Canadian rock artist Sabrina Fallah believes that if you’re persistent, patient, and believe in yourself, you’ll get what you want. Consequently, she has achieved one of her biggest goals — to have her music played on mainstream radio. Her persistence and hard work paid off when WSBS Radio in Massachusetts gave her music airplay. As a result, more opportunities came along, and her music is now played on radio stations in Canada, the United States, and Brazil.
The singer-songwriter works hard to get noticed and believes being active on social media is important. For example, she was discovered on LinkedIn which led to being signed with the indie record label, Dance Plant Records.
Sabrina has made a name for herself by performing where ever possible over the years. She plays extensively in Central Canada and widely in Ottawa, Toronto. She has also performed at various Canadian and international venues, festivals, and charity events.
She has worked with renowned producers Stuart Epps (Elton John, Led Zepplin) with whom she recorded her first EP, and with veteran producer Kent Wells for her “Kiss is a Killer” EP. Award-winning producer Chris Birkett (Peter Gabriel, Quincy Jones) recorded her 2015 single, “Frontline”. Sabrina also recorded the song “Everything” written by Birkett and his daughter. It is the bonus track on her 2019 compilation album, “Sabrina Fallah”.
Currently, Sabrina can’t wait to return to the studio and get back on the road when it’s safe to do so. In the meantime, she’s busy with online radio and magazine interviews, and writing new music.
I recently interviewed Sabrina about her strategy for getting mainstream radio airplay, how she got signed to an indie record label, her advice for getting music played on mainstream radio, preference for live shows versus live streaming, and much more.
Congratulations on getting your music played on mainstream radio! Tell us how you achieved this. What was your strategy?
Getting on mainstream radio was one of my biggest goals that I wanted to achieve and it wasn’t easy. It took me over a year to get one station to give me that opportunity. In November 2019, I heard back from WSBS Radio (860 AM and 94.1 FM) from Massachusetts in the United States. Ron, who contacted me, interviewed me on the air and played 2 of my songs “The Frontline” and “Hurt”. A few months later, Ron re-aired our interview and since then people have been calling into the station requesting my songs. Because of what WSBS Radio did for me, I got more opportunities to get on more stations. I am now played in Canada, the United States, and Brazil.
The strategy that I used was not to give up and keep sending my music around till I got accepted for airplay. In this business, I really believe you need to be persistent in order to get what you want. You also need to be very patient and believe in yourself that you will get it in the end.
What advice do you have for women indie artists who want to have their music played on mainstream or internet radio stations?
My advice would be to not give up. Keep sending your music to as many stations as you can and be persistent. Always be positive and believe in yourself that things will happen.
Your last release was a compilation album of all your music plus one new song, “Everything”. What are your plans for new music? If you are working on new songs, will they be released as singles or an EP/album? Why or why not?
At the moment, I am working on new music and would love to release a full album. I don’t mind releasing singles, but I would like to work towards a full album.
You stated in an interview that new artists should create different styles of music in their genre. For example, you mentioned not making only upbeat or slow songs all of the time. Explain why that would be beneficial to do that.
In the interview I had with Jeff Spence on Rock 95 (mainstream), I was stating the reason I had a slow soft song (Hurt) on my compilation CD was to show a different side of my voice. In my opinion, it is always good to have a mix of slow and upbeat songs.
You haven’t done much performing on Facebook live or any other live streaming platform. You have said it’s because you like to connect with an audience by actually being able to see them. Tell us more about that connection with your audience in a live show setting.
I know a lot of people perform online, I would do it, but I prefer being on stage and seeing the audience. I love looking at the crowd, interacting with them, hearing them sing along, and more. I love being on the stage and enjoy performing.
When you release your new music in the future, will you be doing music videos that are not audio only? Why or why not?
Yes, when I release new music, I will definitely have a music video for one or two of my songs.
What advice do you have for women indie artists wanting to get signed to an indie record label? How did you get signed to the one you’re with now?
You have to work very hard to get noticed. Keep doing what you are doing, writing, performing, recording, interviews, and getting played on any radio.
Another very important point is to be active on social media. I got discovered on LinkedIn and was told to contact Dance Plant Records, who are my label now.
How has the COVID-19 situation changed your plans for this year? For example, you haven’t been able to get into the studio to record, so what has been your focus right now?
Actually I have been quite busy. I have been writing new music, doing a lot of different interviews, online and mainstream radio and online magazine interviews, etc.
What projects do you have planned for when you can get back into the studio and be able to perform live again?
I would love to record some new music and head back out on the road when it is safe to do so.
What would you like to say to your fans?
I would like to thank them for their support and encouragement. It is because of them that I have remained strong and committed to push forward and do what I love and enjoy doing. I would like to thank them for listening to and sharing my music, which I truly believe helped me to achieve my goal to get my songs played on mainstream radio stations.
You can connect with Sabrina on her:
Official Website http://sabrinafallah.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thefallah
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sabrinafallah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabrina_fallah/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sabrina-Fallah-142906139057883/
MySpace: https://myspace.com/thefallah
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sabrinafallah
Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/sabrinafallah
Snapchat: sabrina_fallah