Stephen Sanchez Talks the Success of 'Angel Face' and Turning His New Tour into an 'Old '50s TV Show' (Exclusive) (original) (raw)

Stephen Sanchez in February 2024. Photo:

Sergione Infuso - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

Stephen Sanchez’s Angel Face era isn’t over just yet.

Nearly a year since the 21-year-old musician’s debut album came out, the project has been certified gold, its hit single “Until I Found You” has gone four-times platinum and he’s still performing sold-out shows around the world in support of the full-length release.

Currently, Sanchez is in the midst of a tour that brings fans even further into the conceptual world of Angel Face, which posits him as a famous ‘50s musician known as the Troubadour, who falls in love with a woman named Evangeline. Together, they must leave Los Angeles to escape her boyfriend Hunter, who ultimately kills the Troubadour.

Prior to the death that ends the story, however, the Troubadour and his Moon Crests backing band rise to fame through a series of performances on The Connie Co Show, a fictional television program in the vein of The Ed Sullivan Show.

For Sanchez’s latest tour, continuing in North America through Oct. 29, he’s bringing The Connie Co Show to life, and attendees will get to learn about the Troubadour’s rise to fame through what will feel like a live TV taping at a concert.

The “Be More” artist sat down with PEOPLE to discuss the success of Angel Face, his recent performance with Lana Del Rey, what fans can expect from this tour and the status of his next album.

Stephen Sanchez Tour Poster.

Stephen Sanchez/Instagram

Before this current tour kicked off in August, you popped up to sing "Until I Found You" with Lana Del Rey at her sold-out Fenway Park show in June. How did that come together?

It's so wild. We played a festival in May of last year, and she followed me on Instagram, and the boys and I rightfully freaked out. I DM'd her, and then seven months went by, no reply. It wasn't until I was living in Australia for a little bit that she finally responded to my DM. I was like, "Oh my God, I got to hit her back." I sent my number, and she was like, "I'll hit you up." I was like, "Oh my God, she's going to text me." She finally texted me in March and was like, "Yo, I'm playing at Hangout Fest. Do you want to come and sing on stage and chill and ride in on ATVs?" I was like, "I can't. I'm in Australia, but next time we'll have to do something." She's like, "Ah, bummer." The opportunity slipped by. I was like, "Shoot. I'm sure we'll kick it at some point. I got her number now. This is great." When I finally got home, she texted me again, like, "We need to hang out. Do you want to come to Fenway Park in Boston?" We kicked it, and it was great. Played in front of 40,000 people. It was a good time.

Did you learn anything from singing alongside Lana?

She's just very sweet. She's a good-hearted woman, so passionate about the craft, and she's just a really lovely, lovely human. I'm grateful we've gotten to connect and hang out, and I am sure we'll share in more friendship as the years go.

How is your current tour different from the previous Angel Face shows? You always have a big concept — what is The Connie Co Show?

When we were initially doing the last Angel Face tour, we were playing the record front to back, and I was always talking about the love story between Evangeline and the Troubadour, and how Hunter kills me and everything. But we never went further back in time and talked about The Connie Co Show, which is where Stephen Sanchez and The Moon Crests made their musical televised debut. It’s mentioned in the story that's written on the back of the record, all the songs that we played over the years on that show and how that turned into us having a residency at the Angel Club. I really wanted to throw it back in time and tell the first part of the story for the last tour that we do for [this album]. So, we're acting as the musical guests on this fictionafl television show, with this host who is literally guiding us. He has talking points, we do an interview and everything, and it's cool. It's like seeing an old ‘50s TV show, if you were there back in the day.

Stephen Sanchez 'Angel Face' Album Cover.

Credit: Luke Rogers

Since Angel Face came out, your shows have gotten so much bigger, "Until I Found You" has gone four-times platinum and the album has been certified gold. How does it feel to have these milestone moments and growth on your first album?

It's really cool that Angel Face has gone gold. I love this record so much. I put so much time and effort into it, and it felt really effortless when we were making it, too. There were songs that took some time, but it never felt like a strain. Every song was inspiring, and it just opened us up, each time we finished a song, to something new. I just loved the progress of it all. I loved the people I got to work with on it. To have these milestones just feels like, "Oh man, we did something really great, and there's a little bit further evidence to show for it — and a relief internally. But I still haven't got my gold plaque. I need that plaque.

Have you started working on what's next?

It's coming, for sure. I have a hard time writing on tour, but I think when the tour’s done, I think I'll be in a better, more clear head space. Even when we started working on Angel Face, it was something we jumped into, and “Be More” was the first song that came out of that. So, I have a feeling when I get back in that space, music's going to come, and it's going to be great. It'll be a lot different, for sure. What’s the point of doing the same thing twice?

Angel Face obviously has so many love songs on it. Have you done any dating on the road that could provide inspiration for new music?

Oh gosh, I'm just chilling. I have decided that it is the smartest thing to act like I'm a celibate monk. I feel it's the one thing that’s mine. So right now I'm just making music and touring. If love comes along, beautiful, but I'm in a great spot, and I'm happy.

Stephen Sanchez in August 2023.

Rebecca Sapp/Getty

How do you approach performing differently at this point, now that the shows have grown so much, than you did when Angel Face first came out?

There was a lot of pressure to make sure it did well, and social media is such a hard thing 'cause it's such an indicator of your success these days. I pressed too much into that, I think, and put a lot of pressure on myself. But what was exciting was a lot of what the boys and I would call “iconic” moves and moments from our show have remained. There's the leg raised during “I Need You Most of All” and the slide during “Shake.” I've gone into this tour with the same mentality and less pressure. I'm just having way more fun this time around.