FEATURE:
Spotlight
Sabina Beyli
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AN incredible artist…
who hails from Azerbaijan and has spent time living in the U.K. and U.S., there is something unique about Sabina Beyli. I don’t think I have ever featured an Azerbaijani artist before. I realise I have been focusing on a lot of solo female Pop artists recently in my Spotlight series, though they are very much standing out and the biggest and most sought-after commodity in modern music. Last year, Beyli put out the singles, Crave the Burn, and Bad Habits. Another artist who has been recorded music for a while, I do think that we can class her as a rising artist. Even though are awaiting a debut album, I think this will arrive soon enough. After putting out a string of incredible singles, Sabina Beyli’s name has spread and elevated. She is this artist primed for even greater prominence this year. I want to come to a few interviews with her from last year. I am going to end with a recent interview that reveals Sabina Beyli is planning to release a second E.P. and we will get some new singles very soon. It makes this feature very timely. A few interviews were published around the release of the single, Bad Habits. I will not include this feature, though their description of Sabina Beyli and her ethos/personality seems very true. A young woman, but someone who has seen and felt so much: “Let’s get one thing straight: Sabina Beyli is 22 and already writing like someone who’s seen way too much, healed from half of it, and refuses to pretend the other half doesn’t still haunt her. Her new single “Bad Habits” is the kind of alt-pop-rock confession that doesn’t bother dressing itself up for company. It walks in messy, overwhelmed, brutally self-aware, and absolutely unforgettable. Sabina has always written like she’s allergic to sugarcoating, but “Bad Habits” takes that unfiltered honesty and turns the volume all the way up. Edgier, more interesting and perhaps more relatable than a lot of her contemporaries, I do think there is something authentic about Sabina Beyli. That lack of sugarcoating and putting a shine on anything has really connected with her fans.
I want to come to a 2024 interview before moving to last year. I am publishing this before the first new singles of 2026, but I am really excited to see what comes from Sabina Beyli. I do think that this is going to be an astonishing year for her. I hope that she does play in the U.K. this year if she has any tour plans. Naluda Magazine spoke with an essential artist who is going to have a very long and massive career:
“Describe your sound in three words.
Alternative, dynamic, pop/rock
Who influenced you, and why did you choose to make music?
The very first artist who influenced me to start singing and making music was Christina Aguilera. I vividly remember when I was around 6, my dad played her song “hurt” and I instantly fell in love. She’s just incredible and I’d die to have her voice.
What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Literally all of it! Especially hearing the demo for the first time and falling in love with something you created. It’s truly an indescribable feeling. And of course the ability to help or inspire anyone who listens to my music. It means the absolute world to me.
What book should anyone interested in music read?
The music-business books. Those are crucial for artists, especially independent ones like me, there is always something new to be learnt!
What advice would you give to your younger self, and why?
To trust the universe and be patient. And most importantly to always be your authentic self.
How would your best friend describe you?
Loyal, supportive, adventurous.
If you could meet someone living or dead, who would it be and why?
Freddy Mercury and Amy Winehouse. Need I say more?
Where do you see yourself and your career in 5 years?
Having a few albums out, touring and adopting a bunch of dogs.
What do you think of social media?
I have a love hate relationship with social media because my job requires a high social media presence but at the same time it’s important to take necessary breaks for your mental health”.
I do hope there are more interviews with her soon. Whilst there are a lot of articles about Bad Habits, it would have been nice for people to interview Sabina Beyli and get her music spread that way. However, I feel this will be rectified this year. I will end with a great interview form Noctis. They ask a few questions around the subject of this year and what she has planned. It is evident that this ambitious and hugely talented artist is going to change the scene and release some fo the best music of her career:
“Being a female artist in the rock-pop space, she tells me she is drawn to its rawness and that it feels instinctive for her to make music in this genre for many reasons. “I’m drawn to the intensity of those genres, there’s this raw edge and emotional depth that really lets me express what I’m feeling. The dynamics, the tension, the atmosphere… It all gives my emotions a place to live.”
