Stephen Sanchez.Photo:Credit: Caity Krone
Credit: Caity Krone
Few artists make the bold move releasing an intricate concept album as their debut, but forStephen Sanchez, it felt natural.
The 20-year-old singer-songwriter releasedAngel Faceon Friday, a collection of songs written from the fictional perspective of the Troubadour Sanchez, an Elvis-era crooner who finds himself in a dangerous love triangle with a tragic ending.
Angel Face’s conception began with 2021’s"Until I Found You,“a romantic ballad written about Sanchez’s real-life romance with ex-girlfriend Georgia. Since its release, the song has since been streamed billions of times, gone viral on TikTok and become certified three-times platinum.
He’s performed “Until I Found You” all over the world, including withElton Johnat Glastonbury as well as atSofia Richie and Elliott Grange’s wedding, soundtracking the start of the rest of the couple’s life together. The actual relationship behind the song, however, ended before it came out.
“I wish [Georgia] the best, and I think she wishes me the best too. We’re both living our lives,” says Sanchez, who’s since found new meaning in the song. “I feel like it’s about the people’s stories this record is soundtracking, and I think that that’s more important than what it was about originally.”
Stephen Sanchez performs in Los Angeles in August 2023.Rebecca Sapp/Getty
Rebecca Sapp/Getty
Part of the musician’s reasoning for crafting a fictional narrative behindAngel Faceis so he doesn’t have to let listeners in on his real-life love again after “Until I Found You.”
“The only relationship I want people to care about is the one between the Troubadour and Evangeline,” declares Sanchez. “As far as my relationship, I think I want to be the only one that thinks about it.”
Growing up in El Dorado, California, the performer developed his taste for ’50s and ’60s music from his two grandfathers — one let him raid his stacked record collection of Roy Orbison,Frank Sinatraand Nat King Cole albums, and the other was a talented guitarist. They inspired Sanchez to start singing at a young age, and he then joined his local gospel choir.
“Then, in high school, I just was having crushes for the first time and didn’t really want to sing gospel songs anymore,” he says. “I wanted to sing love songs.”
Stephen Sanchez.Credit: Luke Rogers
Credit: Luke Rogers
After “Until I Found You” blew up, Sanchez started working onAngel Faceand wrote several of its songs before thinking up the Troubadour’s tale. “It presented itself in that way,” he notes.
At first, the story was meant to end with the Troubadour and Evangeline running off into the sunset together, happily in love. Once Sanchez got in the studio with collaborator Ben Schneider of Lord Huron, however, he started feeling like its finale was “lame.”
Jeff Kravitz/Getty
Much of the complex plot has played out in Sanchez’s music videos to date, but eagle-eyed fans will learn even more as the album cycle continues. “There are going to be so many little Easter eggs,” he teases. “I think it’s so exciting that there’s somebody beyond just me that they can attach themselves to.”
The star is also partnering with Lenovo to produce a “unique cinematic version” of his debut album. “Fans will get an inside look into my creative process while hearing and seeing me perform the album for the first time,” says Sanchez, who will be “fully immersed in 1950s Los Angeles” using the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i and Lenovo Yoga 9i. (Fans can tune in on Oct. 3 to his YouTube page to see and listen to the album.)
“I’m going to get shot at the end and do a fight scene,” he says of the upcoming concerts. “It’s going to be very theatrical, and it’s going to feel like you’re entering this world of the Troubadour Sanchez.”
source: people.com
