For Faith Bernabe, music is not only a hobby or a side-gig for her when she’s not working.
It’s therapeutic for her.
Over the years, the Filipino native, who’s lived in Odessa for the last 12 years, has released three different albums.
She’ll release her new single on July 8 called “Feeling Amazed.”
“I’m so excited about this single I have,” Bernabe said. “I actually wrote it four years ago. I wrote the lyrics and the music and arranged them. It was last October when I was having depression and I tried to get back up. In early 2023, February or March, I was able to recover from my depression and this is my celebration song that I was able to overcome those dark days in which I was feeling depressed and down. I said, why not record this song and release it so that it helps the people that are going through the same thing like I was.”
The song will be available on all digital platforms including iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music.
During the day, Bernabe works as a data analyst at Midland Memorial Hospital.
But over the years, she’s used music as a way to heal.
“Music has been my go-to, ever since I was 8 years old,” Bernabe said. “Music has been my go-to every time I feel sad. I would turn to my guitar and sing a song or write a song. That’s the reason why I wrote my first song when I was 13.”
It all goes back to when she and her sister Anna Charity survived a tsunami in the Philippines 39 years ago.
“When I wrote my first song, we had just survived our first tsunami,” Bernabe said. “I thought my sister and I weren’t going to survive. The flood was right in our faces. Then, we were homeless and our house was wiped out. The only thing that was left was our Bible and a few utensils. We survived being homeless because of the help from the Lord. We prayed to get a house again and clothes to wear. People were nice to us and helped us and that’s when I started writing songs and when music became my go-to. I would turn and pick up my guitar and write songs or sing. That’s why music is a huge part in my life. It’s my therapy.”
Bernabe would eventually move to the United States, stopping in California before relocating to New Mexico to help take care of her grandparents.
“I was working in California,” Bernabe said. “My adopted grandparents were really sick. They weren’t able to go out and get groceries. I wanted to give back so I gave up my job in California and went to New Mexico to take care of them. Then, after two months, they got better. They got back to normal. It so happened that my friend visited me and wanted me to come here to Odessa. They were working in a hospital and that’s when I filled up my application online and by the grace of God, I was able to get the job and that’s where it all started.”
Among the reasons Bernabe wrote the song “Feeling Amazed” was because of her relationship with God.
“I’m feeling amazed because He’s been patient with me in-spite of my failure being hard-headed,” Bernabe said.
Bernabe competed at last month’s annual Odessa’s Got Talent Competition which is a fundraiser for the Permian Basin Mission Center.
Bernabe ended up placing third which surprised her.
“It was my first big competition,” Bernabe said. “I never joined a competition before. I joined because I wanted to help with the fundraising for the Permian Basin Mission Center. At the same time, I had fun. I didn’t expect to win because it was a tough competition. There’s a lot of great talent out there. The show is a mix of the bands and the solos. But when you’re just a solo and you’re playing your guitar, you can’t compete with the bands. … then, when they called my name during the awards ceremony, I was so excited.”
Music runs in Bernabe’s family.
Last year, her daughter Grace Surmion ended up placing first at Odessa’s Got Talent.
Bernabe talked about her previous albums, which include “The Promise” (released in 2003), “Be Still” (released in 2016) and “I Give It All” (2018).
“My first album consisted of 10 songs,” Bernabe said. “All of them are original. I wrote all the music. Two of the songs were written by me and (Anna). She wrote the words and I wrote the music. My second album had 12 songs in there. The latest album is called ‘I give it all’ and is still available on iTunes and Spotify.”
Bernabe talks about how she balances work and her music career.
“So, sometimes, I’m not going to call it a stress but there are a lot of challenges, especially when you work in a hospital with doctors and nurses,” Bernabe said. “I try to balance it. I try to balance my music job and my full-time job. Right after I’m done with work, that’s when I go write my music and I try to balance it to where I don’t neglect my full-time job.”
She says she hopes to use the song as an instrument for people who are going through the same thing she went through with her depression.
“I’m hoping this song touches people’s hearts,” Bernabe said. “I want to reach out to younger people (teenagers up to seniors) and be able to reach out to them through this song and help them and prevent the worst thing that could happen when they go through depression. I want them to know that there’s hope and to not give up.”
