Sebastian Ortiz Shares His Career Goals And Talks About Single ‘Everyday She Comes Back’

He’s back with a new single!

New Jersey artist Sebastian Ortiz is quickly becoming a singer you need to know. He recently released a single titled ‘Everyday She Comes Back’.

We had the amazing honor of talking with Sebastian about the Gold Coast/Jersey City music scene, Fontaines D.C., and more!

When did you first realize that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

S: “Well, the first inkling of an idea I had that I wanted to pursue a career in music was in the 6th grade, which is when I began to learn the guitar. They almost seemed to go hand in hand, like, now that I was learning guitar, a full-out career in music is what I will be doing with my life. I dedicated a lot of time to music, but I wouldn’t say I took it “seriously” until the second semester of college. I was in a pretty bad headspace mentally. I was recommended the book “Awaken The Giant” by Tony Robbins. It’s kind of funny to say, but this book really motivated me to change my life and the way I was living. I began to take my music and my dreams seriously from this point and now 5 years later, here I am releasing this new single.“

Tell us more about your amazing new single ‘Everyday She Comes Back’.

S: “It’s heartbreak time. You’re a hopeless romantic. You dream about the impossible and think that everything is possible. You’re strained emotionally – you’ve texted and called her over the course of three years and all you get is an Instagram DM “I’m ok.

Everyday She Comes Back” talks about obsession in love. I wrote this song after experiencing a dream involving a former lover. Though I don’t remember the details, I remember feeling a perpetual push and pull between my desires and my needs – a dissonance and an internal distress. There was my desire of wanting to be with her, wanting to love her against all sane, humanly expectations. This desire was contrasted and fought back against by my need for decoupling and for emotional and romantic independence. “I need to forget about her, I need to move on”, etc. But we know that in practice this is significantly harder. You try hard to forget about whatever it is that’s on your mind, but this obsessive thought keeps coming back. This song explores this distress and desire.

This song has really grown on me. Though the chords, melody, and lyrics are simple, it really comes to life in the production. I love the chugging guitar sounds, the little piano solo in the second half of the song. I love how short and sweet it is – at just over 2 minutes long, it reminds me of the early Beatles songs that were just around 2 minutes long. The guitar lick tones to me are immaculate – the warped vinyl + overdrive is really really great. (Thanks to Jakob for sculpting this song’s sounds)

What I want the listener to take away from “Everyday She Comes Back” is that “this is me”. This is the new Sebastian. I now take myself seriously as an artist and the quality of my music will be higher. I am actually putting together a big single release party over in Union City NJ where in collaboration with a local event producer, we are having bands, poets, and visual artists all come together for a night celebrating a reawakening. The Gold Coast music and arts scene is hidden, but vibrant. I’m hoping to elevate this music scene a little more and get some more eyes on the other side of the Hudson as there are some really good artists making some really cool things.”

What has been your favorite song you have released so far, and why?

S: “My favorite song has probably been “Nature’s Fair (Remix)”. This song was the first and so far, the only song I released that was fully produced by me. I listen to it and it just sounds so much like me! I think you can really hear my Beatles influence come through in it haha. It’s got a campy sound, but I think it’s so much fun. I also made a music video with my friend from high school that ended up coming out really good. I wish I’d spend more time promoting it as I think it was a very fun one that kind of stayed under the radar.”

If you could collab with any music artist, who would it be and why?

S: “Oh man this is such a hard question!! There are SO MANY artists I would love to collaborate with. At this moment, it would probably be Fontaines DC. They have such a unique, forward looking yet retro sound. I love their energy, their lyrics. I would love to soak up their creative energy and learn from them. Not to mention that it would also be cool as hell – I would love to make a song with their style and imprint on it. It would be a crowning achievement in my career.”

How would you personally describe the music scene in New Jersey?

S: “New Jersey is a pretty big state with a diverse music scene. I can’t speak for the whole state, so I will focus on the area I know best, which is the Gold Coast/Jersey City area.

It is hidden, but so alive. There are at least 10-20 events (that I know of) going on each week in a variety of genres and mediums. There are rap shows, EDM/electronic shows, rock, rnb, jazz shows, lighting shows (see this visual artist for an example of what I’m talking about), art shows, and poetry readings going on in this small sector. Many of these artists play in New York, but the real home of these artists is in the Jersey City/Gold Coast area. Greenspace Studios in Union City was my intro into this scene. I had no idea such a scene existed, but at this space alone there would be 2-4 events going on each week. I entered through the Latin Punk Fest last year, hosted funnily enough by an event producer from Philadelphia. Greenspace would host video game music shows, bebop jazz, salsa nights, poetry nights, and everything else you could imagine in a tiny 40 cap room that would usually go beyond capacity. This space isn’t a restaurant or classic “venue” so much as it was an event and community space in an old warehouse building. Here, anybody could come and realize their vision for a show. For me, the best part about this scene is the community-minded aspect where you meet like-minded, passionate people about art and music. It is through this community where I met most of the backing band I now have. 

Jersey City also has music festivals in a cemetery! I am actually playing one called Goatchella on June 24 which I am SO EXCITED to be a part of since it will be my first festival with a focus on music.

There is so much more I could say. In summary, it is a tight-knit, supportive community that accommodates artists of all ages and skill levels. There is little pretension. At the end of the day, here in Jersey everyone wants to be seen and felt as an artist. This community/scene makes this possible for everyone.”

What are some of your biggest goals for your music career?

S: “My number 1 goal that would tell me I made it is to play at Paradise Rock Club in Boston. My housing was a block away from this 900 cap venue. I would walk past it everyday and see lines stretched out around the corner. I’d see and listen to so many new artists just by looking at who was on the Marquee each night. I always told myself that I would play there one day. This is one of my biggest goals.

Other more general goals I have are to tour and make money! I’m not looking to become a mega-star or anything like that. I want to be able to realize my vision of touring the world, making friends and fans everywhere. I hear stories about so many of my favorite artists producing a record in different cities and regions of the world. I would love to do this as well. I dream of my music income being high enough to where it can support my living costs, + more for supporting the music itself (because this stuff is expensive), and  a little more for travel.

I want to make really amazing music. I want to push each day to make the best music I know I can make. I tend to get a little lazy in the creative process, so I want to break past this laziness and focus purely on extracting the highest quality output of music. These past two singles are much better than what I’ve released so far. My music is only going to get better with each release, so I’m very excited for my existing and new fans to hear what I’ve got coming, because it’s going to be good.”

We hear that you might be releasing an EP this year! Can you tease what fans can expect?

S: “Ah haha only as much as I can. Some of the songs are already written, some of the songs are being written. I am actually meeting with my producer Jakob this week to get started on it. You can count on it to be at least as good as the two singles I’ve released so far.”

Where can we follow your amazing journey?

S: “My Instagram is probably the best place to keep up with me, but for a more intimate closer look at my life, sign up for my newsletter! Thanks again.”

Stream ‘Everyday She Comes Back’, available now on all music platforms!

Photo Credit: Katherine Wizeman

Je’Kayla Crawford– Founder and Director– Je’Kayla has been a journalist for years and decided to start a publication of her own, New Scene. When not helping her team and working on the monthly issues, you can find her watching a movie on Netflix or baking using a viral Tasty recipe.