SACHELLYS INTERVIEW: Sachellys is breaking barriers with her vibrant R&B, Afro-Latin and salsa fusion. Get familiar with this VIPER interview…
What five words define your sound?
Smooth, Chill, Sensual, Warm, Exotic.
Tell me something unique about your creative process.
I’ve recently been creating out of my own room studio set up recently. I’ve been writing my music on the guitar and then working on the production, which has been something I’ve wanted to do for a while and started this in 2024. It’s pushed my creative process in different directions as I’ve had nobody to bounce off, which has been interesting and gives me full control. I still enjoy working with others but for now trying this out.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
Any of them really! But right now I would say ‘Out Of Mind’ – it has a good balance of Spanish and English and has a nice nostalgic bounce to it. I think it’s proper catchy throughout and people can vibe to it or dance to it – up to them! It’s passionate yet fun and I think that is what my culture is all about.
What inspired you to make that song?
The song started piecing itself together bit by bit. The producer presented the beat and we instantly loved it so I started writing the chorus and getting some melodies down in the first session. I then invited another writer in to work with me to complete the song. Sometimes the songs aren’t necessarily about a current experience so I’d say when I wrote this, I wasn’t particularly basing it on anything I was going through in that moment, but more so what felt right in the studio during the creative process. The song does have some “religious” connotations throughout and that stems off of the line in the chorus that says “todo de ti es mi religión,” which means everything about you is my religion – so we continued to base the song on that concept which I think is really profound and powerful. The beat is so sick, it reminded me of the R&B noughties era, a bit of J-Lo/Alicia Keys – so we had a lot of fun with it.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
I think when I’m writing about personal experiences is when I’m most vulnerable and to be honest, that’s quite often! There’s a song I haven’t released yet that I wrote based on my mum and I remember writing it in my room and feeling really overwhelmed when I heard the final version. Those moments are special, whether they’re shared with other people in the studio or just on my own.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
I performed at a show where I couldn’t hear myself at all and was completely singing off key and out of time, it was terrible! Somehow you just have to get through it and it was definitely a learning experience.
What is your favourite song to perform?
Oh definitely ‘Quien Fue’! When the beat drops, the energy is levels! I also feel people really enjoy when I perform it as they sing along – I recently did an acoustic version at the Latinas of London showcase at the iconic Jazz Cafe and it was really special.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
Quite a few artists inspired me in the early stages of my music career such as Alicia Keys, Tori Kelly, Jazmine Sullivan. It all started with R&B, I’m a 90s kid.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
Sachellys is actually my birth name. My dad chose the name after hearing someone else call their daughter the same name in Cuba and he fell in love with it.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
If I wasn’t making music I would probably either be an athlete running 100/200M or a footballer. Footy came before music!
What’s success to you?
Success would be retiring my parents, being able to look after my family and friends and living comfortably off my passion which is music of course. Hoping that any of my songs makes someone feel something is also what makes my music successful.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
I think one pivotal point in my life was after a heartbreak a few years back. I was at one of the lowest points, had really low self esteem and was just unhappy with myself mentally, physically and was spiritually drained. I had no choice but to dig deeper and work on myself all over again which kind of felt like I was shedding skin and growing into a new person. This is when I started focussing more on my music as it was an outlet for me at the time – and it was a great decision because here I am today!
Where can people keep in touch with you?
Instagram/Facebook/Twitter/Tiktok/YouTube: @iamsachellys
