Bio
Disterbenz (pronounced "disturb-enz") is Americana singer-songwriter, Gabrielle Sterbenz. She has performed her music in 49 US States, Canada, the UK and EU, and Australia, often opening for the band, Wheatus (of “Teenage Dirtbag” fame), of which she’s a longtime member.
“Disterbenz” was the childhood nickname given to Americana singer-songwriter, Gabrielle Sterbenz, when she was disruptive in her suburban Long Island school. Her experiences there would forever shape Gabrielle’s path in music. After attending a Gospel concert in Manhattan, Gabrielle joined her own high school’s newly-formed Gospel Choir, and in so doing, discovered her voice and a world outside of her insular neighborhood. The choir became a transformative place, and music became a way to integrate the seemingly disparate cultures she was at a crossroads of: the Country music she heard at home; the Gospel music she sang at school, and the melancholic Jazz standards she listened to after school when no one was home.
Gabrielle’s forthcoming album “Icky Guy,” is a through-line of this trajectory. The songwriting is simple and truthful, out of the folk tradition. But the arrangements and harmonies are often complex and orchestral, with a definitive nod to Gabrielle’s Gospel beginnings. The title is a play on the Japanese term “ikigai,” loosely translated to “the reason for which we get up in the morning.” Gabrielle went back to her hometown to record this album with Philip A. Jimenez, the co-producer of the anthemic classic “Teenage Dirtbag,” made famous by another Long Island band: Wheatus; a band Gabrielle has been a member of, herself, since 2011.
To date, Gabrielle has performed her music in 49 US States, the UK and EU, Canada, and Australia, often opening for Wheatus, and then performing double-duty as one of the band’s backing vocalists. After releasing her first album and a Christmas EP, Gabrielle released her original song "Feels Like Christmas" on Wheatus' 2023 Sony-released Christmas EP; and penned the lyrics to a cheeky Christmas version of “Teenage Dirtbag.” In December of 2025, Gabrielle had the honor of singing a duet with Ed Sheeran, when Wheatus joined him for an intimate Christmas concert benefitting Bowery Mission in NYC.
As a backing vocalist, Gabrielle has worked on The Tonight Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, with Robbie Dupree (“Steal Away”), and as a backing vocalist and rhythm guitar player for Mike Doughty, of the band “Soul Coughing.”
Check back for new tour dates.