With a successful modeling and music career spanning nearly a decade, Sabrina Fuentes, better known as Pretty Sick, is not your average university graduate. Despite achieving brag-worthy feats, including being the face of Calvin Klein in 2021 and working with renowned Hole and Pixies producer Paul Kolderie on her most recent album, Fuentes is far from arrogant. In fact, her demeanor is refreshingly down to Earth, reserved, and cool. In conversation, her tenor voice candidly answers my questions, all without an air of entitlement or condescension. She maintains eye contact and smiles with me throughout the time I’m spending with her band. For this reason, our interview feels more like a conversation with a group of friends rather than a formal interview with a touring band; Fuentes, along with guitarist Orazio Argentero and drummer Eva Kaufman make entertaining, honest remarks about their pet peeves and favorite anime.
Sure, I could have asked Pretty Sick about their numerous accolades as a band, and I could have asked Sabrina about her experiences with working for famous fashion houses during New York Fashion Week as a teen, but why not ask them about the mundane parts of their lives? It humanizes the artists and paints a far more descriptive picture of their character; I learned that Fuentes is a great cook who is conscious of her health during tour. She touts numerous immune-boosting supplements as she and her band work their way across the US. It is apparent that she is wise beyond her years, but she still maintains a youthful charm.
Similar to her idols, Chloë Sevigny and PJ Harvey, Fuentes undoubtedly exudes an it-girl personality, which is most apparent in her sense of fashion. Characterized by low-cut jeans, bright patterned stockings, and platforms, Fuentes loves to mix and match different trends from various eras to create a style of her own, similar to her music. Pretty Sick’s most recent album, Makes Me Sick Makes Me Smile, was released on September 30th this year. As previously stated, it was produced by Paul Kolderie, the same individual who worked on masterpieces such as Radiohead’s Pablo Honey and Dinosaur Jr.‘s Bug. It is clear that he, too, saw the ‘90s influence on this body of work; heavy grunge breakdowns and abrasive, yet fragile vocals are prioritized in one of many tracks such as “Drunk,” which is heavily reminiscent of PJ Harvey’s Rid Of Me.