Sound and Spirit

What makes good music these days? Storytelling lyrics? A beat that just doesn’t let you sit still? Or is it that particular person, place, or thing that immediately pops into your head every time you hear that song? So many ingredients go into creating the music that moves the masses, but for one artist on the rise, the recipe is simple. Take a nostalgic blend of contemporary sounds, season with Latin flavor, and mix in the influence of friends, family, and freedom. This is what STEBN needs to set the soundtrack to the stories of our lives, all while remaining true to where he’s from, celebrating where he is, and preparing the world—and himself—for where he’s ready to go.

“I just love the feeling of nostalgia … just remembering memories throughout the entire production process to help create the beat or come up with the lyrics or whatever,” says STEBN, giving his own perception of his handcrafted sound. “It’s really sexy at the same time, too. It’s a perfect blend of nostalgia and sex appeal. My music brings back memories that make you just wanna get up and dance.” Motivated by his own memories of back home in the Dominican Republic, STEBN also shapes his sound with heavy influences from the island. “I just love a lot of Dominican songwriters,” he says. “Manuel Tejada and Juan Luis Guerra and Rubby Pérez, who recently died in the [Jet Set nightclub] tragedy. They all influence some part of my process.” From the States, STEBN gives thanks to two greats. “I’m a huge Beyoncé fan!” he shares. “I live for these compilation videos they do for all her different runs, and I’ll just sit there and learn them! And Prince. Prince has always been an influence, and I genuinely love him.”

With a new EP released in April 2025, STEBN shines a light on his new era that winds through rhythm, rediscovery, and wall-to-wall musical madness. In the first released single, “Quédate un Ratito,” STEBN gives an unfiltered tour of navigating his feelings and learning to embrace his whole self and share for all to see. In doing so, he found how to love what he feared, never sliding any part of himself into the shadows. “The creative process was so much fun,” he says. “From the beginning inception to now, creating the visuals for the whole EP. For the first time in my artistry, I’m creating without any type of limitations.” STEBN also takes great pride in taking on some firsts with the project. “This was my first time writing songs in Spanish, and I just really discovered I had this talent. I’m just really learning about myself and what I can offer as an artist.” In keeping with the nonstop nostalgia he likes to link through his lyrics, STEBN had his friends join the chat. “I was able to involve my friends on this one, and they were with me every step of the way,” he says. “Literally just in my room, hanging with me, and whenever any idea or phrase came about, we made it a part of the process; they’ve found their way into the songs. It was just a whole group of Dominicans—the whole team—making this happen in the best way possible, and that was really important to us.”

Forever an activist and advocate for true authenticity, STEBN emphasizes the importance of always staying true to yourself. “Ever since I was a kid, my mom, she’s a psychologist, always be like, ‘Hey … just stay true to you.’ That’s what’s the most important to me,” he says. “We're influenced musically by what's happening in the world, of course, and we are inspired by that. I just always want to make sure that I’m helping people stay true like to who they are. For me, I’m a gay Dominican guy who loves to make music that moves you. You can either take it or leave it; like it or don’t. I love it, and I will always do me and tell my story.”