We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sable Breeze a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sable, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
Neither of my parents have a background in music but despite that, they have always supported me wholeheartedly. My parents are always the first to hear my songs and share their opinions with me. I feel like they have even more faith in me than I do in myself most days haha. The amount of times my dad has told his friends and random strangers about my music is countless. My mom, as soon as she knew what I wanted to do, would help me in any way she could. I remember her showing me videos of famous singers when I was really young and telling me to look at the shape of their mouths to learn from them. I also remember struggling so hard with my first YouTube guitar tutorial and feeling really discouraged and her telling me to “Just do it until you get it right.”. And so I kept going until I did. That simple advice that she probably didn’t even think about really impacted me and I’ve told myself that same sentence over and over again when learning new skills haha.
Sable, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m a mellow-pop singer and songwriter from North Texas. I perform all over the area at bars, cafes, restaurants, country clubs, private and corporate events, and local events and festivals. I take a lot of pride in being able to tailor my set lists for different events and putting on a professional and family-friendly show that clients can be happy with. It’s hard for me to answer the question of how I got into music because this is what I have always wanted to do, and I am so happy to be able to do it for a living now. I used to write a bunch of little one-verse songs when I was a kid, and throughout middle school and high school, I got into performing in plays at local community theaters. Shortly after I started learning guitar and ukulele around 2014, I started writing more full and complete songs, learned a bunch of covers, and started performing professionally! In 2020, I started the process of recording fifteen of my original songs at local studio Ayers Affect Audio and released three five-song EPs in 2021 across all major streaming and download platforms. Towards the end of last year, I combined all of those EPs onto CDs that I now sell at shows and online! I have also done some session work recording vocals for local band Ellen&Dean, and some co-writing with other local musicians as well. I love working as a musician and hope I always will have the ability to do so.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Definitely the Trademark & Copyright Clinic at Texas A&M University School of Law! They have helped me so much over the years with getting information on how to file copyright applications, getting contracts together, getting my trademark filed and approved, and all of the countless questions I have on the legalities of the music industry. It is a student lawyer program so it does take some time and you can only work with them during the spring and fall semesters, but it is totally worth it and if you get approved to take part in the program it is completely free! It’s also really fun for me to learn about the legal side of the music industry. I can’t help but think of how much less stress I would’ve been under if I had known about and taken part in the clinic even earlier in my career, and I am eternally grateful to every student I have worked with, as well as the supervising attorney I have worked with Jeff Slattery. The Denton Songwriter’s Guild has also been extremely helpful, without that organization I wouldn’t have even known about the copyright clinic I previously mentioned, I also think the best thing you can do for yourself as a musician is to surround yourself with other talented people in the industry that are willing to share their knowledge with you. There are many accounts on TikTok and Instagram that freely share valuable information too! @kclaymusic on Instagram comes to mind, she puts out a lot of helpful content regarding vocal technique and she also has online vocal lessons available. I also have to shout out a couple of very helpful books I’ve read, Music Law by Nolo and Get the Gig by Jake Laughlin. Both of those books make some complicated aspects of being a working musician less overwhelming and easier to understand. Hope this helped someone out there! I am, of course, always willing to share any information I’ve learned over the years, so any readers can feel free to reach out to me over social media if they have any questions that I might be able to help answer too.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I have struggled with chronic illness for over five years now and I have worked through every single one of those years. On days when I only had it in me to do one thing before I was absolutely exhausted, I would choose to go out and perform. A lot of times when I was feeling like I would take one step forward and be thrown three steps back, I got up and would work to take one step forward again. There have been a lot of tears through this process, it’s frustrating when your spirit is willing but your flesh is so weak. But the thing that has kept me going, other than God and my family, is a strong burning passion that can’t be snuffed out. I know that while it might be easier to just give up, I could never forgive myself or feel fulfilled if I did that. No matter what happens to me in life, I will always do music and I will always write. To anyone who may be going through something similar, just know that you are not alone, you are loved, and you can do it! You can make it through this season in your life no matter how long and how hard it may be. Remember to be patient with yourself and take care of yourself in the best way that you can.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/sablebreeze
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sablebreeze/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sablebreeze
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sablebreeze
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb_JMCOF3KMkMWJdQ803aAQ
- Other: Bandcamp: https://sablebreeze.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Sway and Nothing I’d Rather Do cover photos: Isabella Velezmoro Photograpy. Same Old Same Olds cover photo and article feature photo: Xochitl Gonzalez