Despite an early descent into frigid New York temperatures, an ascending Syracuse-area singer/songwriter offers a warming assurance of optimism in the coming year. After a whirlwind close to 2025 that saw her secure professional management and ink a new record deal, Sydney Irving predicts that “Something Better” is yet to come with the third music video released from her highly successful full-length album, Unfashioned Creatures.
Now, the northern air has warmed as we approach the homestretch of the holiday season. With that, views of Sydney Irving’s new music video have spread like fire, catching the eyes of over 20,000 viewers on YouTube since it was released a few short weeks ago.
Irving has set a high bar if the ascending Central NY singer/songwriter will surpass the milestones she has achieved in 2025. Over the last several months, she has signed with Rochester-based management firm, Pilato Entertainment. With 40+ years of experience in the music industry and a client list including Asia, Vanilla Fudge, Lou Gramm and late rock icons Greg Lake (ELP) and Rick Derringer, Bruce Pilato is poised to lift his most recent find to new heights.
Don’t you know love is fleeting
It flickers like lights on the street
Don’t you forget the feeling
Of hope that the new year might bring
Something better
Something better
From “Something Better” by Sydney Irving
Finally legal to purchase alcohol in 2025, Irving has grown into this version of herself ever since she received her first guitar as a nine-year-old child. She started guitar lessons a couple months later and soon was writing songs on her bedroom floor after school, heavily influenced by Taylor Swift and Tom Petty. Since then Sydney Irving then started performing live gigs at fourteen and released her debut album, Hello Stranger. Four years later, she followed with her sophomore effort, The Halfmoon Sessions.
With the help of Pilato, Irving quickly signed with Deko Entertainment, a distribution arm of Warner Group. Deko’s extensive roster includes a variety of well-known musicians such as Slash (Guns N’ Roses), John Entwistle (The Who), Michael Hutchenson (INXS), Brian Seltzer Orchestra, Dokken, Warrant, and 80’s pop star, Tiffany. Now, Deko Entertainment looks to the future with the rising but experienced talent in Irving to bolster their foundational legacy artists.
The third single off her third album, “Something Better” finds Irving wistfully daydreaming of warmer weather and better days to come. It’s a song co-written with producer Steven Sopchak. Irving says, “It’s about finding optimism when things don’t seem so optimistic. He came up with the chorus from a dream he had, which we felt was a good sign when writing it.”
Pilato has promised national showcases for the precocious talent. The first featured spotlight of 2026 has already been announced, with an appearance in Rochester. With her full band, The Creatures, Sydney Irving will appear at the Bug Jar on January 17th, supported by The Turbulents. A behemoth relative to its size, the Bug Jar is a vibe in and of itself — and it has served as a breeding ground for local and nationally up-and-coming touring musicians on Monroe Avenue for decades.
Make it an unforgettable night and catch Sydney Irving at an intimate venue before the starlet flies off into the stratosphere.
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