Biography
Cybéle has been one of the top local piano lounge entertainers since 2006, typically performing 4+ nights a week. The singer/song-writer independently released her first album, “Medicated America" in August 2011. The debut features a duet entitled “All My Time,” which was co-written and recorded with Eliot Sloan - lead singer of Blessid Union of Souls. Her “Song for America” has been aired locally on the 1st and 10th anniversaries of the 9/11 tragedy.
After getting married and having two children between 2012-2015, Cybéle has decided to postpone her follow up to the Medicated America album...at least until her life as a mother slows down a bit.
Cybéle has been singing since she could talk and taught herself piano along the way. She grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts. From a young age, she has performed with the likes of Kenny Rogers, Faith Hill, and more. She enjoyed singing and acting on stage, playing roles like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and Anne in The Diary of Anne Frank. When she was sixteen, Cybele performed the National Anthem at the Grand Opening of Paul Brown Stadium. In 2006, Cybéle traded in her Skyline Chili uniform for the opportunity to sing and play piano at the Waterfront, a riverside fine dining restaurant. She has gone on to perform at many of the Tri-State area's popular piano bars, music lounges, and casinos.
After getting married and having two children between 2012-2015, Cybéle has decided to postpone her follow up to the Medicated America album...at least until her life as a mother slows down a bit.
Cybéle has been singing since she could talk and taught herself piano along the way. She grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts. From a young age, she has performed with the likes of Kenny Rogers, Faith Hill, and more. She enjoyed singing and acting on stage, playing roles like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and Anne in The Diary of Anne Frank. When she was sixteen, Cybele performed the National Anthem at the Grand Opening of Paul Brown Stadium. In 2006, Cybéle traded in her Skyline Chili uniform for the opportunity to sing and play piano at the Waterfront, a riverside fine dining restaurant. She has gone on to perform at many of the Tri-State area's popular piano bars, music lounges, and casinos.
Creative Process
Cybéle is not prolific with her song-writing. She describes the process like a sacred event that comes to her out of the blue and leaves just as mysteriously.
It took Cybéle three years to set aside enough money to fund her album project. The first-time producer hired fellow musicians to add instrumentation to her songs, layering thick vocal harmonies on particular tracks, and eventually mixing everything in-house with her closest musical partner, Craig Wilson.
It was Wilson who gave the dynamic singer a start in the local music scene in 2006. It was also Wilson who sat in as the keyboard player for Blessid Union of Souls one night and mentioned to lead singer, Eliot Sloan, that he ought to come out and listen to Cybéle sing after the show. Eliot agreed to stop by and Cybéle took the opportunity to mention that she was working on a duet for her first album...the rest is history!
It took Cybéle three years to set aside enough money to fund her album project. The first-time producer hired fellow musicians to add instrumentation to her songs, layering thick vocal harmonies on particular tracks, and eventually mixing everything in-house with her closest musical partner, Craig Wilson.
It was Wilson who gave the dynamic singer a start in the local music scene in 2006. It was also Wilson who sat in as the keyboard player for Blessid Union of Souls one night and mentioned to lead singer, Eliot Sloan, that he ought to come out and listen to Cybéle sing after the show. Eliot agreed to stop by and Cybéle took the opportunity to mention that she was working on a duet for her first album...the rest is history!
Song Inspirations -
MEDICATED AMERICA
1.) Down at the Line:
Refers to Cybele's years as a waitress at Cincinnati’s famous Skyline Chili, always dreaming big and wanting more.
2.) Lonely 2 O’Clock:
Written late one night after she’d kicked her boyfriend out and immediately regretted it
3.) All My Time:
Started as a lonely guitar track sent to Cybéle by a singer/song-writer friend, Patrick Stoutenborough. Bummed after her boyfriend (now husband) left for his 2nd work shift one day, she was suddenly inspired to add lyrics and a vocal melody for a 1st verse and chorus. It became a song with the marriage of Pat's 2nd verse lyrics & melody, but was later re-recorded with Eliot Sloan from BLESSID UNION OF SOULS, who chose to use his own lyrics for the male verse.
4.) I Am Just Fine:
Written after her first break-up.
5.) Beatrice:
Written about her dog. When Cybéle was young, she would visit her grandparents in Italy during the summers. One day she babysat a little girl named “Beatrice.” (pronounced “Bay – uh – TREE – chay”)Speaking only a few simple Italian phrases, Cybéle found herself calling out Beatrice’s name more than anything else that day, because she loved the pronunciation and how it rolled off the tongue. She ended up giving the name to her dog, who was so loved that she inspired the delightfully quirky little piece!
6.) Medicated America:
Inspired by an incident that happened to someone who was very close to Cybele in high school. The person took LSD and had a flashback a few months later that would last three weeks, landing the individual in the pyschiatric ward of Cincinnati Children's Hospital. The kid's family was placed into “group therapy”, where a psychiatrist listened to them talk for an hour once a week. Cybéle QUICKLY noticed her friend gaining weight and becoming a different person after being prescribed a cocktail of medications. It took a few years for the friend to wean off of the meds, which it seems the doctor would have been happy to continue prescribing!
7.) Dojaphene:
Written while Cybéle was in high school. You could say that Dojaphene is Cybéle’s alter-ego. In a country where prescription meds are glorified, advertised on television, and turned into billions of profit dollars, Cybéle sees no reason why marijuana should be so taboo. LEGALIZE!
8.) So Addicted:
Written about Cybéle’s struggle to quit smoking cigarettes, a habit she picked up at the susceptible age of 14.
9.) Young Ones:
Inspired by her peers, Cybéle found similarities in each “love” story, and was moved to write a song about the life style of so many young people.
10.) Common Sense:
Contains Cybéle’s general feelings about society and the environment.
11.) Song For America:
Written in reaction to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Cybéle was 17 when it happened. The song is written almost as a diary entry, a memoir outlining the events and emotions of the fateful day, told through the eyes of a somewhat naïve, coming-of-age girl.
12.) World Keeps Spinnin’:
An uplifting song of hope - inspired by the belief that she will climb to the top if she stays focused and remains true to herself.
13.) If I Could Whistle:
It’s true, Cybéle CAN’T whistle. The song was inspired by her employment as a lounge singer. Although she’s happy to have a “singing job,” she STILL imagines the possibilities of achieving MORE. But, the deeper meaning is really about the grass never ceasing to be greener on the other side. Once you reach a goal, another one is set and it never ends...if only we could be grateful for what we have while we have it!
Single Song Releases
1.) Sweet Surrender: This song was custom written for a commercial with very specific instructions. Ultimately, a different song was chosen for the campaign. But, Cybéle fell in love with the tune, so she chose to release it as a single soon after.
