INTERVIEW: CYBELE

We explore the journey of a rising musical talent Cybele whose life has been inseparable from music from the very beginning. From early childhood moments of perfect pitch to transformative experiences during college, she reveals how personal challenges and emotional honesty shape their songwriting. With insights into her latest single, album, and creative philosophy, this interview offers a rare glimpse into the heart behind the music.

Thank you for sitting down and talking to FLEX, can you tell us a bit about how you got into music?

I am a firm believer that music is interwoven into the DNA of humanity. Music comes so naturally to us as a species that it has inexplicably pervaded every society and community on Planet Earth since the dawn of time. My mother told me that when I was little, I apparently hummed along to a song on the radio in perfect pitch and my grandmother made a joke about how she potentially had a “little Mozart on her hands”.  If only I were as prodigious as Mozart, that would make things a LOT easier, hahahahh! Unfortunately, music is something I have to really work to be natural at, every single day. Nonetheless, I am so grateful that music has always been a part of my life. 

Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?

My biggest musical influences are definitely Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, The Beatles, Quincy Jones, Tchaikovsky, and Michel Legrand. These are absolute musical phenoms and geniuses in my book. They are deeply connected with themselves and their mission as human beings, and I find it beautiful how that clarity translates so beautifully into the music they share with the world. I would be lucky to embody even an ounce of the artistry and beauty they imbue into their work. 

Congratulations on your brand-new single 'In Another Life'—what inspired this particular release?

During my junior year at Harvard, I found myself spiraling into depression and burnout. I felt so estranged from my own sense of self that the only path forward seemed to be taking a semester away from school. In that pause, I searched for every possible source of inspiration, yet the words refused to come. Until one unexpected night. At 2 a.m., pacing restlessly around my kitchen, I suddenly envisioned Michael Jackson sitting calmly on my couch. The image was so vivid that I felt compelled to sing to him. The first words that poured out became the opening lines of “In Another Life.” The song was born from that moment, an exploration of how a connection with someone can be so profound and so unexplainable that it transcends reason. It captures the mystery of being drawn to a soul in ways that defy all logic, as if the bond exists beyond time and circumstance.

How do you channel personal experiences into your songwriting, and what do you hope listeners gain from connecting with your music?

I truly see songwriting as a form of personal salvation. I often feel I have no choice but to write the song or else the emotion will be trapped inside my body and suppressed until it manifests in an uglier way. Songwriting is my lifeline and because of that, truth is naturally embedded into every song I write. A lot of times, because songwriting is this emotional outlet for me, it also serves as a form of wish fulfillment. I will write about experiences I hope to manifest whilst I am in the midst of my personal trauma or pain. My hope is that each and every person who listens to my song feels some form of awakening or catharsis in their life. My music, whether it be melancholic or celebratory, should empower each listener to feel free to live and speak their truth, whatever that looks like in the present moment. 

Each aspect of music—writing, recording, practicing, and playing live—offers something different. Can you share a particularly meaningful moment from each?

When I first wrote “In Another Life”, it felt like one of those rare songs that was divinely channeled through me rather than something that came from my own consciousness. It was a moment that I realized I had to relinquish control over the writing process and give into the flow process in order to create from a place of authenticity and truth. 

I recently wrote and recorded the title track of my album, “Paradise”, with the incredibly talented, Grammy-award winning phenom, Tristan Rice. It was one of those rare recording moments where I really let myself give into the song without feeling the need to be perfect or judge myself. It was really beautiful to work with someone who gave me the space to just relinquish my need for control for perfectionism and just exist in the spirit of the music. 

In practicing for a musical theatre performance I had in NY, I was having a lot of trouble hitting the notes without sounding strained. I realized because I was so attached to sounding a certain way rather than telling the story of the song, I was getting in my own way.

Once I focused on singing the song from a place of truth and urgency, the notes came naturally. That’s when I realized I needed to give myself permission to be free in my practice. 

Performing at the Mint LA was a very meaningful moment in my live music career. It was the first performance where I delivered a set of fully my own songs onstage and it felt incredibly liberating to share my story with a room full of strangers (who then became my newfound family). It was really meaningful to have people come up to me afterwards and tell me that my music had personally affected them. That’s when I truly realized the power of my music being played live, and its ability to change and affect people.

Is there a song in your repertoire that holds a particularly deep personal meaning for you? Can you share the story or inspiration behind it?

On the surface, “She’s Got It” appears to be a bubbly, girlboss anthem about being an “it girl” but it represents so much more for me. At that point in my life, I felt disconnected from my future and my aspirations. I felt as if I was holding onto a lot of my personal and relationship baggage from the past and I didn’t like the version of myself I was embodying. PYNC and I decided to write “She’s Got It” as an ode to the vision of the person you aim to become. It’s the song for anyone who is tired of being tired with themselves and truly demands an upgrade from everything in their life. 

What are your goals for the future with your music?

After releasing my album, I would love to do a tour and sing all of these songs that I love so dearly to a live audience. Further on down the line, I would love to write music and songs for movies (become a mini Diane Warren lol). Given I studied Film Scoring at Berklee, I would particularly love to write the title theme song for franchises like James Bond. That is a dream of mine. I am also writing a musical right now. I would love to incorporate my music into every possible medium and really represent what is possible for women in entertainment on the global stage. I have a lot of different goals but the ultimate driver for me is creation for the sake of creation. I want to be creative in every single day of my life and so long as I keep creating, I will keep feeling more free and actualised in myself. 

Watch the video for 'She's Got It' here:

What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from your music?

I hope with each and every song people listen to, they feel that they are given the permission to be more free and more themselves. We live in a world that is defined by so many nonsensical social rules and customs, that as we get older, we often lose ourselves to these BS ideas fed into us from childhood. I want people to listen to my music and feel empowered to return to that childlike curiosity and awe they had before the world conditioned them to be complacent. Life can be magical, but not unless we give ourselves permission to see it that way and to live from a place of truth. 

To wrap things up, is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

If you don’t express your truth and speak your mind, that feeling of suppression will consume you and eat you from the inside out. Channel that feeling and create something beautiful. Write. Listen to music. Compose. Paint. Yell. Dance. Scream. Do whatever you have to do to bring yourself peace and catharsis. You have one life and there is no reason why you should live that life muted.

Stream 'Another Life' now: