All photos courtesy of Nate Sib.
Nate Sib is the new Justin Bieber. At least, according to TikTok fan edits, SoundCloud mashups, and the vociferous Reddit community. The 22-year-old Los Angeles native has taken the internet underworld by storm, in part due to his childhood friendship with 2hollis, but also for his fresh, addicting sound—a glossy intersection of hyperpop and alternative experimental. With his debut album, Reborn, Sib uses those sharp sonics to tell his story of getting clean, a traumatic narrative that has taken him five years to unpack. And after overdosing on fentanyl, dying for five minutes, and miraculously coming back to life, it’s clear the album name isn’t just metaphorical. Sporting a Lorde sweatshirt, Sib called me from his L.A. bedroom where we chatted about the process of creating Reborn, healing fans on stage, and how almost dying changed his life.
WEDNESDAY 1:02 PM AUGUST 5, 2026 L.A.
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NATE SIB: Yo. Can you hear me?
BRENDAN KENNEDY: Yeah. Where are you?
SIB: I am at my house in L.A., chilling in my room.
KENNEDY: Are you originally from L.A.?
SIB: Yeah, I’m born and raised.
KENNEDY: Nice. What was it like growing up there?
SIB: It’s interesting. There are many different crowds of people, and growing up here I got very blessed to have the group of friends I did because L.A. is very all over the place.
KENNEDY: For sure. I got a chance to listen to your debut album Reborn in full and I really loved it.
SIB: Thank you.
KENNEDY: I’m curious how this album is a step up or a deviation from your previous works?
SIB: That’s a good question. It’s a step up in the sense of having a story. A lot of my art didn’t have a message behind it. This album has a full story about how I got into music in the first place, and it’s really about me getting clean, not just off of substances, but also off of a crazy period in my life. And it’s a step up in the sense that it has cleaner production and vocals. We went into it with writers and a professional studio.
KENNEDY: Yeah, you definitely can hear all the care that went into it. And I really loved all of the honest lyricism as well.
SIB: Thank you.
KENNEDY: From the beginning of the album versus the end, there was a big contrast in production. I was wondering how you decided to structure the album like that.
SIB: Yeah, it’s supposed to start off with a journey of having a minimal, sexy intro of very simple, catchy songs that are just fun and exciting. And it kind of takes you back to a time in my life where you could be in the club or out at a party, and you’re feeling good. I feel like it represents how, in L.A., you start off with where I was in my life. It’s all fun and games. You’re getting high, you’re having a good time. And then, it goes into more of a darker part in the album where the production gets darker, where it starts talking about heartbreak. And then, it takes a whole turn into where the piano ballad starts. The whole rest of the album is me realizing what I needed, which was the higher power of god, getting clean, family, love, and music—just all of that together. So it starts off fun and chaotic, and then it goes into more of a realization of, “This was all I needed,” if you know what I mean.
KENNEDY: Yeah, definitely. I was just watching the music video for “Face Card,” and you certainly feel the chaotic, seductive energy. Loved the dancing you were doing, by the way. What inspired the visuals behind the project?
SIB: This writer I had, his name’s Billy Walsh. We came up with this idea where we just wanted it to be simple and fun and sexy. “Let You Go” represents when the fireworks are going off. It’s the chaos about how I’m trying to find love and how I’m not trying to lose her. But in “Face Card,” it’s just supposed to be simple, and we didn’t really want to go too crazy with it.
KENNEDY: How did you pick the singles for the album?
SIB: I had hundreds of demos, and I would listen to them every day, and try to get bits and pieces of them to finish. And then, naturally, it came into place which ones we liked the most. So, just going through many demos, trying to finish each one as best as possible, choosing our favorites, and making the track list in the order of the story and everything.
KENNEDY: You mentioned in a past interview that your last EP was inspired by SOPHIE. Could you elaborate a little bit on that?
