Sabrina Lentini is one of those artists that has been celebrating her life through song for as long as she can remember. Born in Southern California, Sabrina is a singer/songwriter, and beyond that a storyteller who uses her country music to capture her emotions and experiences and share them with others. Music has always been a major part of Sabrina’s life, taking her all the way to the Top 48 on Season 13 of American Idol (the youngest contestant to achieve this) and onto stages around the country.

Her latest “breakthrough,” a single titled “Everything But You” is out this week, so we had to catch up with Sabrina for an inside look at her songwriting process, and what it meant to bring “Everything But You” to life.

SMO: Hi, Sabrina! Can you tell us a bit about your love of music and what led you to country music?

Sabrina Lentini: Hi, I’m Sabrina! I’m an independent singer/songwriter from Southern California. Music has been a huge part of my life since before I can even remember. I’ve been performing since I was 5 years old and songwriting since I was 9. I’ve grown up listening to and loving all music, but I fell in love with country music because of its storytelling. 

SMO: Your new single “Everything But You” is out now! What inspired the song? 

Sabrina: “Everything But You” is inspired by the feeling of missing someone and seeing signs of them everywhere you go. 

SMO: Do you have a favorite line? 

Sabrina: Writing “I see you in everything, but I’ve seen everything but you” felt like an “aha moment” for me emotionally, so that line is very special to me. My other favorite is “big city feels small when you’re used to it” because it pays homage to where I’m from here in SoCal, and it’s saying whether you live in a small town or a big city, if you’re missing someone, memories of them can fill up the whole place.  

SMO: What is your typical songwriting process? Did everything go according to plan as you brought “Everything But You” to life?

Sabrina: My songwriting process usually starts with an idea for a line or two with a melody, and I run and grab my phone to make a quick voice memo before running to grab my guitar! Sometimes it’s a lot of running and excitement! Haha! When inspiration hits in the spur of the moment like it did with this song, it really feels magical, and more like the song is flowing through me rather than from me, and when those moments come, I try to drop whatever I’m doing to really capture every second of it. 

SMO: You’ve said that this song “feels like a breakthrough,” can you elaborate on that? What does this song mean to you as part of your music journey? 

Sabrina: “Everything But You” feels like a breakthrough for me because this song helped me finally put into words what I’ve been feeling for so long now. It feels like I’ve added a whole new word to my own personal dictionary to describe the experience of seeing these little reminders all the time. I’ve performed this song live at my last few shows, and it meant so much to me, seeing people connect to the lyrics. I really can’t wait for listeners to hear “Everything But You” and hopefully hear their own stories in this song. 

SMO: What’s next? Should we look out for anything exciting?

Sabrina: I’m so excited to also be releasing a music video for “Everything But You” this year, and many other songs that I can’t wait to share more about soon.  

“Everything But You” is streaming now on all of your favorite music platforms!

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Veronica Good has been with Showstopper Magazine since 2016. When she isn't keeping you updated on the latest trends, she is at home with her many pets or probably playing The Sims 4. Veronica has a BA in English and an MA in writing from Coastal Carolina University. She is also a writer of fiction and poetry, and her work can be found in Archarios, Tempo, and Scapegoat.