Digital Cover: SEB

Photographer: Tara Tajdini

SEB, the LA-based genre-bending artist, producer, and songwriter is a special talent that comes around every so often.

The rising star thrives in the space of imperfection; with his self-proclaimed drunk-pop genre showcased in his earlier work, he goes in with the intent of making his music not feel so sterile and polished, leaving the imperfections in to make his soundscape feel more authentic and welcoming. SEB’s genre-crossing sound pulls inspiration from the likes of Joni Mitchell, Steve Lacy, and Tyler the Creator. His diverse influences serve as a reflection of his varied background coming up in Chicago while hopping between New York, Haiti, Oklahoma, and Miami, before planting his roots in LA to prioritize his music career. SEB’s sound explores dark truths as he questions how the past shapes who he is today, paired with an extensive visual world inspired by cult classic films. While we’re coming to the end of SEB’s act I in his three-act project, we’re bracing for the shift in act II that faces the rising star’s challenges with toxic behaviors and self-doubt, showcased in his latest single, “SAVE ME.” 

In the current pop music climate, it's extremely refreshing to see an artist like SEB rise to the top with authenticity, combined with his determination to stand out amongst the greats, has us convinced he’s here for the long run. We had the opportunity to chat with the legend in the making about establishing his current sound along with what’s to come.

Hey, what's up? 

Doing good. How are you? 

I'm pretty good. How are you? 

I'm good. I'm honestly just getting started with my day. It's been a slow one. 

I feel that. Are you more of an afternoon person? 

You know, it's been changing for me recently. Usually, early in the morning, I like to get things done and work on music, but recently it's been like I might get in the studio at like four or five and just hang around until then. 

So I've been delving through your discography for a minute and I felt there was a shift in your sound. Your early work leaned more towards an electronic pop realm. Now there are darker elements of alternative and indie rock. Do you mind telling us the journey of how we have the SEB sound today?

I think with the early stuff, there was a lot of insecurity in my songwriting abilities and just how I felt about it. So I knew I could rely on my production of those moments in my songs. So that's why with those earlier songs, you hear a lot more like electronic drops just cause I knew I could do that. Then moving into what I put out last year and the stuff I'm doing now, it's really like forcing myself to get better at songwriting, to get better at writing out a fleshed-out chorus, proper verses, and like intros and stuff. So, that's really been what these last couple of projects have been, and I'm working on figuring out how to combine the two worlds and that's like the next step.

Is that something that we'll see in your upcoming project, sort of like a blend of the two? 

There are definitely certain songs where the song structure is a little bit more atypical. It's not like a verse, chorus, verse-chorus type of thing, but it doesn't go all the way into like the drops as my earlier stuff did.

Interesting. Were you versed in music theory when starting or was it something you had to learn as you went along?

I know a decent amount of music theory. I remember when I first started really producing, which was like early high school, I went to the head of the jazz program at my high school.

And I was just telling him, I'm trying to get into this like I wanna get better. And one of the first things I remembered was us studying for three, four months was just music theory, circle of fifths, and then from there, it was like, I went into like the AP music theory class and I took some music theory in college and learned all those weird Neapolitan chords that I never used now.

But I know a little bit about that. 

Oh, wow. I've never really delved into music theory. I always found it to be super interesting and I really admire those who are super versed. 

It's cool, definitely. But I use it more as a problem-solving tool. Where it's like- I'm just feeling something out and I'm like, oh, I want to feel like this, or I want to add something here. And nothing like naturally comes out. So then I'll think about it and sort of approach it from a more theoretical standpoint. 

There's like a juxtaposition within your music where the production feels super sunny at some points and the lyrics have a darker undertone. Is that a theme that you're gonna continue to do? 

I think so. Because with my music, I want everything to feel really good, regardless of what the subject matter is. So that just comes out in the production where I want these songs to be a song you can play at a barbecue, you can play at a birthday party, you're getting ready to go out, you can throw them on regardless of what I'm talking about on the songs. 

Absolutely. I noticed on your SoundCloud you labeled some of the tracks as "drunk pop." What does that mean?

Oh, man! When I was putting music out, maybe in 2018, just like on SoundCloud. I was making pop music but I didn't want it to feel super sterile or super perfect. I want things to be sloppy. Maybe I mumbled one part, it's not too clear, but just fuck it let's keep that in there. Like something is outta time. Fuck it. Like, keep that, I just want it to feel sloppy. 

