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In the decade since she emerged as a 19-year-old indie darling, Sabriel has steadily refined her craft. The Las Vegas singer’s satin-smooth delivery has drawn comparisons to neo-soul sirens like Erykah Badu. But in the years leading up to her debut album, Through the Cherry Gates, she’s cultivated a sound that’s warm, rarified and distinctively her own. After taking a lengthy break from performing, Sabriel returns with a new outlook on her artistry ahead of her show at the Beverly Theater on April 11.
“I’m coming at it from a different angle this time, because I’ve learned a lot. I turned 30 last year. I started performing and singing when I was 17, and that five-ish year break was necessary,” Sabriel says.
“Even up until I stopped performing live, my stuff was pretty influenced by the musicians I had playing with me. I didn’t have as much confidence as I have now. I’ve learned a lot about how to produce, and I consider myself more of a recording artist now.”
Cherry on top:
Until now, all that seemed to be missing from Sabriel’s catalog was a full-length album. What changed?
“Nobody was telling me not to [do it],” she says. “I had signed to a smaller label for a little bit, and then I had different management after I really started producing, and they all were just like, ‘Hold your roll.’ So, I just got tired of people telling me to stay still. Turning 30, I had gone through the whole astrological Saturn Return stuff. And I was like, ‘This is my favorite thing that I’ve ever made. I have to put it out as an album.’”
Coming Full Circle:
On Through the Cherry Gates, Sabriel draws influence from funk music, Janet Jackson, Prince and even her own father. “There are songs in the album that sample songs that my dad made before I was even born,” she says. “So technically, this project is like 30-plus years in the making.”
Her father also gifted her another meaningful hand-me-down: an Ensoniq ASR-88 sampling keyboard, which has been praised for its high-quality sound. Sabriel makes the most of it on heady, shivering tracks like “Figgypom” and the digitally doomful and funky “Heavyweight.”
“I don’t know if I would have known what to do with it up until this point of life,” she admits. “It’s such a beast. So many cool artists have used it over the years, so I think I had to work up my production skills to earn it.”
Upcoming:
Sabriel says her Beverly performance will feature cool visual aspects and two special guests: the soulful collective Overnight Celebrity and Cameron Calloway’s new musical persona, Scorpio.
“I really want to celebrate the album itself and I’m just really excited to do it at the Beverly, because it took me a while to find a venue in town that I felt excited to play at,” she says. “It’s gonna be such a good stepping stone, and it’s gonna be such a safe space for me to perform again.”
SABRIEL: ALBUM RELEASE SHOW April 11, 8 p.m., $20. Beverly Theater, thebeverlytheater.com.
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