Sabreen finds freedom by blending vulnerability, her heritage, and honest pop storytelling.

Sabreen’s music is all about emotion. As a Bengali New Zealand singer-songwriter, she blends indie folk, pop storytelling, cultural identity, and honesty. Her songs often feel like personal confessions that grow into something larger, showing listeners that tough feelings are often more common than we think.

Recently, Sabreen has explored her artistic identity more deeply. While her earlier songs were what she calls “people-pleasing pop,” her new music feels more grounded, joyful, and free. By embracing her roots and culture, she has found a new honesty in her songwriting. This change has helped Sabreen write with clarity instead of compromise. Her music now shows the confidence of someone who is no longer trying to fit into others’ expectations.

Her single “Therapy” captures that beautifully. Written around themes of vulnerability, social anxiety, self-doubt, and the strange humour that can come from sitting with uncomfortable feelings, the song turns intensely personal emotions into something unexpectedly light. For Sabreen, the process of writing it was practically therapeutic in itself.

The song came from Sabreen’s effort to understand her feelings after the pandemic. She wrote it when she felt stuck, having entered lockdown as a teenager and coming out feeling behind while others seemed to have moved on. Instead of letting these heavy feelings linger, Sabreen used humor to lighten them. She mixes self-deprecating, quirky lyrics with upbeat music, creating a contrast that stands out to listeners.

Sabreen enjoys songs that mix lively music with serious or sad lyrics because it mirrors how people often act fine while struggling inside. In “Therapy,” this contrast is part of the story. Making fun of her feelings helped Sabreen feel less overwhelmed and reminded her she was not alone. After sharing the song, she saw that many young people, especially young women, related to her message. Sabreen’s songs reflect the pressures young women face, but she does not try to speak for everyone. She shares her own perspective, and that honesty makes her music feel universal. By staying true to her feelings, she helps listeners see their own experiences.

Sabreen’s heritage is a big part of her identity as an artist. She sees South Asian music as a rich, ancient tradition that she is just starting to explore in her work, but it has already shaped how she thinks about creativity. Listening to Bengali and South Asian music while growing up gave her a different musical language, one that expresses emotion in its own way compared to Western music. This mix of cultures has become an exciting creative space for Sabreen. She is interested in how different musical traditions bring their own emotions, and how blending them can lead to new ideas in her music.

It took Sabreen time to openly include her culture and religion in her art. She admits that being different can feel scary, especially when it sets you apart. But when she stopped trying to fit in and accepted herself, things got easier. For her, saying, “I’m a Bengali Muslim artist,” was not about labels. It was about finally being herself and seeing her identity as part of her art. That pride guides her future. As she grows, Sabreen wants to keep learning about her culture and religion, both in music and in her personal life. She feels like she is just starting that journey.

Sabreen hopes her music reassures young listeners who connect with her lyrics, her background, or just the feeling of being stuck in their own thoughts. She wrote “Therapy” from a place of insecurity, but sharing it changed how she viewed vulnerability. By opening up, she made close friends.  She hopes others remember that it is okay to be open; good things can come from it. The fears we have in our minds are often much bigger than how others see us. As Sabreen says, no one thinks of us as harshly as we think of ourselves!