Unsigned Spotlight: Sebastian Ortiz
We had the pleasure of speaking with Sebastian Ortiz, who shared the inspiration behind his latest single, "Everyday She Comes Back," as well as his current musical inspirations and pre-show rituals. Sebastian also spoke about his dream tour partners, and his career highlight of performing with The Strokes at a Bernie Sanders rally. Check it out.
Thanks for chatting with us! To start, can you tell us your name and how you’d describe your music?
Hello, my name is Sebastian Ortiz. I’d describe my music as indie-rock with a retro sound (for now).
Your new single "Every Day She Comes Back" is out now. Tell me a little about what inspired the song and what you hope listeners take away.
I was having a very difficult time getting over a certain ex of mine. I’d been thinking about her so much at this point that I would even have dreams. Though I don’t remember the particular movie of this dream, I remember the feeling of a “frightened kiss” when I woke up. At this time, I was writing every morning and so this is the song that came out for this morning. It came out much more organically than many of my other songs so I knew it had potential.
Though the song is a love song, the artistic statement I want to make is that I now consider myself a serious artist. The production quality of my songs will be substantially higher and I am not afraid to continue pursuing my goals and dreams. Listeners, get excited about the future because this is only the real beginning of the next stage in my chapter as an artist.
What current bands are inspiring the music that you’re making?
When working on the single, I was pretty heavily into Fontaines DC, Just Mustard, and Iggy Pop. Now a few months later though, I’ve been listening to a lot disco, house, and exploring some more pop genres than I have in the past. These aren’t really current bands, but include artists like the Bee Gees and ABBA.
One really good current artist that I’m liking a lot is Warmduscher. They have some pretty groovy beats with raw, gritty vocals that I’m digging. Yard Act is another really good artist.
What’s the first musical memory you have?
I honestly can’t remember haha. One very early musical memory I have is listening to Juanes in the car when I was 4 or 5 years old. His album Mi Sangre had just come out and the big hit single off that was “La Camisa Negra”. Many of my earlier memories come around age 5-6 I think with memories of “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani, “Wherever, Whenever” by Shakira, “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee.
I remember LOVING that music video haha. There are many songs I remember loving this period in my life - it’s pretty interesting to think about what music I was attracted to then. Another song I remember loving is “Hava Nagila” haha. These songs all have such great melodies and I think this is what drew me to them.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
Rehearse a lot! As for pre-show rituals, maybe a shot of aguardiente or a vodka redbull right before for an energetic performance. Besides this, there aren’t too many rituals that I partake in.
What has been the biggest highlight of your music career so far?
I don’t know. There have been many highs and many lows in the career. I feel that this single release will honestly be the biggest highlight of music career. I’ve put in so much work, throwing a single release party, and other promotional things that I haven’t before. I feel like this single has made other people take me more seriously as an artist.
Speaking of amazing things to happen your music career, I read in your bio that you sang on stage with The Strokes at a Bernie Sanders rally?! Tell me about that!
Yesss haha this may be a little exaggerated but I did get to share the stage with them! This was in February 2020 right before the pandemic. My friend told me that the Strokes were playing at a Bernie Sanders rally in New Hampshire which was only about an hour and a half away from Boston, which is where I was going to school at the time. We ended up driving up there for the free rally and got to see Bernie, AOC, and of course the Strokes. My friend and I were able to sneak to the “GA” section.
Though I lost him, I pushed to the front. Towards the end of their set, they invited some fans upstage. Though not everyone made it, because some people got taken away by security, I was one of the lucky ones and got to dance on stage with them. I even got a live action selfie with Julian Casablancas that I show whenever I can hahaha.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Wow such a hard one. Touring with the Rolling Stones or the Beatles sounds pretty amazing. I would love to learn about their life on the road and study them closely to see what it is that made them such incredible performers. Current bands that I’d love to tour with would be Fontaines DC as they are my number one influence right now, and possibly Tame Impala or Mitski.
In many ways, you're just getting started with your music career. What do you hope is next for it?
Playing festivals would be a great next step. Getting some cool sync placements. Releasing an EP and having some serious industry movers listen to them would be very cool. I hope for my music to go viral and for my profile to continually grow.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
To everyone reading, thank you. I appreciate your willingness to listen to my story.
Where can we follow you?
You can follow me on Instagram at @sebastian.l.ortiz and subscribe to my YouTube youtube.com/@sebastianlortiz
With his new single "Every Day She Comes Back" out now, we can't wait to see what the future holds for this rising indie-rock artist. Be sure to follow Sebastian and stay up to date on his latest music and upcoming shows. Thanks for chatting with us, Sebastian!