We caught up with Sabrina Song to talk about The Release of Her new album and What Her Last Saved Meme Was

"You Could Stay In One Spot, and I'd Love You The Same" touches on significant changes and personal growth. How do you feel your music reflects your journey from post-grad life to now?

I feel like I really only began to understand who I am and who I want to be towards the end of college, and I think the album reflects that. I always had a strong sense of self growing up, very strong-willed and confident, and I think I kind of retreated and tried to shrink myself for a while as I got older. I really had to find my footing again, and I feel like I have the strongest sense of self that I've ever had post-grad. I let myself explore more complicated and contradictory feelings in these songs– fears about getting older and time passing, reflections on my relationships and friendships, my own shortcomings. It's been a really transformative time that yielded a lot of emotions and writing for me.

Your mantra in "Before And After" is 'everything happens for a reason.' Can you share a moment in your career where this philosophy profoundly impacted your path?
"Before and After" is actually kind of me unpacking the idea that everything happens for a reason, which I don't think I fully believe. I think there's definitely something to be said about timing and fate, but I think it's more so a mantra people use to comfort themselves about sudden changes or disappointing outcomes. I don't think those things need to happen, but I think it's important to try to process them and push forward anyway. For me, there's been so many times where a door seemed like it was opening just for it to close, or things that happened that felt like they had no silver lining at all. It's been really helpful for me to try and have more gratitude and shift my focus away from what I can't change in those moments.

Collaborating with Torna for this album marked a shift from your usual self-production. How did this collaboration influence the final sound and feel of the album?
Having Torna work on the album really helped me achieve the vision I always had for the sound and landscape of the album. It was daunting to be the sole producer on the album from a logistical standpoint. I worked and produced mainly in my room previously, and would outsource certain parts for musicians to record remotely when live instrumentation was needed. I knew this album would mainly consist of live recordings, and I wanted to collaborate with someone who was versatile and a strong engineer who could help flesh out the demos I had already started putting together. He was respectful of the fact that I was coming in weary of letting anyone else have their hands in my production, and he still pushed me creatively where it was needed. We're really proud of our work together on this.

What’s the last meme you saved on your phone?
no caption necessary:

NYLON praised your intimate concert atmosphere. How do you cultivate such a personal connection with your audience during live performances?

I think as a reflex I just try to diffuse any tension or stiffness in the room as much as I can. I've opened for a lot of shows where some of the audience might not have any idea who I am, and I like to make a few jokes or say a few words about the secret details behind a song to make them more comfortable, which then makes me more comfortable. I try to be as present as possible and make their time worthwhile. It's a really special thing for a person to take their time and money and energy to show up for a set and I'm always keeping that in the back of my head.

Your album reflects on the ebb and flow of friendships and loved ones moving away. How has your support system influenced your music and personal growth?

I could truly write a novel about this great question. My support system really is everything. I remember doing this show once that was a huge career milestone and I had been preparing for months– the second I got off stage, I had this strange sensation that it wouldn't have really meant as much as it did if I couldn't share in the joy of the achievement with my people. I used to feel like I needed to spend every waking moment working on music or else I wasn't trying hard enough– I'm so much happier balancing my life with music and friends and love and new experiences and everything else that isn't working. Maintaining relationships with people who live all over now was a difficult transition and will always take effort, but it will always be 1000% worth it– some of the best people in my life live thousands of miles away from me.

What is something you can never leave the house without?

In my tiniest purse, besides phone/keys/wallet, I'm bringing Airpods, lip balm, eye drops (I wear contacts and have dry eyes), and Sweetarts (if I have them)

The live instruments on your album add a new layer to your music. What inspired this decision, and how do you think it enhances the storytelling in your songs

I think it was something I always wanted, but was intimidated by honestly. When I was learning to produce and growing as a writer, I felt like I understood how a synthy pop song should sound more than I understood how to arrange a four-piece band– I didn't play with a band backing me until college. The more I've expanded what I listen to, the more shows I've played (and gone to), and the more I experimented as a writer, I think it was just the natural progression of my sound and what the songs started calling for. I'm so happy with where my sound is now, even though I'm sure it will always evolve again and again :-)

Stream You Could Stay In One Spot, and I'd Love You The Same, out now.