West sophomore to release first EP ‘Million Songs’
West sophomore Brye Sebring has her sights on releasing her original EP, or “extended play,” at the end of May. EPs are shorter than albums and are usually two to five songs. Brye’s EP is titled Million Songs as a reference to one of the songs the EP. Besides “Million Songs,” the EP features two other songs: “In and Out” and “Overrated.” The songs will be available on Apple Music and Spotify.
Brye has been writing songs since she was twelve. “I really enjoyed it, and it was a great coping mechanism, even if I wasn’t sharing them,” she explains. She began sharing music with her friends and family. Many songs and performances were shared via her personal Instagram page. However, in December of 2017, she opened the Instagram account @bryenoelle. This account focused on her music, as she “[has] some great tunes [she] [wants] to share.”
Brye is a member of choir and enjoys participating in the theatre program here at West. This year, she wrote and directed a Black Box Theatre show called Falling From Afar, whose storyline, according to Brye, centers around an “unfortunate and complicated love triangle.” Brye’s writing shines in this hour-long musical, with the script and songs that she wrote herself.
She found an interest in music from her mother’s side of the family. “[They] are all classically musically trained,” she said. “They were […] the reason I started doing choir, […] taking guitar, and [playing] piano when I was younger, and I think without them, I probably wouldn’t have gotten into it.” However, Brye believes that her mom is her biggest inspiration, as she did singing and theatre when she was in high school. “Just knowing that I get to continue that is really cool,” she added.
Brye credits her love of music and sound as a main force behind her writing. “I really love experimenting with sounds and different types of feelings and emotions.” She always begins by writing a chord progression, creating the background music alongside the lyric writing, so that “everything progresses as one.”
Savannah Morse, who graduated from Glenbard West in 2017, has acted as Brye’s manager throughout this process. She has always had a passion for music and the entertainment industry, but “never wanted to be the person in the spotlight.” She added that “[b]eing an artist manager means that I can help other artists that want to share their craft achieve their dreams.” Ms. Morse oversees business aspects, such as scheduling, marketing, and distribution. “Simply put, Brye tells me her vision, and I do everything in my power to make it happen,” she explained.
One of the most important things in Brye’s life is her friends, who are reflected in her work. She appreciates the input they provide on many of her songs.“In ‘Overrated,’ most of the lyrics, especially in the first verse of the song, are from my friends,” she said. “I texted my friends that have fallen in love before and I asked them what it was like to fall in love. I got such varied responses.”
The songs on this EP are written about various people in her life. “I wouldn’t say people I’ve loved, but people that have been significant in my life romantically,” she noted.
Through her work, she wants listeners to know that “it’s okay to feel a lot at once […] I’m a feeler and I express that in my writing.” She aims to take “small little tidbits of moments and [turn] them into bigger, more exciting things.”
Brye has certainly turned the small moments in her life into big moments for her music career as she works hard to release her first EP to the public at the end of May. To follow Brye’s story and to listen to “Million Songs” when it releases, follow her Instagram page, @bryenoelle.
Amy Wozniak is a senior at Glenbard West and a columnist for The Glen Bard. In addition to writing for the newspaper, she is involved in Political Science...
