Stephen Sanchez

**Years Active** | 2019-present

**Stephen Christopher Sanchez** (professionally known as **Stephen Sanchez**) is an American singer-songwriter from California, born 3 November 2002. He is known for his retro 50/60s-inspired sound and lyricism commonly associated with strong senses of love and desire.

He rose to fame in 2021 upon release of his single "Until I Found You" from the 2022 EP *Easy On My Eyes*, it then quickly went viral on TikTok spawning millions of videos using the song.

His debut album *Angel Face* released on 22 September 2023, followed by a North American and European Tour.

His music style has been described as mixing alternative and pop, with rock, pop rock, and jazz influences; encapsulated in a swinging 50s/rock 60s sound.

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## Early/Personal Life

During his visits to his maternal grandparents' home, he would often spend a considerable amount of time exploring their old barns searching through thousands of boxes full of vinyl records, which they would later enjoy listening to later. It was a memorable experience for him, and he developed a fondness for artists such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole, making these moments his introduction to 1950/60s music.

Sanchez grew up in the Christian church and watching/playing in the gospel band play drew him into watching people get impacted by a feeling through music. At his high school he would spend all of lunch setting up his guitar and mic, and performing mini concerts for everyone, he later dropped out of high school to pursue his career.

In January 2024, Sanchez revealed he had ADHD.

## Artistry

His musical and songwriting influences include Lord Huron, Elvis Presley, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, The Platters, The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, Noah Kahan, Paul Anka, and Roy Orbison. These musicians had a significant impact on him, particularly in regards to his songwriting, especially love songs. Therefore, it is clear to see why his music has a 1950/60s sound to it.

Speaking to *Milky*, he says "Elvis Presley taught me how to move, Frank Sinatra taught me how to love, and Roy Orbison taught me how to sing".

He is infatuated with love — but he’s not interested in approaching it from a 21st century lens, "I think it's a lost art to tell somebody that you'd pull the moon down for them". Growing up listening to '50s and '60s records on vinyl, he has always been drawn to an old-school charm within his own music.

Sanchez bought a 2017 Rickenbacker guitar and an old amp, and finished writing "Until I Found You" with it the same day. The song was inspired by and written about his ex girlfriend, Georgia Brown, whom he speaks highly of and wishes the best.

### Creative Process

Whilst writing his first EP *What Was, Not Now*, he had to pick a producer and landed on Ian Fitchuk, who believed in and fell in love with his songs, and Conrad Snyder who "is an amazing engineer". The pair also produced "Until I Found You" and still work with Sanchez to this day, including on his debut album.

When is comes to songwriting, Sanchez typically writes songs in 10-15 minutes, saying you should be "creating something special because it's naturally there, like its meant to be destiny" and trying not to "dig for them".

> *When you listen to those old records from the fifties and the sixties, they sound like they’re coming from another dimension,” he observes. “The songs were simple but profound, romantic, and beautiful. It sparked a desire to write what I was hearing. To me, songwriting is like taking a memory and putting it in a projector for everyone to see**.*
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## 2020-21: Record Deal and *What Was, Not Now EP*

In June 2020, Sanchez posted a cover of Cage the Elephant's "Cigarette Daydreams" on TikTok and he built an audience through a steady stream of content. After sharing a snippet of his song "Lady By The Sea", singer-songwriter Jeremy Zucker reached out and offered to produce the official version, which was released in July 2020 and resulted in Sanchez signing a deal with Republic Records.

On 9 July 2021, his next single "Kayla" was released.

On 15 October 2021, Sanchez released his first extended play *What Was, Not Now*, consisting of six tracks, he then toured North America to promote the EP.

## 2021-22: "Until I Found You" Breakthrough and *Easy On My Eyes EP*

On 1 September 2021, Sanchez released the single "Until I Found You", a 50s-inspired love song he wrote for his then-girlfriend Georgia Brown, who is featured in the background vocals of the song; a solo "piano version" was also released. The track quickly went viral on TikTok spawning millions of videos using the song, making it peak at #23 on the *Billboard* Hot 100 and at #16 on the UK Singles Chart. On 22 April 2022, a remix of the song was released along with American singer-songwriter Em Beihold with a new second verse. In terms of sales, the song has gone Gold in the UK and Triple Platinum in the USA. On 28 June 2022, its official music video was released, followed by an extremely limited-edition 7" vinyl being made available for purchase on 28 October 2022.

