Sarabean: Reinventing Indie in Her Bedroom

Image Courtesy: Strike Tallahassee

We have seen the genre of indie undergo a couple different transitions over the past decade. However, at its core, it is a genre that dedicates itself to artistic individuality and expression. Nothing makes way for self-expression in the indie world like the vengeance of female youth in the music industry who is using vulnerability as a weapon. 

Sarabean, a 17-year-old Tampa-based artist, is growing her platform from her bedroom. Self-producing and writing all her own music, her sound has notes of inspiration from artists like Jack Antonoff and Phoebe Bridgers. You can hear this inspiration heavily in her upcoming album, please don’t let me be, releasing March 15. Despite the icons she channels when she writes, Sarabean should be considered one herself through her story of getting into music and her less than encouraging start as a female artist. 

“When I was in sophomore year of high school, I decided to take a recording and sound-producing class where I was one of two girls. On top of it being a male-dominated class, my teacher was also a man, and that had an impact that lit a fire. I came into it really eager to learn, but I found that a lot of energy was just funneled into the men in the class, and questions by me were answered with an eye roll. Then I just started teaching myself and really advanced and got to start applying the technical stuff with the creative side.” 

Image courtesy: Sarabean

What takes Sarabean’s production to the next level, however, is the vulnerability she allows in her music. On her favorite song Funny How We Change, from her upcoming album, she states, “I poured my heart and soul into that song. I channeled a guiltier, darker side of being wrapped up in a toxic dynamic. Being brutally honest with the reality of what I was feeling towards a person. I feel like my image is ugly in the song and I’m glad I wrote it.” 

Sarabean’s producing goes way past the ins and outs of equipment and software. The unfiltered side she shows in her music truly reflects what we feel in the safety of the walls in our own bedroom. 

She has recently been recognized and signed by the female-founded indie label Dance Cry Dance. She states, “I’m really happy that Dance Cry Dance reached out. Their vision is so awesome, and this label is very new and is finally giving credit to artists and their music. A lot of times a label tries to see what they can take from an artist, but this label is strictly for the music and artists.” 

Image courtesy: Sarabean

Although fortunate to find a woman-centered label that gives her art an authentic platform, Sarabean also shares some of the downsides she grapples with as a youth in the music industry. 

“Opportunities are rare when you’re younger, and I have such a burning passion to do everything right now, which is hard to do when you’ve not done much. Being a woman also connects back to being in a male-dominated industry which can be super discouraging at times but simultaneously motivates you.” 

Overall, Sarabean’s new album is highly anticipated as a strong breakthrough into the indie scene. The ten-track sequence is written from a genuine place of unfiltered and raw talent. Sarabean is an artist to keep an eye out for as this album releases and she crushes the patriarchy with her unmatched creative abilities. 

Strike Out, 

Writer: Alyson Brinkley

Editor: Noelle Knowlton

Graphic Designer: Alison MacCloud

Tallahassee