Conversations with Cybèle Fasquelle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cybèle Fasquelle.

Cybèle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story starts on a porch in Beijing. Every morning I’d go outside and sing to the birds. My mom grew up playing classical violin, so the house was full of classical music, but we also had stacks of Disney DVDs and Mamma Mia on repeat. I was basically listening to Tchaikovsky and ABBA at the same time.
When I was about nine, I tagged along to my mom’s friend’s daughter’s audition for CCTV’s New Year’s Special. I went last, sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and ended up making my debut on national television.

When we moved to LA, I went to a French school. I learned the language, and I also got bullied for being Chinese and for being “too theatrical” and outspoken. That’s when I found Beyoncé. I spent hours studying her performances, and this brilliant artist from Houston gave me the courage to keep going no matter what anyone said. LA is also where I found my musical community. I joined a regular kids’ showcase called “Nu Skool Sings Old School,” founded by former Soul Train dancer Brandy Sanders, where I learned and performed the repertoires of legends like Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Aretha Franklin for an audience that included Berry Gordy, La Toya Jackson, and Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind & Fire. Black music is at the core of all popular music, and as a French-Chinese American artist, I’m grateful to have learned from that history. Everything I make in R&B and soul starts there.

In college, I studied psychology at Harvard and interned at Universal Music, where I fully realized that I could not sit at a desk promoting other artists. I had to be one. A Master’s at Berklee NYC taught me how to really write: don’t be precious, stay in process, stay a student. I think artistry dies the day you believe you’ve got it all figured out.

All of it led to my debut album, Paradise, out now in English, French, and Mandarin, the three languages I grew up in. It’s cinematic pop and R&B, a world of its own built from nostalgia and old-school cinema. It feels like a homecoming: Paris, Beijing, and LA finally in the same room. I hope it reminds people that even in the chaos of the world, they can build their own Paradise.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t been smooth. Growing up, boys would shush me when I raised my hand in class. I was called all kinds of names based on my race and my gender, but I don’t hold a grudge towards any of them. What those years taught me is that I can’t use other people’s opinions as a thermostat for how I feel about myself. I had to build an internal compass early. That lesson also came during auditions. The note I always got was that I wasn’t grounded enough. Eventually I realized they were right: I do live in the clouds. That isn’t a flaw. My job is to build a world where the clouds are welcome but also acknowledge what is going on on earth. I’ve learned to thrive under pressure. Whenever I’ve said a big goal out loud, someone has asked how I could possibly pull it off, or decided I must be full of myself. But my goals are always set in the intention of seeing how far I can grow and push myself.

Then there’s the part nobody sees. As an independent artist, I manage the budgets, register every song, log every expense, and navigate all the human dynamics that have nothing to do with making music. There’s a myth that you need to be in the right headspace to do the work. Some days I feel aligned and some days I don’t. The job is to keep going either way. Every other week I still ask myself whether I’m on the right path. What pulls me back up each time is simple: I can’t imagine doing anything else. The struggle I haven’t solved is balance. I’m not sure you can build something extraordinary and hold on to everything else at once. I don’t think that means you can’t have it all. You just can’t have it all at the same time.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a French-Chinese American recording artist, composer, and producer, but at the core, I am obsessed with storytelling. I make cinematic pop and R&B in English, French, and Mandarin, blending the melodies of the Great American Songbook, the warmth of soul music, and the romance of an orchestra.

Songwriting is home base. I write everything at the piano, and it always starts with a feeling. On stage I’m known for being theatrical. After my release show, someone told me it felt like watching a 1940s starlet in her element, and since I’m aiming for timeless, I took that as the highest compliment.

What sets me apart I believe is perspective. I try to never write from the position of feeling defeated, or that I’m a victim. I write from the belief that everything is a lesson and that I’m accountable for my own life. What I’m most proud of is my resilience, and when Paradise ends, I want listeners to feel freer than when it began.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that I’m in the driver’s seat of my own career. It’s easy to blame the casting director, the gatekeeper, or the timing. And it’s true that in this industry, like every industry, your work often rests in someone else’s hands and someone else’s point of view. But the people who go the distance take accountability for their own lives. My mindset, my discipline, my work ethic, my self-worth, my craft, and my daily practice are all mine to control, and together they decide how far I can go. I can’t control how I’ll be received but I can control what I bring into each and every room.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cybelemusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cybele_official_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cybelemusic/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyb%C3%A8lefasquelle/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cybeleofficial/
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Up6w5DHU8neZ3fhIbCRBD?si=ETM2QKIiRM6jCbyrq320ZQ