Why I go by AGE of the BEAR

I began making music under my last name "Cubbage" in 2016 after leaving university and teaching myself how to record and mix music. It wasn't great back then, but I absolutely loved the process of layering instruments and vocals since starting with a 4-track recorder in high school.

After leaving school, I became fixated on proving I'd made the right decision—that I could make music a career. Unfortunately, I let that goal drive my music more than the joy that inspired the dream. As "Cubbage" gained recognition, I started letting my audience define who I was rather than following my own integrity. Each performance and recording began feeling more hollow.

In 2019, I had to leave an unsafe housing situation and moved back with my parents. It felt like a huge setback three years after leaving school, but it gave me a chance to re-evaluate. I started focusing on songs I loved but had previously neglected because they didn't fit the "Cubbage" brand, rediscovering my love for the process of building songs through recording and layering. In rediscovering myself, it didn't feel like the "Cub-age" anymore. I felt more like it was becoming the AGE of the BEAR.

Embracing a more authentic direction, 14 songs poured out within a few months, 9 of which became the album Rivers The sequel to that album is coming in 2025.