Sabreen is learning who she is through music, culture and the stories she chooses to tell

At 23, Sabreen has built a creative practice that spans music, writing and cultural expression. Her songwriting draws from lived experiences, identity and the process of figuring it all out. For Sabreen, making music is as much about growth as it is about creation. With a new EP, Forget Me When I'm Gone set for release next week, we caught up with her to talk about how writing can change your perspective, her Bangladeshi and Muslim identity, and why she is already looking towards her first album.

A lot of the songs on your EP are about discovering who you are. What have you learned about yourself while making this EP?

I’ve really learned that anything is possible if I’m stubborn enough! There were heaps of opportunities during the process where there was an easier way or a quicker way to do things, but I always went with what felt authentic to my vision and ethos for this project. I learned that good things are always worth the wait and sometimes it’s worth pushing that extra mile.

Has writing these songs changed how you think about some of the experiences that inspired them?

100%, I think that’s the beauty of songwriting. You can really go into production thinking about the song one way and come out of it thinking of it completely differently. I think ‘Land Mines’ has changed the most for me, as I feel so far from who I was when I wrote that song. But I still really honour it as a piece of myself and my experience at that time.

Your Bangladeshi and Muslim identity is an important part of your wider creative work. In what way does your cultural background shape the way you write?

I come from an incredibly rich cultural tapestry of storytelling and music, being from South Asia. I’m always taking notes of how we do things in our art and how I can incorporate that into my own. One thing I take with me is the community aspect of music which I feel can sometimes be lost here. There’s a much more collective attitude towards art back home which I carry with me.

You’re also an author. How does writing music differ from writing in other forms for you?

Writing music has always felt the most natural to me. It’s a lovely blend of my interests which can take shape in so many ways. It’s different from writing in other forms as it takes way less time and is also never complete in a way - there’s a million ways you can produce or change a song, compared to a story which can have a final draft. I think that’s why it’s my go-to art form these days; I love the dynamic nature of it.

What do you love most about the music scene in Aotearoa?

I think more and more we’re seeing real grassroots support for our local artists and music venues. I’m loving the resurgence of support for New Zealand music and how us as artists are always finding ways to look after each other and help each other’s dreams come true. The artists and their art are my favourite part; when the rest gets noisy, they bring me back.

After the EP is released, what's next for Sabreen?

It’s album time, baby!