Sabrina Carmen<\/a>, the inspiration for her newest single, \u201cDreaming Wide Awake\u201d struck while she was sprawled on her sofa, watching \u201cCobra Kai,\u201d on Netflix.<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s really funny and silly because there is nothing remotely ’80s about the song at all,\u201d Carmen said by phone. \u201cThere was just this really pretty instrumental playing in the background in one of the scenes and out of nowhere this ethereal idea pops into my head.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethereal, dreamy, serene; all are apt descriptions of Carmen\u2019s newest single, \u201cDreaming Wide Awake\u201d which dropped Aug. 13 and to date clocks over 21,000 plays on Spotify.<\/p>\n
The near four-minute single is a lush dream-pop track draped with ambient, atmospheric soundscapes. Lyrically, it\u2019s contemplative, curious, but energized by Carmen\u2019s honey-toned vocals which exude clear signs of power and control as most evidently captured in the chorus’ final run.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really happy with how it turned out and just the drama behind it,\u201d the 30-year-old singer said. \u201cBut it definitely went through a metamorphosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many musicians who had to pivot their lives during the pandemic, Carmen realized the possibilities of creating music remotely. During lockdown she discovered an online music course and befriended fellow artists Rebecca McBride, Rebekah Wilbur, Jamie Miller and music producer Matt Richert from the course.<\/p>\n
McBride, Wilbur and Miller helped workshop lyrics, themes and melody building from Carmen\u2019s original scratch\u2014a sweet, intimate track with soft vocals and piano melodies. Richert, who mixed and mastered the piece, envisioned the cinematic soundscape.<\/p>\n
Navigating time zones was an interesting challenge, Carmen said, with Wilbur based in Virginia and Richert and Miller in Chicago. Carmen streamed via Zoom from her Bixby Knolls home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had just never done anything like that before. Normally you just vibe so well with people in the [studio] room. So this was different, but working with them has been as comfortable as working with people I\u2019ve known for years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDreaming Wide Awake\u201d marks a new chapter in the artist\u2019s music career, both in sound and identity. Growing up in Torrance with a mother and father in the arts\u2014her mom was an actress who performed in off-Broadway shows and her father, a playwright\u2014her childhood soundtracks were anthems by Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, and Ella Fitzgerald.<\/p>\n
Because of her parents, she fell in love with musical theater and jazz performance. Her talents landed her a mentorship under Seth Riggs, the accomplished vocal coach who developed the Speech Level Singing technique employed by Streisand and late greats Prince, Michael Jackson among many other prominent singers.<\/p>\n
She considered a formal education at Berklee School of Music after high school, but ultimately deferred, a decision she doesn\u2019t regret, \u201cI was constantly in a world of education,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
It was a courageous decision, but one that led her into the Los Angeles music industry, landing back-up vocal credits on the 2013 30 Seconds to Mars album \u201cLove, Lust, Faith and Dreams\u201d and television appearances also singing backup vocals on the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show with 30 Seconds to Mars and Youngblood Hawke. Showcasing her singing and dancing talents, she also appeared in a GAP commercial with Janelle Mon\u00e1e.<\/p>\n
She continued to develop her songwriting under the tutelage of seasoned industry pop songwriters Billy Steinberg and Ken Hirsch, with whom she also claims co-writing credits.<\/p>\n
Having a taste for collaboration, in 2016 Carmen ventured out on her own, forming her solo career under the moniker \u201cMadLyn,\u201d in honor of her mother who died of breast cancer in 2013. But in 2020, she did a bit of soul searching.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was such a crazy year for us all, so it allowed me the space and time to sit with my thoughts and think more about who I was and what I wanted my next chapter to be,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
This next chapter, as Sabrina Carmen, promises the truest version of the artist yet\u2014one eager to experiment, adventure, grow.<\/p>\n
Listen now on Spotify:<\/p>\n