Seabreeze High School alumnus starts his own production label

The first time Cole Sirbu picked up an instrument, he knew it would be for more than just high school band. It became a passion for him, he said. Music was embedded in him since he was a child. 

Sirbu has always had a love for music as his father and grandfather were musicians in Nashville, Tennessee. He began learning the ins and outs of music his freshman year at Seabreeze High School. His band teacher at the time played a big role.

"I think you always have a love for music and everyone is connected to music, but he definitely showed me the passion that comes with music and what it means," Sirbu said. "I remember in high school, in orchestra, how he helped you actually feel things through the music you're playing."

Sirbu can play almost anything with strings: guitar, bass, piano, violin, viola, cello, and upright bass. He can play percussion and is now working on learning how to play brass instruments. This gave him a wider variety of what he can do in his music career and allowed him to connect with different corners of music, he said. 

"He is naturally a good musician and has the right mind for producing," said Scott Velazco, associate professor of Music Production Technology at Daytona State College. "The thing he does that most people don't is being a combination of a music producer and a therapist. He brings out the best in people."

In December 2022, Sirbu created his own music label, Coda Lens Studios. The name Coda Lens is inspired by his brother and sister, and is a mash up of all three of their names. The process was harder than he thought it would be, he said, as he didn’t realize how much needed to be done before he could start producing.

"The biggest challenges for me would be the entry into the industry, as it is a very hard one to get into," Sirbu said. "Managing my health and gastroparesis while still learning, growing, having time to create and just finding a way to start a plan was hard. When I first thought I wanted to do this, I knew I needed to start the record label and then bring artists in to work with me because I couldn't do it all by myself."

The 20-year-old Ormond Beach resident is currently attending DSC to receive his bachelor’s degree in music production. Until he graduated high school, he planned on being a musician, but as he started college, he realized he wanted to do more than that.

"The difference in quality and output between the stuff Cole brought me when he first showed up a year ago and the stuff he's doing now feels like years of improvement," Velazco said. 

Sirbu's goal is to create an outlet and voice for artists who don't have one. 

The first song released under the label is called “Lovers” and was released on January 1. Since then, 10 more songs have been released. His goal is to release three songs a month, one of them being his and the other two of them being artists under the label. He currently has three artists signed with his label.

“I get to create all the music that goes into the background of someone’s voice and the story they’re telling,” Sirbu said, “We create an atmosphere for the song and how we want the listeners to feel.”

Sirbu said his goal is to open a studio in Atlanta within the next five years. He believes Atlanta has a lot to offer as a musician and a producer.

“There’s no money in music if you don’t enjoy it,” Sirbu said.