walking upstream…
Stephen Sanchez
photo: raph_ph · cc by 2.0 ↗Stephen Sanchez
Stephen Sanchez grew up in El Dorado Hills, California, but traces his musical education to his grandparents' vinyl collection in a pair of barns on their San Jose property — an accidental immersion in 1950s and '60s crooners, doo-wop vocal groups, and early rock and roll that would define his sound decades later. He began posting acoustic covers to TikTok in 2020, and the retro, doo-wop-inflected swing of his self-written single 'Until I Found You' turned him into a viral phenomenon and a Republic/Mercury signee within a year. His 2023 debut album 'Angel Face' pushed the pastiche into a full concept-album narrative built around 'The Troubadour,' a heartbroken 1950s-60s nightclub crooner, sung throughout in Sanchez's own quivering, dramatic tenor.
the sound in question
2021
Until I Found YouStephen Sanchez
walk the tributaries ↓
Roy Orbison1960s · Rock and roll / Pop / Rockabilly
Sanchez has said Orbison's voice 'has influenced so much of mine. Diction, my styling when I sing, especially for this record,' after recognizing 'Oh, Pretty Woman' from movies and diving into the rest of Orbison's catalog. Orbison's operatic, tremble-voiced balladry — big, swooping melodies sung completely straight, without a wink of camp — is the clearest technical fingerprint on Sanchez's own dramatic delivery.
listen: upstream & heresource: Star Tribune ↗
1964
Oh, Pretty WomanRoy Orbison
2023
EvangelineStephen Sanchez
listen forCompare the aching high notes and unhurried, almost cinematic build of 'Oh, Pretty Woman' to 'Evangeline' — both let a single vocal line carry the entire emotional weight of the song, holding notes a beat longer than comfort would suggest.
The Platters1950s · Doo-wop / R&B / Vocal harmony / Pop
Asked about his musical education, Sanchez has said 'The Platters, the Ink Spots, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole all inspired me growing up. The love that they used to sing about is just amazing,' crediting those '[African-American] groups' with giving 'so much soul and heart into their music.' The Platters' close vocal harmonies and unhurried, string-swept balladry are the direct blueprint for 'Until I Found You's' doo-wop lilt.
listen: upstream & heresource: Songfacts ↗
1955
Only You (And You Alone)The Platters
2021
Until I Found YouStephen Sanchez
listen forPlay 'Only You (And You Alone)' next to 'Until I Found You' — both ride a gentle, rocking triplet feel with a lead vocal floating over soft harmony 'oohs,' built for a slow dance rather than a dance floor.
Elvis Presley1950s · Rock and roll / Rockabilly
Sanchez says watching the 2022 biopic 'Elvis' eight times in theaters was liberating: 'It taught me to move while singing. It helped me give my body to it rather than just my voice and my heart... allow it to move me.' He's also called Elvis and Orbison 'absolutely tremendous artists, they're timeless,' pointing to the same hip-driven, full-body showmanship married to an effortless croon that Presley brought to the stage.
listen: upstream & heresource: Star Tribune ↗
1957
Jailhouse RockElvis Presley
2023
Be MoreStephen Sanchez
listen forSet the strutting, syncopated swagger of 'Jailhouse Rock' against the crescendoing piano stomp of 'Be More' — both build from a held-back verse into a full-body, foot-stomping release that plays as much as performance as song.