Meet Sabela Bee | Singer/Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sabela Bee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sabela, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The thought process behind starting my career as an artist was messy. I’ve always known that singing was something I wanted to do with my life, but I was so lost and insecure about going about it. Especially after high school, when I felt a lot of pressure to figure out what to do with my life. After being inspired by other artists that I resonated with, I decided to just do it, despite the doubt and uncertainty. I saved money from my full-time job and funded my own release. I learned how to produce online, wrote some songs, revived some older ones, and sought help when I needed it. I set myself a deadline that I would create 2 finished songs a month when creating my first EP “EH3MR4L”. My initial approach to starting was just to create a finished EP using the tools, resources, and experience I had at the time.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I write songs about my personal life experiences and how I reflect on them. Sometimes I like to write songs based on random “iPhone note” thoughts or based on my observations of life and relationships. Sonically, I love adding grunge, pop/rock, and lo-fi influences to my music!

My first EP EPH3MR4L is about a specific time in my life when I’ve dealt with grief, heartbreak, and life epiphanies for the first time. The biggest message I wanted to share in this EP is to appreciate and pursue life because it doesn’t last forever. With EPH3MR4L, I also wanted to prove that you can go after your dreams as an independent artist. You don’t have to wait for someone to give you a “big break” or validation. You can create simply because you want to and you have everything you need to get it done.

My music journey began as a young girl singing karaoke and watching Disney movies. I’ve always loved singing and imitating Disney princesses. I gratefully grew up in a musically inclined environment. My mom played the piano, my dad loved blasting disco music, and my brother played the violin. I enjoyed musical theatre and wanted to be on Broadway one day. It wasn’t until I picked up the ukulele and started writing fun songs about my friends, I realized songwriting was a newfound passion. I would start writing tiny melancholic songs as I procrastinated on my school work. I eventually branched off to guitar and started playing at open mics.

I got to where I am professionally by living life, making mistakes, and deciding to take action. I went to open mics and had fun jamming with friends. I wrote songs here and there and saved them on my phone. My life was not focused on music 100% of the time. However, it was not easy when things got serious. There were a lot of new skills I had to learn in order to create. I had to learn how to record, produce, and be my own session musician at times. It was challenging at times to navigate the DAW on my own, and even figure out how to best communicate how I wanted things to sound. I overcame these challenges by spending time with youtube tutorials, outsourcing mixing and mastering to audio engineers, and just doing my best to complete a song without judging myself harshly. I also have supporting friends and family who were willing to lend an ear and give feedback.

Lessons I learned

1. Indulge in the process – I learned that there is no right or wrong way to create art. There is no point in judging your own creations – indulge in it. It is good to improve upon your skills through constructive criticism, but the most important aspect is if the core message of your song is delivered. How you accomplish that is up to personal preference.

2. Learn the basics of music production – As an artist, it is still important to learn the fundamentals of production, mixing, and mastering even if you are working with a sound engineer or producer. This will allow you to communicate better and save a lot of time and money at the studio.

3. ORGANIZE your files – I cannot stress this enough. Invest in a hard drive for your digital files relating to your music. Save and label every audio stem, photo, mix, and so on. You never know when you need any of these!

4. Support your local music scene/community! – There is a lot you can learn from your music peers. No matter how independent you are, connecting with other musicians is such a fun and inspiring way to grow. Plus, you make amazing friends!

What I want the world to know about me is that I want to help. I write music to connect with myself and others in times of grief, apathy, and nostalgia. I want to help comfort, inspire, and encourage to create. I firmly believe there is abundant room at the table for everyone!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a fun question! I’m still learning the DFW area myself.

First, I would take my best friend to get some morning coffee. My favorite coffee shops La La Land and Karmic Grounds! I would show them the malls in the area like the Galleria or Stonebriar Centre. We would eat pho at Pho Bistro in Carrollton and get boba at Tea latte Bar. We then would check out Addison Circle and take a nice stroll if the sun is nice! I would definitely take them to Opening Bell Coffee to check out the local musical talent and amazing coffee. Then, we will head to Cidercade Dallas for an evening of arcade games and good cider beer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to Michael Galvez who played drums for my first single, Suburban Summers. Thank you for being such an amazing friend and musician!

Shoutout to Third Coast Recording Co. in or mixing my first EP. John Allen Stephens is such an amazing audio engineer and talented artist!

Shoutout to Josh Walker from One Fifty Media House for mastering my first EP to perfection!

Website: https://linktr.ee/sabelabee

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabelaisabee/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sabelabee

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sabelabee

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFGE5h99rUpKFhItwS2b0A/featured

Image Credits
The Dream Experiment