Nick Sanza
Photo credit: Ferdinand Gomez Glad Bak
I never know what to expect when I open my emails. But I always expect to be surprised, in the best possible way. When I heard Nick Sanza’s new single “The View”, I immediately loved the melodies and his vocals. “The View” is simple but yet colorful and memorable.
Discovering Nick Sanza's music was a beautiful surprise and I can’t wait to hear his next singles and his upcoming EP. He’s definitely an artist to watch :)
Go stream “The View” now :)
Photo credit: Ferdinand Gomez Glad Bak
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
Hey!! My name is Nick Sanza. I grew up in Ocean City, NJ, a cute little beach town where nobody wore shoes. From the shower to Sunday school, at the dinner table and in the car, I was always singing. I got really into acting and monologue competitions in high school and went on to study singing and acting at Pace University in NYC. After college I studied acting at the Esper Studio for two years and somehow walked outta there writing pop songs. The continued study of character made me an empathic and vulnerable collaborator and I started writing a lot with and for other artists. I’ve had the opportunity to write with and for other artists, without positioning myself as the featured artist. I am grateful to have been able to collaborate with those same artists on this project.
"The View" is your new single - what's the inspiration behind this song?
I came into the first session for “The View” knowing a few things: I wanted it to be simple and I wanted it to be sexy. I also knew that I wanted the pre section to feel a bit like a secret moment in the mind, coming right after the line, “yeah, I keep getting distracted//there's one thing on my brain”.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this particular single? Who helped you create it?
Wrote this one over a zoom session and cut some vocals with Jesse Bluu in Brooklyn a few months after writing it, when testing and in person sessions were a bit more possible. I traveled out to LA/Joshua Tree for a few months between apartments in NYC and that made finishing up the vocals a bit tough, but I was able to cut the finals in Joshua Tree and Jesse Bluu is all the production. He is a beast and very clever and playful in this track. Finally had my friend Zach Miller master it and boom.
What's your favorite thing about this song?
Ah I love the surprise of the pre but I also love the bridge. Haha -- maybe the “oh i wanna” moment in the ad libs over the bridge. And the “ding” after the first verse. Lots of fun musical moments but lyrically I think bringing it back to the partner in the last lines of the chorus -- “it's the way that you move, oh I wanna i wanna take in the view” making it clear that the song is about being in awe of someone. It’s about being Infatuated by a partner and wanting them to “love you slow” cause you've got all night ;).
What can you tell us about the artwork?
This is one of the first pictures I took in LA when I got there in November. I was literally just in awe and taking in the view. The text is a retro video game vibe because we say “all these games in the way’” but also that modern love feels like a video game these days. That's what I wanted that to mean.
What made you want to release "The View" as a single?
I sorta wanted to reintroduce myself after almost two years of no releases. Also in making decisions on the rest of the project, this one felt like a nice gauge to see what people really were looking for in new tunes.
What can you tell us about your upcoming project?
Oh it's emotional for sure. I think one of the things I wanted most was not to appear preachy or like I had found any answers. In truth, the time I was writing these tracks, mostly in lockdown, I was finding way more questions than answers. This project is full of perspective and narrative and unresolved circumstances that weigh on the collective people.
What does singing mean to you?
Singing where I feel the most able to explore and communicate the depths of feeling.
What's the best part about being an artist?
Getting to talk about your feelings with friends all day and making space and encouraging others to do the same. I’m obsessed with making feelings that are hard to define more tangible and, thus, more manageable for others.
How would you define Pop music?
Pop, to me, is simplified moments. It’s focus isn’t so much to travel from point A to point B in narrative but just to live in the vibe and feeling of being in point A and wanting point B or the opposite, for example.
In your opinion, what makes a good song?
If it makes people think or move or breath deeper. I think anything that makes a connection to the listener is “good”.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
Ah tough question, but every time I hear music streaming in a coffee shop or the lobby of a hotel or in a bar at night I think how before these surround speaker systems took over the world, these spaces were opportunities for gig vocalists. Direct cash making gigs that could keep them in the industry. And like songwriters barely make money and labels own playlists but we could go on forever...
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
That everything goes up and down and living with good and bad in the same space at the same time is what keeps you from being so vulnerable to the environment and circumstance you find yourself in.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Action. When we become more aware of our missteps we must act fast to acknowledge the years of impact caused by the misstep. If weed is legal, it's also legal for the folx locked up for it. If student debt needs to be canceled, so does charging 100k for a degree. We need to be more comfortable with systemic change to follow communal enlightenment.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
Be gentle with each other. We’re more sensitive than we pretend to be.
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