BiXX & Susana’s Most Personal Interview About “Believe In Me”

In this interview, Trance icon Susana and producer BiXX discuss their powerful anthem “Believe In Me.” Inspired by personal experiences, the new gem blends soaring vocals with euphoric soundscapes to celebrate the impact of belief and encouragement.

Read on to discover the story behind the track!

1. The title “Believe In Me” suggests trust. Can you each share a moment in your career when someone’s belief in you made a crucial difference?

Susana: Honestly, I have had multiple amazing mentors who supported me and believed in me. I think I have been fortunate in this way. I know a lot of artists have been hurt quite badly by the industry, but thankfully I have always had people to fall back on and go to for advice.

But to highlight one specific moment that has made a crucial difference that would be the principal of my high school. I was only 13 or 14 years old when I performed at my school for the first time. The principal was a former music teacher. After my performance, he walked up to my parents. They had only just found out how well I could sing.

And he told them ‘your daughter is very talented, my advice would be to make sure she gets a good vocal coach’. And not long after that, I started working with one, who I’ve worked with for many years, and whose coaching I still feel played a big role in shaping my current vocal abilities.

The principal believed in me and saw a potential that maybe I – and certainly my parents at that time- did not know how to channel into something long-term. His advice has definitely played a crucial role in my path.

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BiXX: I have also been very fortunate to have many great mentors in my life. Because my father always told me how he believed in me, I was always attracted to similar people who gave me praise. I would always be on the lookout for positive people to help me. I was very shy and unsure of myself when I was a child.

The one specific that really stands out is when I was 15 and in the 9th grade in school. I was in an advanced algebra math class. Lots of smart students. Much smarter than me, at least that is what I believed. It is a great example of how wrong we can be with our self-doubt. No kidding, I thought I was the dumbest student in the class. Always thinking everyone else was much smarter than I was.

We took a test to see who would represent the school in the district and state algebra contest. I was totally shocked when the teacher announced I had the highest score in the class and I would be representing the school. The teacher tutored me for a couple of months and would tell me how he believed in me. He kept telling me I could do this. I was so afraid of letting him down. I won the district contest and finished second in the entire state.

A great example of what we can do if we remove self-doubt and find someone who believes in us. That situation taught me so much about what hard work and having a good mentor who believed in me could do for my confidence. It transformed my life.

2. Did your personal experiences shape the track’s emotional direction?

Susana: When Bob told me about his relationship with his late father, I could relate immediately as I myself also have a close bond with both my parents. They have always believed in me and trusted me to carve out my own path. Even if they would have made different choices than I did. I think we can all agree choosing a career in music is not the most conventional or stable career path.

And yet they have supported me every step of the way. And wherever I go, no matter what, even when they’re not around me, in a way I can see them smiling encouragingly in my mind. This is also one of the first lines in the song, ‘I see your smile, always encouraging me.’

BiXX: My personal experiences had a major impact on shaping the track’s emotional direction. There is such an emotional feeling we get when someone believes in us. Susana gets all the credit for transforming the idea into powerful words that immediately grab the listener and trigger emotions. My job was to come up with music to compliment the vocals and the powerful message.

I got the idea for the track when I was writing the eulogoy for my dad’s funeral in late 2023. He was nearly 93 years old. The message throughout my speech is how much my father believed in me. And how much it shaped the very positive and fortunate direction of my life. It taught me to surround myself with like-minded positive people, especially people who believed in me before I ever believed in myself.

This was the core foundation for achieving much more success in my business and personal life than I could done by myself. I felt it was very important to deliver this message to as many people who would take the time to listen. If you want to get the most out of your life, surround yourself with great people who believe in you.

3. BiXX, with ‘The Voice Of Reason’ on the way, what made “Believe In Me” the perfect first taste of your upcoming album?

BiXX: ‘The Voice of Reason’ is going to be a little different in that each track has a very inspirational message all tied into helping people develop their own internal voice of reason. Like each, a new chapter of the book further develops the story.

So chapter 1, the first release, needed to deliver a very powerful message and be one of the best tracks on the album. It needed to hopefully, grab the attention of many listeners. And for those willing to go a little further and truly experience the lyrics, help them change the direction of their life for the better. Then, hopefully, each listener would look forward to the next release for the next inspirational message before the album is finally released with much more.

4. Susana, what’s your secret to delivering powerful vocals as usual?

Susana: I think it’s a combination of factors. From the age of 14, I have received years of classical vocal training from my coach who was a former opera singer. Which I can recommend to all singers. I guess it’s like ballet for dancers, you learn a lot of great techniques that will benefit you no matter what kind of music you end up doing eventually.

