Anson Seabra
Finds Solace In Sadness
By Eli Goodwin
One of the original kings of bedroom music, Anson Seabra believes that the setting has fueled his creative process. “It’s very easy, in the music industry, to get caught in a certain style of writing, especially when you do sessions in LA,” the artist explained. “Now, I feel like it’s kind of like an Olivia Rodrigo style, a more intimate, edgy (but not too edgy), vulnerable feel. When I’m alone in my bedroom and I have no other co-writers there telling me what to do, it’s very freeing.”
And freeing it’s certainly been. Seabra has the liberty to write about anything his heart desires, free of worries that usually consume record labels such as how a song will place on the charts. Creative freedom has also led to what is perhaps the artist’s most valued quality: his unparalleled, vivid honesty. Though being candid is definitely en vogue at the moment, no one does it quite like Seabra. That being said, it doesn’t come without worry.
“Definitely,” Seabra said when I asked him if he’s ever tentative about displaying the level of emotional vulnerability he does in his music. The lyrics, while truthful, can sometimes place him in a bit of an uncomfortable position especially when he was to perform them at concerts and in crowded venues. “And I don’t think people wanna hear that,” Seabra continued. “I don’t think they want to look someone like me in the eyes and confront the idea that seemingly ‘normal’ people might have more nuanced ideas about themselves or may be...self-deprecating.”
But confronting who we are and our self-image is a part of Seabra’s mission. “I don’t regret putting out any of the songs for whatever [I was feeling] at the time...I was a different person,” Seabra clarified. At the end of the day, however, the artist feels as if someone has to do it, a sentiment that carries into his new EP. All of his new songs are as flush with introspection and intense self-reflection as ever, the pinnacle of a Seabra single.
His authenticity and (sometimes brutal honesty) are two of the main proponents of his immense success thus far. Grossing over 6.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, Seabra first found the limelight in 2018 with one of his biggest hits and his debut single, “Welcome to Wonderland.” The song found solace on both the radio and a newly-emerging platform, one that today seems to dictate the music industry: TikTok. He and the app grew together, it seems, much like Lil Nas X and Doja Cat. When Seabra’s songs do well, they wind up on TikTok. When a TikTok sound tied to him goes viral, Seabra does well. This is in no way a discredit to the multitude of accolades Seabra has earned and deserved. He’s a workhorse; the past three years have welcomed around 15 singles (including a beautiful rendition of Elton John’s “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” a few EPs, and two full-length albums, all of which have graced our ears, making us, laugh, cry, and everything in between. “Broken,” is my go-to sad song, for example.
“I think it’s the disease of humanity, today, to hate yourself in some regard. I think most people don’t actually like themselves…[and are] hoping one day they’ll feel good enough,” Seabra concluded. His firm grasp on who he is and the world we live in is precisely what has given him the gift of helping all of us realize just what that one feeling may be or what it is that’s bothering us. Though it’s not always easy to grapple with, the storyteller gives us the privilege of confronting and tackling our feelings in order to be the best we can. It’s up to us what we do with the opportunity.