In an era where songs and even albums are churned out in a matter of a couple of weeks, it’s notable that Iceland-based, Ivory Coast-born musician Snny says his biggest inspiration for his upcoming record is a movie that took 11 years to make. “Something that really influenced me was Richard Linklater’s film Boyhood, just because of the process that went into making that and how patient he was shooting it over the course of [so many] years.” Snny’s debut album, Water is Styled Honey, (out September 16) began as a poem. Quickly it morphed into a short film and, eventually, his most fully realized project to date. The title plays with the idea that “Life is whatever you make of it,” he says. “Water is life, water is honey, water is sweet. You need this thing that is so simple to live. The concept began as a way for Snny to contemplate the relationship he never had with his grandfather, which inspired the plot of the movie. The album serves as something of a soundtrack, filled with Snny’s elegant vocal runs and lush production that is, fittingly, cinematic.  - Grant Rindner