Following this success into the new year, Sanchez released his second extended play *Easy On My Eyes* on 12 August 2022, consisting of seven tracks, he then toured North America to promote the EP. For Record Store Day 2023, an exclusive release of the EP on red translucent vinyl was made, limited to 2500 copies worldwide.

On 4 November 2022, he released a non-album single with fellow singer-songwriter, and friend, Ashe, called "Missing You" alongside a lyric video.

## 2023-present: Debut Album *Angel Face*

In early 2023, Sanchez began teasing new music when "Evangeline" released on 25 January 2023. This was quickly followed by a spring tour and "Only Girl" on 28 April 2023. Both songs lean into a rock-y 1960s sound aesthetic.

On 25 June 2023, during his headline set at Glastonbury Festival on the Pyramid Stage, and his final ever UK show, Sir Elton John brought out Sanchez for a rendition of "Until I Found You" together, he was one of four special guests during the set. The pair were originally supposed to perform Elton's song "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues".

On 3 August 2023 the album's fourth single, "Be More", was released alongside the album pre-order. A pre-recorded performance of the song directed by Luis G Santos was aired live at the 2023 MTV VMAs, sponsored by M&Ms Chocolate. He was also nominated for "PUSH Performance of the Year" for "Until I Found You".

His debut studio album, *Angel Face*, was officially released on 22 September 2023, with an upcoming deluxe EP set to release at an unknown date. He explained that the album is heavily inspired by 1950-60s music and is conceptual, being about a love affair between two distinct years, 1958 and 1964, with fictional characters populating the songs and telling the story within those respective years.

On 3 October 2023, a special one night only livestream event called *Angel Face: The Live Visual Album* took place, sponsored by Lenovo and Intel, which brought the story of *Angel Face* to life through specially-made music videos of selected songs. In October 2023 he embarked on his second headlining tour promoting the album across North America and shall end in Europe in February 2024.

On 7 November 2023, he released a cover of the classic Christmas song "Silver Bells" in collaboration with *Amazon Music*.

## Trivia

* Sanchez is originally from Sacramento, California, he was then based in Nashville, Tennessee to record his album, and then moved to NYC.
	+ His friend and co-singer on "Missing You", Ashe, is also a California-native but now based in Nashville.
* Sir Elton John is a big fan of Sanchez, praising his EPs, songwriting skills, and his "throwback to 1950s music"; reminding him of a young Chris Isaak.
	+ It was husband David Furnish, who together run the *Rocket Hour* podcast, who introduced Sir Elton to Sanchez via "Until I Found You" and got into contact with him via his publisher.

* He wrote the song "Until I Found You" in just ten minutes.

* The first song he ever wrote was called "Baby, You Could Be Mine" when he was "about 14 or 15".

* He says that he is a hopeless romantic who believes in grand gestures as a way to show love.

* He has had an obsession with 1950s style since he was a child, fascinated by glamorous cars, cinemas, and vibrant colours of that era.
	+ This interest can be noticed visually and sonically throughout his debut album era.

* His dream collaboration would be with Lana Del Rey.

* Sanchez described his songs as "sob in your car, dance in your kitchen" and "devastatingly romantic".

* He was encouraged to learn how to play the guitar better after seeing another student at his school play classical guitar well and that made him jealous.

