With his second album close to release, Miamian Cris Cab attributes his success to the city he still calls home.
Cris Cab, here in Wynwood, says of Miami, “The more I spend time here, the more it feels like home.”
In the middle of Miami’s digital DJ-heavy music scene, Cris Cab, a local live act, has caught the attention of music’s biggest names, from Pharrell Williams to Wyclef Jean. “It actually makes it easier that there’s a lot of other music going on here,” says Cab of Miami’s electronic music lean. “It’s not really what I’m doing. It gives me my space to do what I want and put my own stamp on it rather than follow in the footsteps of other people.”
The 22-year-old Cab, whose real name is Cristian Cabrerizo, harnessed his strong sense of individuality in the high-pressure music industry at a young age while attending Christopher Columbus High School. “I started recording and really going after my goals when I was 15,” he says. “[I had] a lot of trial and error at that time and learned how to deal with a little bit of everything. There [are] a lot of people in your career who will tug and pull you in certain areas, but that only makes you stronger. It shows you what you really want to make. That will push you to figure out who [you are].”
Plenty believe in what Cab is doing, too. He’s been on the go—most recently in Los Angeles, filming a video for his track “Fables” from his first album, Where I Belong, after returning from a month-long stint in Europe, opening for his mentor Pharrell Williams on the producer’s Dear Girl tour.
“I was a big fan of Pharrell; I had listened to his work with NERD and [what] he had produced with other people,” says Cab. “Getting to work with him was a dream come true. He’s definitely taught me a great deal of lessons. He’s a very hard worker; he’s not where he is by accident.”
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After LA, Cab returned to Miami for a few days before heading to New York to begin recording his second album, set to be released sometime in the near future. This time, he says his style is more focused. “The first album was research for me, and this album is strengthening [that]. It still has reggae and a lot of rock. This album has a lot more energy and a lot more movement to it.”
That cross-genre, old-meets-new reggae pop sound is what’s made Cab so popular—a unique style that the artist attributes to his upbringing. “Miami is so diverse, and what’s going on here culturally is pretty international. Growing up in Miami gave me a taste of what everybody listens to around the world.”
Now living with his brother in Coconut Grove, not too far from where he grew up, Cab relishes his newfound success in the town that made him. “I love Miami,” he says. “The more I spend time here, the more it feels like home. There’s so much to the city, but it feels so small at the same time. And it’s just growing and growing. There’s no place like that.”