Multi-platinum-selling Manchester rapper, and controversial nemesis of Joy Division fans after his pasting over of Manchester’s Ian Curtis mural with an ad for his new album in 2022, Aitch has announced the launch of his flavoured fizzy water range, SYPS.
The accessibly priced (RRP £1.50 a can), zero sugar, zero calorie range of strawberry, peach and lemon & lime flavoured fizzy waters has secured a rare all-stores national listing going live in over 1,200 Iceland Group branches today, with Aitch launching the brand in person in stores from February 3 and on the SYPS website later in February.
Following a wellness wakeup call in early 2023, Harrison Armstrong, aka Aitch, struggled to make the change from his fizzy drink addiction to drinking more water despite overwhelming education on the importance of hydration.
It turns out he wasn’t alone in his struggles. Gen-Z buys more soft drinks than any other age group and in 2022, 68.5% of Gen Z’s relied on a soft drink for on-the-go consumption, according to research from drinks giant Britvic, with 11-18 year olds consuming a whopping 234 cans a year on average according to Cancer Research UK’s studies.
Frustrated with the lack of credible alternatives in the market and recognising something needed to change, Aitch embarked on his own entrepreneurial journey to create a solution in SYPS – a range of drinks which “have all the flavour standard and fizz sensation of a fizzy drink but none of the sugary downside.” Plus it’s water – and so helps with his hydration goals guilt free.
Aitch said: “I started SYPS because I needed to drink more water but was addicted to fizzy drinks. Water just wasn’t hitting the spot in the same way. So, I thought why not make the best fizzy flavoured water in the world and here it is: 0 sugar, 0 calories, maximum flavour and loads of fizz. I’m really excited to be sharing this with everyone and hope it helps us all stay hydrated.”
To coincide with the launch of the brand, Aitch will be launching his own ‘Fizzy Drink Free’ Challenge for February where in a bid to maintain healthy habits started in January, he’ll nominate two celebrity peers to join him in a month of cutting out the fizzy drink habit, with those two celebrity pals joining him and nominating a further two peers, etc, to build a social movement towards healthier hydration.
