Us, "Where's My Love" was featured in episode 3. SYML's "Carry No Thing" was written for Maxton Hall and was featured in season 2 episode 1.
SYML collaborated with Lana Del Rey on the song "Paris, Texas", which was released on March 24, 2023, on the album Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. The song samples SYML's instrumental track "I Wanted to Leave×I Wanted to Leave9 October 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I Wanted to Leave3:24" from his EP You Knew It Was Me.
On February 3, 2023, SYML released his second album The Day My Father Died×The Day My Father Died3 February 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Howling5:232Believer4:233Laughing at the Storm3:384Sweet Home4:095Lost Myself3:346The Day My Father Died3:237Feel Your Pain4:308Tragic Magic3:229Chariot3:2110Marion3:3511Better Part of Me3:4612Baby Don't Lie3:5613You and I3:1314Caving In3:0815Corduroy3:38, which consists of 15 tracks. The album was produced by Phil Ek and includes collaborations with Lucius, Guy Garvey, Sara Watkins, and Charlotte Lawrence. Expanding on themes from his previous EP Dim, the album focuses on “what happens after we have lost.”
In January 2025, SYML announced his third studio album, Nobody Lives Here×Nobody Lives Here4 April 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1A1000:392Carry No Thing3:243Careful2:294Please Slow Down2:445The White Light of the Morning2:586Wake3:487Heavy Hearts2:588How It Was It Will Never Be Again2:179Something Beautiful and Bright3:2610Heartbreakdown4:1511Nobody Lives Here3:38, which was released on April 4, 2025.

Personal life

Fennell and his wife, Marion Fennell, have three children. They live near Seattle, Washington.
Fennell's adoptive father died of cancer in 2021. His death inspired his album The Day My Father Died×The Day My Father Died3 February 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Howling5:232Believer4:233Laughing at the Storm3:384Sweet Home4:095Lost Myself3:346The Day My Father Died3:237Feel Your Pain4:308Tragic Magic3:229Chariot3:2110Marion3:3511Better Part of Me3:4612Baby Don't Lie3:5613You and I3:1314Caving In3:0815Corduroy3:38.