Cyn was born on May 13, 1993, in Michigan. She has described her parents' divorce, which occurred when she was a toddler, as "a big driver of her love for music."[1] By age 16, she was recording and doubling her own vocals.[2] After failing to get into DePaul University's music program, she graduated from the university in Management Information Systems.[3]
In September 2015, she wrote the song "Only With You", which she performed two months later for Katy Perry.[5] She was subsequently signed by Perry's record label, Unsub Records.[6][5] Two years after its conception, "Only With You" was released as a single.[5] Her debut single under Unsub was "Together" released in July 2017.[7] Throughout 2018 Cyn opened for Perry's Witness: The Tour across Mexico, made her Bonnaroo debut and toured North America with Years & Years. That year her single "Moment of Truth" was also part of the animated feature film Smallfoot.[6]
Cyn released her debut E.P Mood Swing in September 2019.[8] The seven-track release included songs co-written and produced by both Lars Stalfors and Matias Mora. Cyn describes the work as a "Parisian park" and that most of the songs on it, including lyrics and melody, are built around a single sentence, the "thesis statement".[1] A year later she released a reimagined version of the E.P titled Mood Swing (even moodier).[2]
Cyn wrote and recorded the songs "Drinks" and "Uh-Oh" for the 2020 Oscar-winning motion picture Promising Young Woman.[10] "Drinks" spent two months at U.S. Top 40 Radio, peaking at #22 in July 2020. That June, Cyn released The Mixed Drinks Collection which featured a stripped-down reworking of the song, along with remixes from NERVO, Ladyhawke, MNDR and Uffie. "Drinks" continued to grow in popularity throughout the following year and was featured prominently in high-profile shows Inventing Anna and Gossip Girl.
2022 saw Cyn release two singles, "House with a View"[12] and "Losing Sleep" as she continued working on her full-length debut album, due for release in 2024.
One of the first songs Cyn enjoyed as a child was "Foolish Games" by Jewel.[1] Alongside Jewel, she considers Sheryl Crow and Rosalía her favorite artists.[1] Her grandmother listened to Doris Day.[3] Having been raised near Detroit, she counts Motown as a major influence.[1]Lorde inspired her to use a stage name.[2]
In 2020, she described early Disney movies as a new influence.[2]
^ abcdeKlonowski, Lauren (February 5, 2020). "Cyn: Not Your Average Pop Artist". Beyond The Stage Magazine. pp. 6–9. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2021.