Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Sabina Beyli

Singer-songwriter Sabina Beyli is dominating the airwaves with a voice that will stop you in your tracks. With over 300,000 streams on Spotify, this talented youngster is quickly becoming an international superstar and someone to keep your eye on. This September, she dropped her latest single, “Replace You,” and we learned what inspired the track.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Sabina: I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I’d look at different artists on my TV and point my little finger on the screen saying, “I’ll be like them some day.” Music is just a safe zone where you can talk about absolutely anything and express all those feelings you’ve been hiding deep inside of you.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Sabina: My biggest influences are Justin Bieber, BTS, Christina Aguilera, and Ariana Grande. These artists have proven to me that you can start from nothing and become everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

PC: Tell us about your new single, “Replace You”. What inspired the track?
Sabina: To be honest, “Replace You” goes out to all those people that have betrayed you sometime in your life. It could be about literally anyone: your best friend, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, etc. This song is about me having a dilemma about whether I’m supposed to replace that one person or keep them in my life. Yes, I was only fifteen when the song was written, but that doesn’t mean fifteen-year-olds don’t go through hurtful things, you know? Also, if you pay attention, the chords are kind of similar to “Needy” by Ariana Grande, because that is one of my favorite songs of hers, and it was the inspiration behind “Replace You.”

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. Does that build to the pressure with each new release?
Sabina: Oh, it certainly does. As an artist, you always want to improve and become better at what you do, and me being a perfectionist on top of that makes it very pressuring to release new music. It’s the same as jumping from an airplane. There’s just so much adrenaline, and you can’t help but feel nervous.

PC: You were a finalist on The Voice Kids Turkey. What did you learn from that experience that you’ve been able to apply to your career?
Sabina: I learned that no matter what you’re doing, you should do it with love. Whilst participating in The Voice Kids Turkey, I made tons of new friends, and it was just an amazing experience overall. I was only twelve-years-old. I am very proud with how I handled certain things and tried to make the best out of it every situation.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Sabina: I think by now everyone knows how diverse my music taste is, which is why nothing will come as a surprise to them.

PC: First album you bought?
Sabina: Justin Bieber’s first album—My World. To this day it remains to be the cutest album to ever exist.

PC: First concert you attended?
Sabina: Justin Bieber’s Believe world tour in 2013!

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Sabina: Love Yourself—Her, Tear, Answer by BTS. This album taught me to accept myself the way I am, and never underestimate the things I’m capable of doing.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Sabina: Madison Square Garden, Rose Bowl, and Wembley

PC: A must-have on the road?
Sabina: Iced latte! Coffee is my addiction.

To keep up with Sabina, follow her on Instagram. Pick up or stream “Replace You” on Amazon Music, iTunes, or Spotify.