It was never my ambition to become a classical singer, but the techniques have been priceless. The traditional opera singers would sing without a microphone and still have their voice carry to the back of the theatre. I think this training in part explains my powerful vocal sound. The other thing is that I have also been performing live a lot since I was 14 years old. It’s super important to get the hours in. That’s how you can turn talent into a craft.

5. Can you each describe a specific lyric or musical element in the track that holds special personal significance?

Susana: For me, that is the line ‘because you hold space for me, I dare to be who I was meant to be’. ‘Holding space’ is such a beautiful term. It refers to the act of being present and supportive without judgment. When someone holds space for you, they create a safe emotional environment where you feel accepted and encouraged to explore your true self.

In “Believe In Me,” Bob and I wanted to celebrate the impact of those who believe in us unconditionally. The theme revolves around gratitude for the people who have supported us and helped us recognize our own potential. The concept of ‘holding space’ fits perfectly with this theme because it captures how these supportive people not only believe in us but also empower us to embrace our strengths and grow into our best selves.

BiXX: A quick back story to describe the impact of the specific lyric that holds the most personal significance for me. I enjoy flying around Europe to work with different music producers. It is all about continuous learning and creating a great environment for creativity.

I was working with Mark Sherry in Ayr, Scotland. He left the studio for 10 minutes to take care of something. About that time, Susana, sent me her first demo, the first attempt at the vocals. So I had a listen. Keep in mind, that this track is a tribute track to my late father.

“I hear your voice I see your smile
Always encouraging me
I carry you
Everywhere I go
Thanks to you I am who I am today”

From the very first word, the tears started flowing. I could visualize my father’s face as he was smiling at me and encouraging me. This is so powerful for anyone honoring and remembering the people in their life who believe(d) in them. Especially if they are no longer with us.

The rest of the track beautifully lays out a blueprint for how we can believe in others from the example of the person who believed in us. To close the story, Mark Sherry walked back into the studio and asked me why I was crying and if I was ok. I told him these were tears of joy.

6. Before jumping into this collaboration, what were you most eager to discover about working together, and how did that evolve?

Susana: To me, it’s important to have fun, and feel like an equal partner in the process. And I can definitely say Bob ticks those boxes. He’s very communicative and considerate and we get along really well on a personal level as well. Which is always a nice bonus. It has truly been a positive experience in every aspect.

BiXX: Truth be told, I was a little nervous about working with Susana. Her track with Armin van Buuren in 2005, “Shivers,” captured my interest and started my journey into uplifting Trance music. I was overjoyed when she said yes. The first couple of things I like to do in any new relationship, especially in a collaborative one, is to build trust and create some alignment.

What are the common interests? What is a good work process both people can thrive in? When we have alignment and trust, we can achieve 1 + 1 = 3 or even 4+. Little did I know at the time, Susana was also very inspirational. In fact, she is an artist coach to others in the music industry. One of my purpose-driven passions is I am a mentor so I make motivational videos and mentor a select number of people.

So when a coach and a mentor get together, great things can happen. The process becomes much more than just making a track together. Both sides can learn from each other and achieve growth. This connection came as a surprise to me, a very pleasant surprise. So in summary, the original idea was to make a track together, but I gained a friend, a coach, and a collaborator. Through this very special connection, came “Believe in Me.”

7. Does “Believe In Me” feel different from your other releases?

Susana: Every release is unique in its own way. “Believe In Me” was the first one where I worked with a track narrative by the producer. For his album Bob had written a list of track narratives, one for each track on the album, to inspire the songwriting process.

The one that resonated most with me was the “Believe In Me” one. The writing process ended up being very smooth, it almost felt like the lyrics were written in flow. Which I think can be explained by the fact that I had such a clear story to work with beforehand, a story I could resonate with personally, in combination with a beautiful demo to write on.

BiXX: Since the original inspiration for this track was to honor my father, this track is very personal to me. Thus, making it feel very different from other releases. As Susana mentioned, every track is unique in its own way, for it represents a piece of who we are and where we are at a specific time in our lives.

With Susana’s help, it is the most personal track I have ever been a part of. It represents a piece of my heart and my soul that I am offering to the world. And if it helps one person find hope that they can change the direction of their life, then I am very satisfied. This track perfectly aligns with my purpose-driven plan at this stage of my life. At the end of the day, I believe it is important to be part of something bigger than yourself. So if a track can serve a bigger purpose than just music, it becomes special. I feel that “Believe In Me” is that special kind of track.

