SINDYSMAN ft: China Lilly - BALANCE (Single) + Interview

Independent producer and rapper SINDYSMAN joins forces once again with singer songwriter China Lilly for their latest collaborative release, “BALANCE,” arriving worldwide on 12 June 2026.

Known for his genre blurring production and forward thinking approach to music, SINDYSMAN provides the foundation for the track’s hypnotic blend of Soul, R&B and rap. Meanwhile, China Lilly’s emotionally resonant songwriting and signature layered harmonies bring warmth and depth to a song centred on navigating uncertainty and finding stability during times of change.

Produced by SINDYSMAN, “BALANCE” combines reflective lyricism with an uplifting groove, pairing crisp rap verses with China Lilly’s velvety vocals. The result is a rich, contemporary sound that balances introspection with infectious energy.

Speaking on the release, SINDYSMAN describes the song as capturing the feeling of being lost while searching for direction, while China Lilly says it reflects learning to let go of control and finding strength amid chaos. Their natural creative chemistry shines throughout, making “BALANCE” a confident and compelling return from the pair.

SINDYSMAN sat down with Wordplay Magazine to chat about everything music and beyond.

There’s a certain kind of artist who sounds exactly like where they’re from.

Not in a forced way. Not in the polished, media trained, algorithm friendly sense. More in the way that a city seeps into somebody’s bones over time. The accent. The references. The humour. The contradictions.

SINDYSMAN feels like that kind of artist.

The Manchester rapper and producer exists in a strange, fascinating space between underground UK hip hop, abstract jazz textures, punk attitude, lo-fi aesthetics and complete creative unpredictability. One minute he’s talking about recording experimental projects with Blah affiliates and underground rap legends, the next he’s passionately defending Harry Potter, discussing David Lynch inspired cinematography or debating why drums can sometimes ruin a verse.

And somehow, all of it makes perfect sense.

A lot of that probably comes from where he grew up. His whole childhood was spent skating and misbehaving around Manchester, or having BBQs hidden in bushes somewhere, spitting bars with friends while music blasted from tinny speakers. There’s a very specific Northern chaos to the way he talks about growing up, equal parts wholesome, reckless and creatively formative.

“All my family are from Manchester,” he explains. “I got ancestry recently and realised there is a lot of guys in my family have never really left. I grew up in Bolton, which is literally the furthest my family tree has ever really got from the city.”

Then he laughs before adding one of those details that somehow sounds too bizarre to make up.

“I had a great, great, great, great grandad who somehow managed to die in the Middle East or something. Not sure how he got there.”

That deep Manchester lineage feels important to understanding the music. Even when the production drifts into abstract territory, there’s something unmistakably Northern running through everything he makes. Not performative regionalism just lived experience.

Because growing up on the outskirts of Manchester meant a lot of strange in between spaces. Reservoirs. Forests. Industrial estates. Empty skate spots. Nights spent smoking, drinking, listening to Odd Future and setting random things on fire for no real reason other than boredom and curiosity.

Honestly, it explains a lot.

That mixture of suburban boredom, underground music obsession and creative experimentation feels embedded into his entire artistic identity.

For all the chaos in the music, there’s something surprisingly grounded about the way SINDYSMAN works.

No luxury studio mythology. No extravagant recording process. No stories about disappearing into the hills to find inspiration.

Everything starts at home.

“Every song I’ve ever released or clip I’ve ever released was written and recorded in my flat,” he explains. “Apart from my verse on Mork Calling Orson, which I recorded at Jehst’s gaff.”

That comfort matters.

As long as he is in his own space, the writing comes naturally. The environment doesn’t need to be glamorous it just needs to feel right.

That means movies playing silently in the background while he writes. It means visual aesthetics feeding bars subconsciously. It means creating an atmosphere where creativity can happen naturally rather than trying to force it.

And, perhaps most importantly, it means getting the snacks right.

“In the studio I like to have a movie on with the sound off, a bunch of snacks, perfectly balanced between sweet and savoury so I can alternate without getting bored,” he says. “Got to get the snack balance right.”

It sounds funny at first, but it actually says a lot about how he approaches creativity.

Nothing is overthought. Everything is instinctive.

The vibe matters.

That same philosophy bleeds into the wider creative world around him too, particularly through SINDYSPLACE, the loose creative circle orbiting around SINDYSMAN, China Lilly, Frank Strange, Luca Banks, as well as Billy Th5 Kidand DJB. More than just a music collective, it feels like a reflection of the same unpredictable energy that runs through Manchester’s underground scene right now. Different styles, different personalities, different sounds, but all tied together by a shared love for experimentation and making art without sanding off the rough edges.

There’s a DIY spirit to all of it. Friends making things because they genuinely want to, rather than chasing trends or trying to fit neatly into industry expectations. That freedom is part of what makes the collective feel exciting.

Long before underground rap, experimental production or touring with UK hip hop heavyweights, music was simply part of everyday life.

“My love for music came from my parents, who both love music,” he says.

His mum would play Carpenters songs on piano while he was growing up.

“Close To You” and “We’ve Only Just Begun” became part of the soundtrack of childhood.

Meanwhile, his dad introduced him to something completely different.

