Stephen Sanchez

Anchored in a strong retro-pop aesthetic, Stephen Sanchez’s music is built around romantic ballads inspired by 1950s rock’n’roll and 1960s orchestral pop. Born in 2002 in Sacramento, California, Sanchez first drew attention on social media in the late 2010s by posting covers and early original songs, before moving to Nashville to develop his songwriting. In 2020, the song "Lady by the Sea" caught the interest of production teams and led to a deal with Republic Records, which supported the release of the EP What Was, Not Now in 2021. He then refined a voice-centered approach, romantic melodies and vintage arrangements with the EP Easy on My Eyes in 2022, and with his debut album Angel Face in 2023, conceived as a narrative around a fictional crooner. On stage, Stephen Sanchez adapts this repertoire into a pop format tinged with soul, performing as a duo or with a band, and engages in occasional collaborations — notably with Em Beihold — while remaining identified with a nostalgic strand of pop-songcraft heavily shaped by the imagery of 1950s American ballads.