8. When this anthem reaches that sweet spot, what kind of energy are you hoping to create in the club?

Susana: I hope the people on the dancefloor experience that euphoric feeling I think we all hope for in a Trance song, combined with gratitude for the people in their lives.

BiXX: I think this has to be my favorite question ever. A good DJ takes the audience on a journey. “Believe In Me” fits my track development style to perfection. Because it takes the audience to a complete euphoric escape from the real world. The intro grabs the listener with a recognizable melody. When they hear it, they immediately know the track is “Believe In Me.” In the breakdown as soon as the vocals start, the audience can feel the emotion.

This opens their heart. Then in the next phase of the break, the strings kick in under the vocals to bring in even more beauty and emotion. Like a total surrender to the music. Maximum emotion. Now with their hearts in my hands, the melody of the energy climb builds into a super happy and euphoric, high-energy drop.

Complete happiness, focusing on only the present moment. The beautiful emotional breakdown prepares the audience for the drop.

9. The music industry can be particularly challenging. What advice would you give to emerging artists about building and maintaining self-belief?

Susana: I could honestly write a book about this! As an artist coach, I see so many talented musicians struggle with self-belief. One of the most important things I tell them is to trust the process. No matter what. Rejection and disappointment are part of the journey.

If you’ve never experienced them, you’re probably not pushing yourself enough. Every artist you admire has faced setbacks, but what sets them apart is their ability to keep going. If you can approach challenges with a growth mindset- seeing them as lessons rather than failures- you’ll come out stronger on the other side. And don’t go it alone! Find fellow artists you like and trust, to share the journey with.

And don’t take things too seriously. It might sound strange if music is everything to you, but what really helps me at times is to tell myself ‘It’s just music’. Try it, you’ll feel the difference right away haha.

BiXX: The music industry can be quite brutal at times. It is full of sharks. But it is also full of really good people. Swim carefully. The first piece of advice is to understand your DJ name is a brand. It is not you. Define your brand by filling out a Brand DNA questionnaire. This helps you understand what is important to you. Develop a strategy to support your brand.

Ask yourself, am I producing tracks as an artist or for commerce? As an artist, this means I produce what is near and dear to my heart. I produce something that is a part of me and is my best offering to the world. Something that is my best effort. So if you did the best you could and you are happy with your work, this is all that matters.

Many artists want to produce as artists, but they end up offering their tracks as commerce. For example, they just finished a track and they send it to a label that this track is not a good fit for the label’s style of music. This is why you see so many producers starting their own labels. So when the track is rejected, it does not mean the track is not great. It means it is not a good fit.

So don’t take it personally. I have found a few labels where I have built great relationships. We are all still very human. Relationships matter. I found labels that have some different sub-labels that fit various music styles so I have more creative freedom and authenticity. I believe it is very important to stay authentic.

The last bit of advice here is to find a good mentor or two. Someone with experience and with a relatively good track record of success. You can trade favors, offer to do some social media for them, or just pay for help. Find a mentor. I am a big fan of investing in yourself through paid tuitions from more experienced producers. Surround yourself with the best people you can find. Making this journey on your own is very difficult.

10. Some haters argue that Trance is no longer Trance and has evolved into something unrecognizable. How do you respond to this?

Susana: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I won’t deny that the genre is evolving. But I think that’s natural and inevitable. If it didn’t evolve, it would become stagnant and eventually fade away. I’ve been in the Trance scene for 20 years now, and I’ve heard these discussions the entire time. Every era brings change, and while not everyone will love every evolution, I think it’s exciting to see artists pushing boundaries while still staying true to the emotional core that makes Trance so special.

BiXX: I have heard these very same comments. This is a very good question. However, I don’t think putting Techno tracks, gimmick tracks, or Progressive House music tracks in the Beatport 100 necessarily means Trance has evolved into something unrecognizable. It means it is not Trance music.

I do believe creativity follows the same curve as the business world. Grow or die. The best artists continue to innovate. Technology continues to change, especially since new technology, better plugins and sound libraries, and AI tools give the producers more tools in their toolbox. People get bored with the same styles, so styles and trends will always continue to innovate.

Producers get bored and want to experiment. What does not change are basic human needs. In the case of uplifting Trance music, humans will always need emotional triggers. Uplifting Trance music provides that.

There will always be evolving music genres. Trance is no different. I believe Trance gets better every year. The boundaries of Trance are endless.

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