Totally. That's a really good description. I feel like some pop music definitely feels like a machine and then there's some that feel organic with some flaws in it, which feels more human. 

Exactly! And I feel like those flaws, especially with pop songs in the past, like those flaws end up being the most memorable parts of the songs, you know? 

Absolutely. I also read a quote somewhere where you said you identify as a pop star and still feel like you can be in the realm of Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. Do you still identify with that? 

I think so. The hard part about it is there's a certain level of compromising as far as my stuff that I'm not willing to do but I'm still chasing that without wanting to compromise.

When it comes to making a track, what is your starting point? 

Recently I'd say in the last two years, it's definitely been drums especially like this past year, I would spend like an hour or two hours just focusing on getting a good groove. The drum sounds perfect and then from there, it's like, you can go in any direction, but the most important is like the drums for me.

Which track would you say challenged you creatively the most? 

The next song that's gonna be coming out is called “get your bread.” That song was definitely the hardest cause for a little bit, while I was making it, was just a bunch of really scattered ideas. And it was really tricky to figure out how to piece it together to make it feel like a cohesive song and not just like random shit being thrown at a wall and I feel like I achieved it. 

Where is the line between where it feels messy and sloppy but also cohesive? How can you tell where that point is? 

Honestly, it's just a feeling. There's always that notion of like a painting is never done. You can come back to it like a month later and be like, oh I could have added this or added that. But I tend to trust my gut when, when I'm working to be like, alright, like there's nothing more I can do to it. That'll give me more of that feeling like just don't touch it anymore. 

I get that way too. I wanted to bring up, fuck it, I'm the man, introduces your second persona in your three-act project. Do you mind telling us more about the themes that we'll see in act two?

Yeah. So let's see in act one. It was like, I see act one taking place near the end of high school where everything is about to open up to you. The time is yours now you could do what you wanna do, go where you wanna go, pursue what you wanna pursue, and you have all these big and open dreams. In act two, I'm more so describing the pursuit of those dreams.

So now it's like, I wanted to go down pursue music and try not to get a regular job. And now it's like, let me actually describe what that's like, which isn't some super idealized thing of like, I moved out here [L.A.], I got recognized and now I'm on a label. It was like, being broke, going through heartbreak. Because your focus is on other things having to separate from your family for a little bit just because their way of thinking about your future is sort of contradicting with how you see yourself moving. It's really getting into like the nitty-gritty of what chasing those dreams is like.

Yeah, absolutely. I watched your YouTube video yesterday on moving to L.A. and the whole story. 

Oh yeah?

I did! I felt pretty inspired. I took away that taking risks is critical for growth. What's something you've learned from this whole experience that you could share with another artist trying to pursue the same thing?

Early on a big thing was comparing where I was next to somebody else doing the same thing. And the biggest thing is just to try as hard as you can to not pay attention to anybody else. Cause it all happens at different times and for good reasons, like certain things back then, I would not have been ready for. So like maybe that's why certain things didn't happen and even now I feel that same way when I catch myself comparing myself to other people. Just trust the process, pursue every opportunity in front of you, and don't look at what other people are doing. 

Great advice. I'm gonna take that advice. I get stuck doing that quite often. What's something that's inspired you recently? 

Actually, the new season of Atlanta. The way he [Donald Glover] approaches talking about certain topics and especially just the black experience in such a nuanced way, but also putting in the references in there for people who have gone through that is just like, damn, he's so good at doing that.

I try to see how I can do that in my own way? 

When it comes to your visuals, do you get a lot of inspiration from TV and movies? 

Yeah, definitely movies, I would say. So like with the last project, it was definitely very heavy on the movie influences, but recently I've just been leaning in towards like skate videos from the early 2000s and late 90s, just really gritty footage, really DIY put together, there's like a certain aura and vibe to it that I just love right now. 

I know exactly what you mean and they look incredible. Who are you currently listening to right now? 

Right now? Let's see. So I actually just found this band yesterday called Small Faces they're like a sixties band from the UK that never broke into the U.S during the whole British invasion and their stuff is just pretty gnarly. So I've been bumping that like all day yesterday and today.