Who will perform at iHeartRadio's Wango Tango Festival and win $10,000? You decide.

Learn more about Sydney Shea

• What do you love about music and performing? I was never the kid who was drawn to dolls, I was drawn to my diary. I’d scribble words onto the pages and fill them with nonsense until it eventually made sense. When I was old enough to turn that expression into song, it just felt like what I was meant to do. Singing came hand in hand. I used to perform on my grandma’s bay window platform for my whole family, long before I even knew how to speak. Performing has always been where I feel the happiest, most honest version of myself.
• Who are your biggest music inspirations and dream collaborators? My mom always tells the story of when I was two years old, singing all the lyrics to Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” from the backseat on the way to preschool, except I thought the line was “the ship is bananas.” Sharing a stage with Gwen Stefani has been a dream of mine ever since. I admire her boldness, individuality, and the way she’s always stayed true to herself while evolving as an artist. Collaborating with someone like Gwen would be full circle for me.
• What makes you the Next Music Star? I think people are craving realness again. Raw vocals. Messy emotions. Lyrics that don’t hide behind perfect production. I bring that. I’ve built an audience from nothing by showing up consistently, sharing what I write, and letting people in, one song at a time. And I truly believe I was meant to do this. I’m not waiting for the moment, I’m creating it.
• What would you do with the $10,000? I would put every dollar back into my artist career. That means finishing songs I’ve written and getting them professionally mixed, mastered, and released. I’d invest in visuals, music videos, content shoots, and live performance setups that help bring my songs to life the way I see them in my head. Every part of me is in this, and this support would help me bring it to the world in a bigger way.