Sivu is the performing name of British singer-songwriter James Page, born in 1988. He writes and records as a solo artist, and his music is described as baroque pop with indie and alternative leanings, alongside soft rock and indie pop influences.

Background

Page starts writing solo songs after moving from a quiet town in Cambridgeshire to a high-rise ex-council block in Kennington, London. The change of setting shapes much of his early material, which focuses on isolation, anxiety, urban life and personal adjustment. He says the name Sivu comes from a Finnish translation of his surname.

Style and themes

Sivu’s songs often combine intimate lyrics with broad, layered arrangements. His work is compared with Wild Beasts, while the sound of tracks such as “Miracle (Human Error)” also draws on the widescreen scale associated with Arcade Fire and the distorted guitar approach of Radiohead’s “Creep” period. He uses glitchy, melodically dreamlike pop structures and often returns to themes of internal conflict, fear of the unknown and the pressures of modern life.

Key releases and songs

“Better Man Than He” becomes his breakthrough track. Its video, filmed in an MRI machine while he works shifts in a call centre, attracts over half a million views and is named video of the year by M.I.A. “Miracle (Human Error)” follows as a more ambitious single, produced with Charlie Andrew, and keeps the same focus on private doubt and wider existential anxiety. His debut album, Something On High, is described as a record about settling into a new city, young adulthood and becoming more settled in himself.

Collaborators and visuals

Charlie Andrew is a long-term collaborator and co-producer on “Miracle (Human Error)”. The accompanying video for that song is directed by Georgia Hudson, who also works with Klaxons, Swim Deep and MØ.

Notable influences

Page cites Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night” as the blueprint for his glitchy, idiosyncratic pop approach. Across his work, he presents an often subdued but expansive style built around direct lyrics and detailed emotional observation.