- 2025-12-14
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MUSIC
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SYML Drops New Live Video for “I Wanted to Leave - Paris Unplugged”
Seattle-based singer-songwriter Brian Fennell, aka SYML has dropped a new live video for “I Wanted to Leave - Paris Unplugged” on December 13, 2025.
The video was directed by Grant James and filmed at Le Consulat in Paris, featuring Brian Eichelberger on strings and keyboard, Kyle Moore on guitar and Zawadi Morrow on saxophone and keyboard.
Back in September, he released a live album “Paris Unplugged”, which was recorded at Le Consulat during “The Nobody Lives Here Tour” on April 5, 2025.
But this song “I Wanted to Leave” was not included on the album. This time, he premiered the video.
The song is featured on his 2020 EP “You Knew It Was Me”. It was written and produced by Brian Fennell.
SYML said of the song, “I have a history of being in beautiful places and having a nagging feeling to leave. Even when I'm with people I love, these places start to feel cold and less like home the more I'm there. I think life is full of these juxtaposed environments where we pressure ourselves to stay or go. I wrote this song in Paris, such a beautiful city rich in culture and history. And when I started feeling the urge to leave, this melody emerged.”- The live album “Paris Unplugged” comprises 16 tracks, which SYML recorded and filmed at Le Consulat in Paris, produced by Brian Eichelberger and Brian Fennel.
SYML said of the album, “I was on the roof three floors up from the crowd gathering on an unseasonably warm day in the middle of Paris. Even when it's happening I still can't believe that strangers come to see and hear me play songs. But, when we're in it together, nobody is a stranger.” - He continued, “There was an art gallery in the open balcony above where we were shooting, so the whole day felt like we were part of the exhibit. It made me uncomfortable at first, but in hindsight it was a perfect metaphor for what we were creating.”
He added, “We picked Le Consulat, an intimate room in this vibrant city, to feel a sense of pulling inward amidst the real-time speed of life. My album Nobody Lives Here is meant to be heard and felt that way, letting us slow down and focus, and I'm so glad we captured this show and can share it now.”
SYML shared on social media, “I remember hearing (and watching) Nirvana's MTV Unplugged performance and feeling something new. The same for when I heard Bill Withers' or Nina Simone's or U2's live albums. Another level is reached. Familiar songs are decidedly committed to in a way that is different than a studio setting. Maybe it's because the songs have had a chance to live and breathe out in the world for months or years and have already changed for the artist and the listener since the first listen. Whatever the magic is, I feel lucky to have captured a bit of it with my friends in Paris.”
He continued, “Many folks came together to make this album and live film. My friend Grant has truly poured his heart and soul into this piece, and I feel fortunate to work with him again (he also worked on the Hangar and Vashon sessions). And to my best buddy Brian who is so many things to me, he crushed the mix for this album and I'm thankful for the time and passion he always pays to what we create.” - source : Apple Music
