Jasmine Osby After releasing five albums, making her acting debut in “As You Like It” at St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and becoming a beloved favorite in the St. Louis performance circuit, singer-songwriter Beth Bombara says she’s using this year to rediscover creative freedom ahead of her City Winery show on April 6. “I’m trying to get back to this space where instead of feeling pressure about putting new music out, getting those social media numbers, and a lot of these things that matter, I’m trying to really refocus on the music and refocus on the creative process,” Bombara says. Her upcoming show will feature an on-stage reunion between Bombara’s band — guitarist Sam Golden and her husband, Kit Harmon — and drummer Mike Schurk, who took a hiatus after welcoming a new baby. It’ll be Schurk’s first time returning to the stage, and Bombara says she is happy to have him back. They’ll be diving into a slew of Bombara’s Americana-style fan favorites mixed into a setlist that’ll include a few songs Bombara has never performed live. Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bombara came to St. Louis during college. Here, she discovered her voice as an artist. She says she never intended to stay, but the richness of the arts and music community and the abundance of venues led her to create a life in the city. “It was a really good place for me to sort of like figure out who I was as an artist,” she says. She was inspired by St. Louis’ history in blues and jazz, and she embraced the regional musical influences as she cranked out five albums in 15 years. She released her most recent album, “It All Goes Up” in 2024. That year she also hit the stage in a different way as Amiens, a character in “As You Like It,” for St. Louis Shakespeare Festival in Forest Park. Amiens sings and cracks jokes, so for the role, Bombara composed original music that she performed on stage. This year, Bombara is taking a break from the pressure for musicians to be content creators to gain exposure. In fact, Bombara says the pressure to excel on social media is causing many artists to give up on their music dreams altogether. “That is a really good way to get our stuff out there but then that really does take away from focusing on the thing we really want to do which is just make the music,” she says. Instead, Bombara is exploring new genres like rock and jazz and dismissing the idea that she has to fit a certain online aesthetic to be successful. And she’s not rushing to release an album. “I’m more focused on writing and less worried about timeline,” she says. Although she says the songs she’s currently writing could culminate into an album towards the end of the year or early 2026, Bombara is pursuing creative freedom. She’s rejecting what the industry has prescribed to independent artists as the formula for achievement. “My ultimate goal is just to have a sustainable career as a creator and performer, and that looks different for everybody,” she says. She also says she has become a more confident artist since her debut album “Wish I Were You” in 2010. Her songwriting and production skills have evolved, and she values collaboration with other creatives more than ever before. While she’s taking more time to make music and try new things, Bombara says she’ll still be hitting the stage. Her goal is to get back to the genuine fun that exists in being a musician and performing live is a major part of that. However, as she creates new music, Bombara refuses to fret about how it’ll translate on stage. She intends to continue performing in St. Louis with a few travel dates, but “nothing too crazy.” “It’s finding that balance, finding what feels good for you, keeping that focus on creativity ... and trying to keep the joy and the fun in it.”