SIB: Yeah. Both of my EPs for you and for us are very heavily inspired by SOPHIE. I love her production and that style of music deeply because it also is minimal. And I like that type of pop because it’s so different. The production definitely inspired me deeply.
KENNEDY: Yeah, totally. Do you have a favorite SOPHIE track?
SIB: There’s this song called “BIPP” that is very good. It starts off kind of like, [imitates sound] “ooh,” and it has this crazy bass immediately off the bat. You’re like, “Whoa.” And the production is just so weird, and the pitch automates, and it’s all over the place. I like that music because it makes you feel high. It’s almost like you’re eating candy or something. You feel very sugar-rushed. It’s satisfying and crunchy. My mind is so chaotic all the time, so it satisfies me.
KENNEDY: Who are your other musical inspirations?
SIB: I should have this answer right off the bat. I think Skrillex and Mk.gee are definitely up there production-wise. Where I’m at in my life right now, I want to build a world where it’s pop and it’s fun, but then it also has roomy piano ballads. Justin Bieber is definitely a huge inspiration. I remember the first time I heard Justin Bieber on an iPod and I was blown away. It was melting my brain. That’s super basic though. There are other ambient artists who I listen to, like Oneohtrix Point Never or SOPHIE, obviously. What else? I love Deadmau5 a lot.
KENNEDY: Fire. I’m also curious about your friendship and working in collaboration with 2hollis.
SIB: Yeah, that’s my brother. I went to elementary school with him. Making music with him is very hectic, in a good way, because he gets very hyper-focused. His brain works where it’s fun, because he’ll throw in crazy ideas from the universe where you’re like, “Whoa.” It could be at the airport, or it could be at a hotel. We made “afraid” in a hotel in Atlanta in 15 minutes. It’s like crazy stuff will just randomly happen when you’re just there, right time.
KENNEDY: I also wanted to talk a bit about fashion. I saw someone in your YouTube comments call your style “simple, yet cool.” I was wondering how you feel about that?
SIB: [Laughs] Style, with me, it’s interesting. Growing up, I used to be into skating and I’ve always drifted towards whatever. It used to be skate style. Now, I don’t like to go all out and have crazy things. If I do, it’s very rare. I just like black and white colors—simple black jeans or just a white shirt. I also really like big, interesting hoodies, or weird jackets and stuff.
KENNEDY: Where do you like to shop?
SIB: You can find good finds at Goodwill. I’ve always thrifted. I do really like YSL, I will say.
KENNEDY: [Laughs] I love your Lorde sweatshirt, by the way.
SIB: Thank you.
KENNEDY: Have you met her?
SIB: I’ve only met her once and she was super cool. I told her, “It’s insane how you wrote Pure Heroine at like 15,” which is actually mind-blowing. I always think about that when I’m making music. I’m like, “How the fuck did she do this?”
KENNEDY: Yeah, she’s the best. How does being on stage make you feel?
SIB: Being on stage can make me emotional. But also, sometimes, I could have a show where I’m in my head and I’m not even focused and I’m literally just trying to get it over with. I get so excited, but I’m starting to learn how I need to get better at really locking in and taking it in. There’s sometimes where I’ll close my eyes and put my arms out and I pretend that I can heal the entire audience.
KENNEDY: How do you feel about a mosh?
SIB: [Laughs] Super exciting and awesome. I think a mosh is the best thing ever at a concert. You feel the energy. It’s like, “Wow, the crowd really accepts and loves the music.”
KENNEDY: Do you find a difference on stage between singing and playing the piano versus jumping around to your more upbeat songs?
SIB: Definitely. I’ve realized as I get more into my career, that’s definitely something that has been missing. I’ve been playing the piano since I was five years old and that’s what I started on. That’s how I would make music, write songs, and feel connected to music in the first place. Once again, when I get very excited and I run around on the stage and go crazy, that’s the best, but I’m not fully present. When I’m on the keys, that is the most connected and present at a show I am ever, and in life in general.