“He was a big Specials guy. Loved ska and punk. A lot of talking type singing over music if that makes sense laid back vocals.”

You can hear that influence in SINDYSMAN’s delivery.

Even when the production gets abstract or chaotic, there’s still something conversational about the way he raps. The bars feel lived in rather than performed.

His dad also introduced him to Eminem specifically Relapse.

“He bought the CD, so I suppose that plays a pretty big part.”

Then came the iPod Nano.

The origin story becomes beautifully chaotic from there.

“I got an iPod Nano for Christmas when I was like eight, maybe even younger, and I didn’t know how to use iTunes so my cousins Lucy and Emily hooked it up to their computer and filled it with loads of 50 Cent tunes.”

“But it wasn’t just 50 Cent though. I have a weird memory of the Oompa Loompa tune being on there as well.”

Honestly, that accidental collision of 50 Cent and the Oompa Loompas somehow explains a lot.

One thing becomes obvious very quickly when talking to SINDYSMAN: conventional rap music was never really the destination.

“I like rapping on weird shit,” he says simply.

That philosophy runs through everything.

He grew up obsessed with Odd Future, Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown, Schoolboy Q, Quasimoto, Vince Staples and other abstract American rap that prioritised atmosphere and individuality over formula.

“I was an Odd Future kid,” he says. “I liked rapping on things that aren’t rap music.”

That experimental instinct explains why drum-less production appeals to him so much.

He genuinely believes drums can sometimes limit a verse.

“When you’ve just got wind instruments and string instruments, you can rap however the hell you want,” he explains. “But when you’ve got a drummer, you can get stuck on a flow.”

It’s why projects like Sour Soul by BadBadNotGood and Ghostface Killah resonate so heavily with him.

It’s also why his own music often feels fluid, restless and difficult to categorise.

He isn’t chasing traditional rap structure.

He’s chasing feeling.

One of the most interesting things about SINDYSMAN is how deeply connected he is to Manchester’s underground scene while simultaneously sounding completely detached from any single movement.

He talks passionately about regional accents in UK rap finally becoming something artists embrace rather than hide.

For years, British rappers copied American accents. Then everyone copied London.

Now, artists from Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Liverpool are sounding unapologetically local.

“That’s one thing that really appeals to me,” Wordplay Magazine tells him during the conversation. “Artists actually rapping with their accents.”

SINDYSMAN agrees instantly.

He lights up discussing strong Brummie accents, Manchester slang and the weird beauty of hearing five completely different regional voices in one room.

The individuality matters.

So does community.

Over the years he’s worked alongside names connected to Blah Records, High Focus Records and the wider UK underground, including Jehst, Lee Scott, and Sleazy F Baby.

But despite those connections, he still talks more excitedly about obscure SoundCloud producers from Switzerland than industry success.

There’s a producer called Melodisinfonie who he’s been messaging for years trying to collaborate with.

“Every year I message him asking if I can rap on one of his tunes,” he laughs. “I don’t know if he hates me, I’m still waiting for it to happen.”

That obsession with discovering hidden corners of music culture feels central to who he is.

Not trends, not numbers, not clout, just finding sounds that feel exciting.

At one point, the conversation drifts away from music entirely and becomes a deep dive into films.

That’s when another piece of the puzzle clicks into place.

SINDYSMAN doesn’t just consume films casually he studies atmosphere.

Aesthetic matters to him, visual tone matters, cinematography matters.

He references everything from Mid90s and Climax to Hereditary, Punch-Drunk Love and I’m Thinking Of Ending Things.

Not because he’s trying to sound obscure.

Because those films genuinely feed the writing process.

“Most of my inspiration from writing comes from films,” he says.

That explains the silent movies running in the background while he records.

He isn’t necessarily watching the plot.

He’s absorbing mood.

“A good scene can trigger a bar,” he explains.

That idea creativity arriving sideways rather than directly feels crucial to understanding his music.

When asked what’s currently living on heavy rotation, the list says everything you need to know about where his head is at musically:

• Summertime ‘06 - Vince Staples

• Oxymoron - Schoolboy Q

• Atrocity Exhibition - Danny Brown

• Assume Form - James Blake

• Pompeii / Utility - Earl Sweatshirt

There’s also an honourable mention for Mac Miller’s Watching Movies With The Sound Off.

“I watched the Mac documentary last night and ended up listening to the whole album front to back.”

Again, the title itself feels strangely fitting.

Watching movies with the sound off.

That’s basically the entire SINDYSMAN creative process.

The most refreshing thing about SINDYSMAN is that he doesn’t sound like somebody trying to become an artist.

He already is one.

The music, the film obsession, the humour, the snacks, the chaotic nights in Manchester, the experimental production, the drum-less beats, the regional pride, it all exists as part of the same personality.

Nothing feels manufactured.

Even his unpredictability feels authentic.

At one point during the conversation he laughs about how impossible it is to put release dates on music because everyone around him is creatively chaotic.

“We’re all so fucking unpredictable.”

That unpredictability is exactly what makes artists like SINDYSMAN exciting.

You genuinely don’t know what the next release will sound like.

But you know it’ll sound like him.

And in 2026, that might be the rarest thing an artist can achieve.