As both a writer and performer, this self-expression is also a form of catharsis for Beyli. “A lot of my music ends up being darker and raw because that’s where my emotions naturally go when I’m writing and I don’t ever try to censor that.” Getting up close and personal with her own emotions is something she hopes to evoke within her fans, allowing them to connect to the songs through these shared experiences. Her latest single ‘Bad Habits’ is an example of feelings on full display. “I wanted my listeners to know they’re not alone in those moments, that everyone has cycles they’re trying to break. Putting this song out felt like opening a door for people who might be going through something similar.”
Raised in Azerbaijan, Belyi has lived in both London and across the states, giving her a broadened perspective to write and express from. “Each place taught me something new, whether it was a mindset, a sound, or just the way people express emotion.” This follows her in her career mindset as she is focused on making music as well as growing “as a performer” to “get on more stages, and connect with audiences in a deeper, more personal way.” In all aspects, this connection is something she seeks out, from writing the songs to performing them.
Do you have themes that you’re drawn to as an artist? If so, how do you approach expressing certain themes in your music?
I’m definitely drawn to themes that come from very personal places. I tend to write about things I’m actually going through, issues that feel honest, uncomfortable, and completely real to me. A lot of my music ends up being darker and raw because that’s where my emotions naturally go when I’m writing and I don’t ever try to censor that. I just let myself sit in whatever feeling I’m having and translate it as truthfully as I can. I think that authenticity is what helps people connect to the songs.
You have a very distinctive and strong voice. Who are some vocalists who inspire you within your genre as well as in general?
Thank you! My favorite vocalists who’ve inspired me since I was a little girl are Christina Aguilera and Beyonce. I’m also very inspired by Hayley Williams.
I read that you are from Azerbaijan and have since been based in the states as well as London. How does that influence your writing and your point of view as an artist?
Growing up in Azerbaijan and then spending so much time in the States and London really broadened my whole perspective on life. Being surrounded by different cultures, people, and environments gave me so many layers to pull from creatively. Each place taught me something new, whether it was a mindset, a sound, or just the way people express emotion. All of that naturally finds its way into my writing. I think moving around so much made me more observant and more open, and it inspired me to write from a place that feels global, honest, and shaped by everything I’ve experienced.
So far we know that you’ll have two singles coming up in early 2026. What can listeners expect from those tracks?
My listeners can expect to relate to these tracks a lot. They’re full of authentic, raw emotion, the kind of feelings I was really sitting with when I wrote them. Sonically, there’s a lot of guitar and some experimental textures that honestly sound like what my mind felt like during that time. They’re personal, a little chaotic in the best way, and very true to who I am right now as an artist.
What does 2026 look like for you as an artist that fans can be excited for?
2026 is going to be such an exciting year! There’s so much new music coming, I’m already deep into working on my second EP, and it feels like my most personal project yet. I’m also hoping to perform a lot more shows, maybe even a small tour if everything aligns. And there will definitely be new merch and a few projects I can’t talk about just yet, but they’re really special. It’s going to be a year full of growth, creativity, and connecting with my listeners in bigger ways!
Where do you hope your progression as an artist and performer takes you in 2026?
In 2026, I hope my progression takes me toward expanding even more as an artist, releasing more music, experimenting with new sounds, and collaborating with new people who inspire me. I also really want to grow as a performer, get on more stages, and connect with audiences in a deeper, more personal way. This year is all about evolution for me”.
An artist who has this vulnerability and real punch that comes through in her lyrics and performances, I love the fact that she has lived in the U.S. and U.K. So young still, that experience and worldliness means she is more compelling than a lot of other Pop/Rock artists around her. I hope she also produces more music videos, as Bad Habits and Crave the Burn do not have ones. I love what she has produced so far, yet I feel this year is going to be the best one yet. This superstar is going to…
TAKE on the world.
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