What began as a simple fascination with a guitar during lockdown is turning into an extraordinary journey of self-taught mastery, leading 14-year-old Cybele Chapman to craft over 500 original songs.

Her debut album, titled ‘Lesson Learned’, features 12 of those captivating tracks chosen by the singer/songwriter who says she was “born on the 12th” and 12 is her lucky number.

She had written and released ‘Lesson Learned’ by age 13.

“The song ‘Eternal Hell’ is the most important to me because the lyrics mean a lot to me,” says Cybele, who is a Year 9 student at Papamoa College.

“I spent a lot of time working on the lyrics to get out exactly what I meant and felt. The song was about a boy that I really, really liked and he liked me too, but we both kept it a secret and only told each other, because we knew we couldn't be together, so we agreed to never talk about it again and not tell anyone.”

She says “but of course i wrote a song about it”.

“But I wasn't planning on making it a song I would perform or put on the album.”

Cybele Chapman will be appearing live at The Jam Factory in September, and Totara Street in October. Photo: Supplied.

As the October Mount Maunganui-based release of her album approaches, this young sensation is set to grace the stage with her melodies, captivating audiences with her talent.

“Right now I am mainly focusing on Jam Factory [September 16] and Totara Street [October 8] and making sure we put on the best show we can.”

She is also focused on working with her band Sunkissd for a Taylor Swift tribute.

“We are planning to do a tribute at the start of next year in February.”

Cybele Chapman. Photo: Supplied.

Her musical influences include a range of artists.

“I really look up to Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne, Miley Cyrus, and Tate McRae when it comes to music.

“I love writing country kind of songs and pop rock. Almost all of my songs are about breakups and boys, very few of my songs are about otherwise.”

Cybele has always loved singing and was in her school choir all through her primary school years.

“I wrote my first song at eight years old about my baby brother when he was born.

“I was always inspired by Taylor Swift's song writing and obsessed with watching her music videos over and over again.”

She says she would dream about doing what Taylor Swift's doing.

“I listened to her songs for hours every day.”

She very rarely wrote songs when she was eight and nine.

“But when I was 10 I started to write songs all of the time. I would come home from school and record myself singing into my ipod with new lyrics I made up and wrote them down in my favourite notebook which became my song book.”

Then lockdown happened.

Cybele Chapman. Photo: Supplied.

“I was so bored at home doing nothing, and listening to music was always my idea of fun. Then I started learning the guitar.

“My dad taught me two chords on the guitar then I started to teach myself.”

Using Youtube for guitar tutorials, she taught herself to play, learning Taylor Swift songs and developing her pop/rock sound.

“And started writing my own songs. They just kept coming - I wouldn't stop writing songs, even now I write songs almost every day.

“I was obsessed with singing her song ‘I’d Lie’. Even though it was unreleased I still knew all the chords and words. Even to this day I play it whenever I can and perform it at almost every gig I have.”

She says she still sings the same songs she learned from four years ago, usually playing guitar, but can also play bass.

“My love for the songs I was obsessed with when I was 10 will never ever fade.”

Cybele Chapman. Photo: Supplied.

She has at least one gig a week “no matter what”, and spends her lunch time at school playing music.

“And all of my free time I play music. As soon as I get home from school I spend hours singing and writing songs. Music will always come first, nothing compares.”

Her music journey is only just beginning, with remarkable highlights already on the map, including, as a Year 8 student, the opportunity to perform her own original song with the NZ Symphony Orchestra in Wellington.

“That was the most epic moment that I have ever experienced in my life.”

She sang ‘Burning up Tears’ with the NZSO, after being selected along with three others to have their song arranged for orchestra, and says it was her “absolute main highlight that I am really proud of”.

“I remember when I stood up there for the first time and hearing them play my song, it felt like a movie.”

She can also be found busking around Mount Maunganui, and performing at gigs every week.

In 2021, Kurt Somervell, the Papamoa College itinerant music teacher, offered her a chance to record one of  her originals, “and now the song If Only You Knew is on Spotify”.

Cybele Chapman. Photo: John Borren.

Home life involves a “pretty big family”, with Cybele the eldest of her siblings.

“I live with 10 people including myself, but we don't all live in the same house. I have two step parents and mum and dad. I also have two younger brothers and three younger sisters.

“When I write my songs I record myself on voice recorder with my phone then start playing chords and then sing whatever comes to mind and it's a song.”

She says she “freestyles” almost all of her songs, coming up with lyrics off of the top of her head as she’s singing, and has now written around 500.

“I am just always writing songs. Sometimes I write six songs in an hour.”

Her songs are released under her name Cybele Chapman on a multiple of different platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon and Deezer.

Her debut album ‘Lesson Learned’ also includes ‘Yellow Love’, ‘Someone To Blame’, ‘Angel Devil’ and ‘Break a Heart’.

“I am so happy that I released my album because there are so many songs I have written about my feelings and getting it out there for people to listen to was always my dream.

“But of course I had to minimize the amount of songs I chose to release and chose the best ones and asked for my friends and families opinion on what they think of the songs.

“It was super helpful that they were really honest about it, they always tell me if they don't like the song or love it or tell me what I can do better.”

Cybele says most of the songs on her album are about boys.

“I wrote these songs far apart from each other. I wrote some when I was 11, 12, and 13.”

She says there is only one song on the album that isn't about a boy, which is ‘If Only You Knew’.

“I wrote ‘If Only You Knew’ when I was 11, I was trying to write a story and for people to imagine it.

“It was about a girl who spends time by herself wishing she had someone to love her, she wanted to know what true love would be like. Then that special someone came into her life and fulfilled her life with love. They spent the rest of their lives together and had a baby and build a new life together, she was finally happy.”

Her goal is to “get on the radio” and to know that lots of people listen to her music.

“But to me it would mean so so so so much to hear people sing back the lyrics I wrote. To me that's my biggest dream. I so badly want to have a sell-out concert.

Her debut album, a compilation of her heartfelt compositions, marks the awe-inspiring beginning of an undoubtedly promising career.  

Cybele Chapman is performing all 12 songs from the album live, accompanied by friends and school bands, at The Jam Factory, 159 17th Avenue, from 7pm – 9pm on Saturday September 16, 2023. Tickets are $5.

She will be on stage at Totara Street on October 8, 2023, with doors open at 3pm. This is a supervised, free event, with anyone under 18 years of age attending, required to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.