Q&A With Stephen Sanchez

Stephen Sanchez chats with RM in front of his show at Red Hat Amp.

Stephen Sanchez may look and sound like a vision from the ’60s, but his already-flourishing music career has only just begun. The California native skyrocketed into popularity after his ’50s-indebted single “Until I Found You” received massive support on TikTok and climbed through the charts in 2021.

Advancing this career milestone into another, the 21-year-old released his debut album Angel Face in 2023, and is now embarking on a 31-city U.S. tour, including a stop at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh Oct. 15.

And this isn’t the singer-songwriter’s first time in the City of Oaks, having graced the stage at Lincoln Theatre in December 2023. “It was so cool; it was one of our favorite shows because it was such a good crowd,” Sanchez tells RM. Here, we caught up with the sultry singer ahead of his Raleigh stop for insight on his soar into the spotlight, favorite moment, muses and more.

Since your track “Until I Found You” went viral, what has been your biggest “pinch me” moment?

It would have to be playing with Elton John at Glastonbury. Maybe it was that Kate Hudson kissed me on the cheek after—that was pretty cool. I watched Almost Famous so many times, falling in love with Penny Lane. And then she just kissed me—which was epic. Most of your songs are love songs. Who’s your muse? I feel like I’m going through a lot of growth in my life, as people do, and it’s become my muse. It happens a lot in your 20s, when you make a lot of mistakes and they feel a lot more fundamental in shaping who you are. As for love songs, [it’s] what I’m hoping for in someone. It’s like goal setting, before I feel like I’ve gotten there all the way.

Is your sound inspired more by modern music or genres you grew up on?

I definitely think this record was a mix of the worlds. There were years of listening to ’50s and ’60s music and so many bands discovered from the first time I listened up to now. It’s a lifetime vibe from listening [to music] for ages and ages.

Biggest influence?

I love me some Roy Orbison. That guy is good.

When writing, do the lyrics or melody come first?

It’s always been the lyrics. Sometimes, there are some melodies you have to really finagle and construct… but it’s always so much harder when you have the melody first and then [have to] come up with something to say.

Your post-show routine?

It’s changed dramatically over the years. Initially, it was running offstage and getting on the bus immediately and trying to go to sleep in a crappy bandwagon, which is a borderline storage trailer with beds. But now we’ve spruced things up a bit more… journaling, doing a devotional, occasionally a video game—and a snack, for sure.

Go-to snack?

Probably a Sprite and a hot dog. I love a hot dog.

*Answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity