Stephen Sanchez: Bringing Back an Old-School Aura to a New Generation
By Rebecca Sobrevilla
Stephen Sanchez is becoming a household name for reintroducing the vintage atmosphere to a new generation. He rose to fame after accruing followers on social media for his viral song covers in 2020. He is best known for his hit single “Until I Found You”, which has surpassed more than 1 billion streams on Spotify alone. He has continued to create a name for himself through his storytelling, romantic themes and retro persona. While only being in the music industry for a short amount of time, he has already worked and performed with iconic legends such as Elton John and the Beach Boys. He continues to rise to fame as he releases records and wins audiences over with his enthralling live performances.
At a recent ˚1824 press conference, Stephen gave us all the details on his latest music, current tour and more.
Created by Mariana Medina
Musical Journey and Angel Face (Club Deluxe)
The retro music style was instilled into Sanchez’ life from a young age. He shares: “I love 50s and 60s music. I love that sound so much”. Everything from those decades was inspiring when it came to creating his style and musical direction. Initially, Stephen was aiming to create a persona to tie to his craft. He would have had a fake age, name and background. It ended up being a lot simpler than that for him. As he found success in this genre under his own name, the idea of using characters to convey a story was a concept he held onto.
What makes Stephen so special is his ability to generate such captivating music with relatable lyricism and compelling stories. He says, “storytelling is so important to me”. The narrative he invents with his record Angel Face is unlike any other. An in-depth love story was created between the characters The Troubadour Sanchez and Evangeline. This world fits between 1958 to 1964 and is filled with visions of nightclubs, glamour, romantic complications and more. While he created the characters to fit the storyline, the content itself is not completely fictitious.
He notes that there is a 50/50 split between character and personal experiences. Intertwining his own feelings with a character in mind helps him “lessen the blow of vulnerability to his own emotions”. There is comfort in writing a character that tells the story for you. Sanchez also takes pleasure in knowing that audiences can get attached to the characters in their own ways. When he isn’t using his personal experiences, he finds inspiration in movies and different aspects that are driven from the 50s/60s.
When it came to the bonus tracks a part of Angel Face (Club Deluxe), he didn’t really write any of them after the standard release of Angel Face. Instead, he wrote these songs before and in the middle of the process. Although they add to the storyline of his album, he wanted to set the foundation of the record first with the original thirteen tracks. This also gave Stephen time to modify and adjust the ones that didn’t make the original cut. “The Other Side” for example is a bonus track that was originally too inappropriate for a release. After a major rewrite, he felt that it would be a perfect addition to the deluxe album. With this song in particular, he believes adding it later was the best fit and a better timing.
With choosing to follow such a niche pathway for his artistry and career, he didn’t expect for it to be so greatly perceived and successful. While he counts all his profound support as blessings, he doesn’t want to feel “untouchable" and caught up in success. At the end of the day, he loves being around people and writing songs they could relate to. He values the feeling of being connected to human beings and sharing the music he loves to create.
Tour with Stephen Sanchez and the Moon Crests
With the release of Angel Face (Club Deluxe), Stephen is hitting the road again in North America to play his latest tracks and create a new experience for audiences this time around. He described his last tour as telling the story of the Troubadour Sanchez and the Moon Crests acting as ghosts haunting the venues and painting a picture of the past through his musical storytelling. Now, he is shifting his visuals to a story that predates the Angel Club shows and transports the listener back to the golden age of the 1950’s-60s. With this being his biggest and most ambitious tour yet, he says to “expect the real thing as if you were in the 50s”. Sanchez enhances the feeling of this era at his upcoming shows by introducing the Connie Co Show which follows the narrative of Stephen and the Moon Crests making their debut on the televised show in 1958. Taking it even further, his performance mannerisms and fashion style add to the feelings and experience he is trying to portray. He appreciates seeing people get just as involved as he is with this concept and playing “dress up” alongside him.
As for his music, Stephen has added several deluxe songs to his upcoming shows such as “Howling at Wolves”, “The Other Side” and “Emotional Vacation”. Not only is he adding new songs to his setlist, but you can also expect to hear him cover iconic tracks such as “Oh, Pretty Woman”, “Unchained Melody” and “Put Your Head On My Shoulder”. When asked about the process of choosing these specific songs and fitting them into the style and direction of his own shows, he says, “ It just feels great to do that. I think as much as we want to pull people into the world that we’re creating, I think we kinda want to put a time stamp on it as well, that you know these artists exist in that world too… hopefully pulls people into it even further”. While he sings these covers, he really makes them his own and adds a fresh rock and roll vibe. He notes that “it’s fun to be able to do a bit of a nod to our heroes but also make it our own”.
With these new additions, Stephen has already created remarkable memories for himself and his fans in the short amount of time he has been on this tour. He has loved the fan interactions so far and reminisces on walking through the balconies, dancing with fans, giving out roses and playing around with audience members. These interactions have Sanchez describing it as a “very flirty and sweet tour”.
Stephen has completely raised the bar with his new music and show presence. You can catch him on tour this Fall in North America! You won’t want to miss out on this incredible experience.
Where to find Stephen Sanchez: Instagram / TikTok / X / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