KENNEDY: I saw that you post a lot of your live performances on TikTok. I was wondering how seeing fan edits of yourself feels?
SIB: I look at them like, “Wow, this is sick that someone made it.” But I try to be off social media as much as I can because there have been multiple times where I’ve consumed a lot of negative comments before a show, and it’s hard because I try not to let it get the best of me. I’m very codependent with social media and it’s not healthy.
KENNEDY: How do you feel about the Justin Bieber comparisons?
SIB: I love it. I mean, Justin Bieber is the best in the world. It’s kind of insane that people are even saying that because I’m nowhere near him at all. So, it’s incredible to even be compared to him. He’s everything I’ve looked up to—his style of singing, his confidence, his energy. It’s like a joke. I think it’s so awesome that people say that.
KENNEDY: Have you had any crazy fan interactions?
SIB: I’ve had some interactions where kids will whip out a photo of me super young where I’m like, “Genuinely, how did you get this?” [Laughs] Just weird shit like that, for sure. But nothing concerning.
KENNEDY: That’s funny. What are you most anticipating about the future and the release of your new album?
SIB: I’m mainly excited to see the reaction to the heartfelt, slower songs because I’ve never released that before. I want people to relate and find hope through the story. I hope to bring people together. I’m also just proud of myself to be this vulnerable and put this story out about everything that brought me to this moment.
KENNEDY: Yeah, that’s great. I think they’re going to like it. I’m really interested in the story of you getting clean, if you want to elaborate on that.
SIB: I’d say around 13 or 14, growing up in L.A., I would dabble with getting high a little bit off of weed and smoking and drinking. That opened up a gateway to more drugs and I was just super depressed. And then, COVID hit, and it was super weird, I think, for everyone. I wasn’t going to school, and I was feeling super lost with myself, and I was constantly searching for a way to numb it. It was just an easy outlet and I didn’t care about myself. I didn’t care about anyone else. I just cared about getting that outlet and being around people who also do it.
I was in and out of rehabs, my parents were trying to help, and I just kept giving up. Then, I had an accident at 17 where I overdosed on fentanyl and I died for five minutes. Luckily, I was in an outpatient rehab where they had Narcan, thank god, which I really think is a miracle because that also truly kept me clean. That was enough of an awakening to be like, “Okay, clearly I’m here for a reason. I have another chance. I have been blessed to have this life back.” It just made me so thankful to be alive.
KENNEDY: That’s incredible.
SIB: But also, there was a point where I wasn’t [getting clean] for myself. I was doing it for others to be like, “Look, I can do this.” And then once I started seeing relationships getting better and people coming back into my life, then I was like, “I got to do this for me. I don’t want to throw this away. Now I don’t want to lose this.” Then everything changed. I started caring about my body again. I started caring about my health. I started caring about everyone around me. I started blocking out all the negative energy around me. And then Hollis and his friend Finn [Sigil] moved back to L.A. Hollis dropped out of school and moved into mine. It was literally perfect timing, because he was just starting to make music and take off, and he would make music on Ableton in my old TV room. I would go in there and I would be so inspired because I was never around people who were genuinely taking it seriously and doing it while sober. I just remember seeing that and being like, “Okay, I need to do this.” And then we made music together.
KENNEDY: That’s an amazing story. Thank you so much for sharing. I think you’ll help a lot of people.
SIB: It genuinely has been a blessing and it’s insane. It’s a miracle. So that’s the main reason behind the album Reborn, because I genuinely believe I was reborn and a demon latched off me when I had my accident. I’ve been destined to inspire kids and fans with this story. The darkness in the underground scene too—I feel like there are a lot of people doing drugs in the scene. My goal is to bring as much light into this with pop and piano songs and with my story. Just have a full package of light and inspiration to all these kids who are looking up to people who might need it too. My goal is to build a world of good, amazing, not corny music. Just good pop inspired by my story.
