Today we’d like to introduce you to Sterling Cabbiness.
Hi Sterling, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My grandfather gave me a guitar when I was 14. I practiced about 8 hours a day for almost three years. If I wasn’t in school, I was playing my guitar until I fell asleep or my fingers bled. It was probably around two years later I would write my first song. The first few songs I wrote weren’t any good. It was after 15-20 songs that I wrote something I didn’t think was half bad.
Later that year, I would start going around Austin, Round Rock, and Georgetown playing open mics and what few gigs I could land at that age. It wasn’t long after I decided that music wasn’t just a passion for me. I wanted to make it a career. I left home at 17 after I completed school.
I didn’t know where to start or what I was doing so I formed a plan. I went around asking people to record me. No one showed any interest. There was always these steep prices that was completely out of reach for a homeless and jobless 17 years old. No one was willing to take a chance on me. That’s how I decided to do it all myself.
I taught myself how to record, produce, mix, and master. I released my first EP in 2017 at the age of 18. Needless to say, it wasn’t anything special. I set a goal for myself to release 4 EPs in one year. So in 2018, I released 4 EPs totaling 22 songs. Since then, I’ve released a string of singles. In total, I’ve released 33 songs.
In 2019 I played around 30 shows. Nearly 50 if you include where I was a special guest. I was barely sustainable with my income before some personal issues came about causing a lot of instability in my life. By 2020, I was depressed and when the coronavirus hit, I had lost all my income as an artist. I moved up to Ohio and found a job. Over the last two years, I worked my way up in the company. Just recently, I left to come back to the Austin area to give things another shot.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all. It’s been incredibly challenging. I had no help whatsoever in the beginning. No one taught me what to do or how to do it. There was a lot of trial and error on my behalf. One of my biggest problems was just how much I was working. I tended to isolate myself in my work. I wouldn’t see my friends or spend time with my family. I was just determined to be successful. I would find success but it would never be enough and I would get so depressed.
My biggest problems have been stability, mental health, and isolation. The amount of work it takes to do what I’ve done in such a short time is really something to be proud of. Constantly moving all the time as made it very hard to be stable. I’ve moved anywhere from 10-15 times since I started at 17. Constantly dealing with depression and isolation along the way. I would get depressed and isolate myself in work. That isolation would fuel the depression. So it was just a horrible cycle of getting so much work done but not having anyone to share it with at the end of the day.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So as a musician, I basically do it all. I perform, sing, play piano, guitar, I write music, produce, mix, master, record. I’m a one man band with my loop pedal I use in my live performances. As I’ve said, I’ve released 33 songs to my name. Every song I’ve released as been exclusively produced and written by me. There’s only one song in my catalogue that was co-written with me.
If I’m known for something or if I’m most proud of anything. It’s just from how hard I work. Anyone who knows me or knows my story knows just how much I’ve had to overcome. Even after that, I’ve still put in more work and effort into everything I do that virtually all my counterparts. That’s something I’m extremely proud of. To do it all by myself and coming from nothing to where I am today.
What really sets me apart from others is my work ethic. I’m not the most talented, or best-looking, or even most creative person in the world. I’m just the hardest working. I truly think that none of that matters. The best doctor isn’t the one that has a natural talent for it. It’s the doctor that sucked and practiced harder than anyone else to do better. Being the best they could.
What matters most to you? Why?
Making a positive impact on this world. There were so many days where I would get beat up, or made fun of, or be put in a difficult situation in life. Music was always there for me. Where I didn’t have a lot of consistency, or friends, or stability growing up. I had music. Now music is something that I can share with others. When someone has a bad day or is feeling low. I hope they can turn on one of my songs and just feel good. Ultimately that’s the goal.
Contact Info:
- Email: SterlingCabbiness@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlingcabbiness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlingcabbiness/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SterlingPCMusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCexl_saasd96cHsOmd8G4Gg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-183538811
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/73J7v6qhUqSD4bM4AMXhzK?si=j11kcm4DS76j5L2drapDFg
Image Credits:
Bruce King, Alexis Stapleton
