Pop Riser Cybèle Shares ‘In Another Life’ – Backseat Mafia

Balancing Harvard and Berklee by day and a rising pop career by night, 22-year-old French-Chinese-American singer, songwriter, and producer Cybèle shares the new single ‘In Another Life’.

The track, the first ballad from her forthcoming debut album Paradise (due in January 2026), is a sweeping love song that leans into lush jazz harmonies, orchestral strings, and a timeless soul sensibility. Written during a break from college, the song emerged in a moment of late-night creative flow after looping Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson records. Cybèle describes the process as almost otherworldly, recalling how she imagined Michael Jackson himself sitting beside her—not as a legend, but as a muse. “It started as a love song to someone from another lifetime,” she explains. “But it quickly became something deeper. It’s about being seen, soul to soul.”

Cybèle’s blend of cinematic pop, soul, and disco has already taken her to stages many young artists only dream of. She has performed at The Apollo, Staples Center, and the Clive Davis Theater, sung for Motown founder Berry Gordy, and received the “Shining Star” Award from Earth, Wind & Fire’s Larry Dunn. Her voice has been featured in campaigns for Prada Beauty, DreamWorks, and the Super Bowl, and her original works have been commissioned by organizations including the American Cancer Society and Stanford University. Online, her growing fanbase of more than 175,000 followers and millions of views has only amplified her reach.

Raised between Paris, Beijing, and Los Angeles, Cybèle brings a multicultural perspective to her artistry, channeling her global upbringing into music that feels cinematic in scope and deeply intimate in delivery. A graduate of Harvard and currently pursuing a master’s degree at Berklee College of Music, she has been performing internationally since childhood, including a televised solo on one of the most-watched programs in China.Her debut album Paradise promises to expand her vision further. Featuring nine original tracks written or co-written by Cybèle, the project explores themes of self-reclamation, creative power, and soul-level connection. Produced in collaboration with Grammy-winning names who have worked with the likes of Chris Brown and Toni Braxton, the album positions Cybèle as one to watch in the next wave of pop music.

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