Strong native HiSyde - given name Sernerick Greer - is set to perform his Southern soul music tonight at 8 p.m. at the Murphy Art District's First Financial Music Hall.
HiSyde is a relative newcomer as an artist -he just released his debut album "Who is HiSyde?" on May 1, but he's spent much of his professional career in and adjacent to the music industry, with a first foray into the business managing the southern Arkansas rap group Swangaboyz around 1999.
His earliest musical memories involve listening to his grandmother sing at church in Strong.
"I grew up in the church with my grandmother singing... She used to clean the church at Curry Chapel AME in Strong and had 26 grand kids in all so we would all be there, helping her or playing... We made up the whole youth choir and had to sing," HiSyde said.
HiSyde moved to Dallas to chase his business and musical goals, initially moving to pursue a gospel recording contract with producer Flaco Da Great. He later studied music in a program directed by engineer Brian Cox.
These roots in gospel and the other sounds drifting throughout southern Arkansas led HiSyde to his Southern soul style, which he describes as "the best of both worlds" of R&B and blues and includes influences from country music, as well.
HiSyde has already been involved in some high-profile touring, including a performance with rapper Young Jeezy and the Living Legends tour which included Bobby Rush, Carl Sims, Ricky White and others.
Experience in the behind-the-scenes aspects of the music industry led HiSyde to pursue strong branding and concrete goals when starting his solo music career.
"That's what help me brand HiSyde the way that I did - it's about figuring out if as an artist you want to be international, local or just in the United States. I wanted to go international first, so when I released my first song 'Oochie Coochie' - it sounds better when I sing it than when I say it out loud - I sent it out overseas and they were playing it London, playing it in Brazil which was pretty cool. I released that back in 2019, it was my first single and it still receives the most streams out of all my songs with the least promotion," HiSyde said.
He said is excited for his trip back to Union County as an artist and as a former resident.
"This will be one of the biggest shows of my career because it's my first official headlining show that I'm doing myself and I'm back home, it's like a homecoming. Strong and Union County is my home, and I could say I lived in El Dorado too," HiSyde said.
The album "Who is HiSyde?" even includes experiences from growing up and living in southern Arkansas.
"It's really everything that's happened in Union County, my experiences in this area and in Dallas. It's to take people on a journey, let them know who HiSyde is before I take them on to something else," he said.
As for the experience of a HiSyde live show, the artist said attendees should be prepared to dance and "get their minds off what's happening in the world."
"It's high energy with great story lines. I like taking people on a journey, taking you somewhere mentally and emotionally with [my music.] A lot of music today you might say 'I like that beat,' but you don't want to travel with it. You'll want to travel with this," he said.
HiSyde took a trip back to his hometown of Strong for a meet-and-greet last night and will perform tonight at the First Financial Music Hall with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the show set to start at 8.
Tickets are available at eldomad.com and more information about the artist can be found at hisydemusic.com.