* His go-to karaoke song is "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://www.thestevenwickblog.com/post/stephen-sanchez
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2023/03/27/stephen-sanchez-plays-a-solo-acoustic-session-chats-with-jill-riley
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 https://www.bringinitbackwards.com/interview-with-stephen-sanchez/
4. ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@stephensanchezofficial/video/7321848320878660910
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://history-biography.com/stephen-sanchez/
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://www.beyondthestagemagazine.com/gtk-stephen-sanchez/
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/stephen-sanchez-until-i-found-you-hot-100-interview-1235187500/
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oY\_fZCVzgI
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_GXEZIXVs0E
10. ↑ https://www.pulsemusicmagazine.com/republic-records-stephen-sanchez-offers-up-a-reimagined-piano-version-of-his-viral-hit-until-i-found-you/
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://nysmusic.com/2023/02/22/in-focus-stephen-sanchez-live-at-irving-plaza/
12. ↑ https://www.highresaudio.com/en/artist/view/e16d2433-1c2c-47dd-93cd-93b30528c45e/stephen-sanchez
13. ↑ https://digital.abcaudio.com/news/stephen-sanchezs-until-i-found-you-goes-gold-i-honestly-didnt-think-i-would-get-far
14. ↑ https://www.mtv.com/video-clips/uzkyry/mtv-push-until-i-found-you-is-based-on-stephen-sanchez-s-love-story
15. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2023-01-21/
16. ↑ https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20230113/7501/
17. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/stephen-sanchez-until-i-found-you-1375204/
18. ↑ https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/18656-6213-1
19. ↑ https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab\_active=default-award&ar=Stephen+Sanchez&ti=Until+I+Found+You&format=Single&type=#search\_section
20. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxldQ9eX2wo
21. ↑ https://recordstoreday.com/UPC/602445774968
22. ↑ https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/15841
23. ↑ https://preludepress.com/news/2022/11/04/stephen-sanchez-ashe-missing-you/
24. ↑ https://www.umusic.ca/press-releases/stephen-sanchez-ashe-team-up-on-anthemic-new-single-missing-you/
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 https://preludepress.com/news/2023/01/25/stephen-sanchez-evangeline/
26. ↑ https://preludepress.com/featured/2023/04/28/stephen-sanchez-only-girl/
27. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jun/26/elton-john-at-glastonbury-review-headline-pyramid-stage
28. ↑ https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/rina-sawayama-stephen-sanchez-and-jacob-lusk-of-gabriels-join-elton-johns-headline-set-at-glastonbury-2023
29. ↑ https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/glastonbury-2023-watch-elton-john-bring-out-special-guest-stephen-sanchez/
30. ↑ https://thefestivals.uk/glastonbury-elton-john-stephen-sanchez/
31. ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/glastonbury-2023-performances-talking-points-elton-b2364053.html
32. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvIK0EoA26e/
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 https://www.instagram.com/p/CvaOFj3OK4K/
34. ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@stephensanchezofficial/video/7277304230170463531
35. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CxHREJlrsGd/
36. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/2023-mtv-vma-awards-winners-1234823039/
37. ↑ https://atwoodmagazine.com/szaf-stephen-sanchez-angel-face-album-interview-music-feature/
38. ↑ https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-radar/stephen-sanchez-elton-john-glastonbury-radar-3472629
39. ↑ https://musictalkers.com/reviews/8937-review-be-more-new-song-by-stephen-sanchez
40. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw5nupINQUI/
41. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20230907202358/https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/yoga-limitless-possibilities/
42. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxY5ImRO7Lj/
43. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230919152719/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230919751406/en/
44. ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2023-11-07/amazon-music-soundtracks-the-holiday-season-with-new-amazon-music-original-songs-from-chloe-stephen-sanchez-jorja-smith
45. ↑ https://press.aboutamazon.com/2023/11/amazon-music-soundtracks-the-holiday-season-with-new-amazon-music-original-songs-from-chloe-stephen-sanchez-jorja-smith-meghan-trainor-and-twice
46. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/twice-chloe-2023-amazon-music-original-holiday-songs-1235465449/
47. ↑ https://wwd.com/eye/people/stephen-sanchez-angel-face-debut-album-1235826119/
48. ↑ https://www.thesoundcafe.com/post/breakout-singer-songwriter-stephen-sanchez-releases-lovestruck-anthem-with-new-single-evangeline
49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiLht-\_EseM
50. ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/curator/rocket-hour/993269779
51. ↑ https://americansongwriter.com/stephen-sanchez-on-debut-album-angel-face-it-happened-naturally/
52. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiLht-\_EseM
53. ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@people/video/7278090689647299882
54. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiLht-\_EseM