Cyon Flex is a 37-year-old rapper from Bristol. She’s been living in Vienna for a few years now, and her third album, Into The Night – along with an accompanying comic book – will be dropping on September 6th. She recently sat down to talk with Christoph Benkeser about her new name, her new album, and tempering her expectations.
How are you?
Cyon Flex: I’m in the process of moving out of my apartment. It’s because of one of my neighbors…
I’m sorry to hear that.
Cyon Flex: Well, it’s become part of my music now, though it wasn’t ever political. But when I moved from the UK to Austria, I noticed that this country is extremely political, and that that’s normal here.
How do you deal with it?
Cyon Flex: Antidepressants, thank you very much! The thing is: that’s why I’ve got PTSD. You’re not allowed to defend yourself in Austria. Although…well, actually, you can. But then you go to the police and you become the problem. In England, we’d just go down the pub and fight it out.
Have you been in a lot of fights?
Cyon Flex: Sometimes! People are always surprised when I talk about it, because they’ve never been in a fight – and I’m shocked when I hear that.
I’d be too scared, to be honest.
Cyon Flex: Not me.
Seems like there are a lot of things you can get upset about.
Cyon Flex: When I came to Austria, I learned to control my temperament. But it is crazy to be a woman and Black in Vienna. I’ve had to develop a thicker skin because of it; it’s made me the woman I am today.
“They get more hate than I do”
Who is that?
Cyon Flex: I’ll put it this way: people in Austria have an idea of how men and women should dress. I don’t have that, because I grew up in England. There’s just a broader fashion culture there, so you have more options to express your identity.
And in Austria…
Cyon Flex: You get hated for it. Fine, I have to deal with hate anyway. But when I go out with my gay friends, they get more hate than I do. It’s almost like, I have to say to these idiots, “hey, look at me! I’m African!” just to deflect the focus on to me.
You laugh.
Cyon Flex: Yeah, that’s my sense of humor.
What was growing up in Bristol like?
Cyon Flex: Humorless. Fighting was part of life. Sadly, I lost a few friends; that’s why I came to Austria. From the first moment on, it was clear that this is a weird country – but it seemed better than the UK.
Do you still feel that way?
Cyon Flex: Definitely, even with all of the bureaucratic bullshit! I can live here, and work as a musician. I couldn’t do that before.
You’ve been making music since the early 2010s.
Cyon Flex: I recently changed the name of my project: it used to be called Zion Flex, but when the war in Gaza got to be bigger than reggae, I decided to change the name to Cyon Flex.
That’s more considered than most of what you read about it.
Cyon Flex: Well, we have to keep moving forward rationally. Or at least direct the hate at the countries who are originally responsible for this shit, like Great Britain.
People in the UK have a special pride about their bygone empire.
Cyon Flex: You know, people have always seen me as British. And then Brexit happened, and they asked me: where are you actually from? And I answered: can you not see that I’m African, or are you stupid?
“It’s Pretty Dark”
To sum up: your new project, Cyon Flex, is kind of an antithesis to the personal experiences you’re talking about, right?
Cyon Flex: Right. I wrote a whole comic script with different characters and a story. It’s like a fantastical, escapist world that I create, a way to rid myself of my reality. This way, I can humanize my experiences. But it’s not a happy project; it’s pretty dark.
What advantages for your art does visualization have?
Cyon Flex: It makes it easier for people to identify, because they’re seeing my reality. Cyon Flex has euphoric moments – especially in the video for “Watch Me Rise”. But the rest is…bitter reality.
And where do you see yourself – in the reality or in that euphoric dream world?
Cyon Flex: In the euphoric dream world. Reality is just hard. But as an artist, I can recreate my reality as a dream world.
You’re not a fighter, like you said at the beginning – you’re a dream world creator.
Cyon Flex: That’s true, but most people see me as a fighter. And I understand. That’s why the comic is a game-changer, it can change people’s perspective on me. It’s a look deep inside my soul – and yes, there’s a lot of darkness in there. That’s where my humor comes from.
You say that with a smile.
Cyon Flex: Because it’s true! The project is kind of a safe space where I can put my feeling. It’s cathartic. That’s why it’s called Into The Night – it’s a journey into darkness. And what can you find in darkness?
Maybe it’s less about what you find than about the feeling that you can disappear.
Cyon Flex: Exactly: you can lose your way – and lose yourself – but you can find yourself, too. At least, that’s what I’m trying to do with the first part of the album. Part two is completely different.
“It’s Always the same people”
Why?
Cyon Flex: Because I worked with another producer, Gran Bankrott. He’s a really nice guy. I met him through Susi Schwarz – she changed my career, by the way. The scene is very competitive. With her, I can distance myself from it; I’m not involved in that direct who-do-you-know struggle.
Just look at the Amadeus Awards: the FM4 category is stuffed full; in the other categories, it’s always the same people. How often does Raf Camora actually need to be nominated? I’m not saying that he hasn’t earned it…but come on, he doesn’t even come to the ceremony any more.
Would you like to win an Amadeus Award?
Cyon Flex: Sure! But I feel like what I do is very much on the fringe compared to other artists. People of color and extravagantly queer people still get forced to the periphery – just because Austria has the wrong idea of normality. But I’ve got news for you: Austria is not a normal country!
Artists like Bex are changing the view of that. Of course, her music is more sexual than mine, but I admire her for it. I grew up Christian, so it was hard to free myself of that indoctrination. Starting this year, I’ve decided to be an atheist. I just stopped praying, because I felt like I had to become active myself. I believe in us now. If a God ever came to me, he’d come as a human – unless it’s an alien invasion.
I’d like to see that.
Cyon Flex: Yes…although it seems like this country is run by aliens already.
Into The Night – Part 1 will be released on all platforms on September 6th.
Interview by Christoph Benkeser, translated from the German original by Philip Yaeger.