Born on the outskirts of Paris, Sandór Waïss grew up influenced by legendary producers such as Timbaland, the Neptunes and Kanye West. At age 12, Waïss started making his own beats with a friend and then began to lend his skills to local Parisian rappers. After 10 years of honing his craft, Waïss used his increasingly nuanced skillset to establish himself in the industry, after helping produce over 80 albums that led to both commercial and industry success and respect. However, today he emerges from the shadows with his debut album, Broken Blue and lead single “Home”, which is a grand exhibition in his artistry, which traces back to his roots when he first embarked on his solo quest.
Sandor Waïss’ hotly anticipated album, Broken Blue, takes you on an intensive journey that merges cinema, pop and electronic music and asks you to imagine the regular human conflict between the beautiful and the cruel. Waïss’ directorial skills and cinematographic eye are made clear throughout Broken Blue, with the initial three music videos for singles “The Eyes”, “Kill You”, and “Broken Blue” all being directed by the artist himself. The beautifully animated video for his single “Memories” in a stunning exercise in Waïss honed collaborative skills as he works with director Juan Pablo Machado.
“Our world is made up of so much beauty and horrors at the same time… It explores this inner conflict, and the ray of hopes that soothes it” says Waïss. Through his expert music making skills, the creative is able to explore these grand questions, which he says listeners hope take away “Empathy and kindness for others”.
We talk to Waïss about his humble roots, and his journey towards emerging from the shadows as an established artist, and confronting the grand visions of the complicated human state.
Watch the visuals for “Memories”…
Read the interview below…
When did you start creating music?
I started music around 12-13 years old by making beats with a friend for ourselves, and then for local rappers in my area. I’ve grown up looking up to legendary producers such as Timbaland, The Neptunes and Kanye West. As a solo artist, I started in 2020. I felt that I needed it after working only for other artists for the last 6-7 years.
How did you find your sound?
From 2014 to 2022 I’ve produced a lot of songs for numerous iconic French rappers such as PNL, Damso or Ninho. I’ve learnt a lot from the Rap scene as a producer, how to look for original textures in order to sound modern and vibrant, to question formats. I’ve used this experience to find my sound as an artist, make something vivid and fresh, while finding my own space as an artist and developing a sound that would match the nature of my voice.
How are you feeling about the release of your new album Broken Blue?
I’m really excited! I’m curious to see how people will welcome the music, how they will read it, and how they will make the songs their own.
What themes are present in the project?
I feel like the album is mainly about the hardship to come to terms with ourselves, to find our place as humans in a world that exceeds us. Our world is made of so much beauty and horrors at the same time, of so many irreconcilable things, that I still don’t know to this day how to feel about it. It explores this inner conflict, and the ray of hopes that soothes it.
What was the decision to release “The Eyes” as the first single? How does this — and subsequent singles “Kill You” and “Memories” — represent Broken Blue as a whole?
From the start, I wanted to write a trilogy for the visuals. I picked those three singles because I feel like they were telling a story: The Eyes is a song about dealing with the inevitable while concealing our feelings, Kill You is a lament against the rule of time and Death, and Broken Blue a song on grief and acceptance. They seemed to echo each other while being powerful enough and distinctive to be singles.
Your work is a complete 360° vision, combining music with cinema and philosophy. What is your process like in creating such a world? What comes first?
The beat. Once the beat makes me feel something, the lyrics, the melodies, the concept of the song just flow out altogether pretty fast. Every time I’m done writing, I always wonder how I’ve made the song, which is weird because I know what chords, instruments or words I’ve used, I just don’t know why I’ve used them in this fashion.
Your music videos are so powerful. How do you ideate them?
I always try to replicate the “soul” of the song it illustrates; I want people to feel overwhelmed by the feeling of the piece and I try to find the best visual metaphor to get there. I write the synopsis based on this, and then reflect on the best staging / medium / aesthetics.
Is there a track you’re most proud of, or one you’re most excited for listeners to hear?
Yes, the track “Broken Blue”. I feel like I’ve captured something of our condition that has never been expressed this way in a song. The crescendo format is unusual, the chord progression is subtle, the lyrics almost sum up the album in some sort.
What do you hope listeners may take away from the album?
Empathy and kindness for others. We live in a harsh world, but we have the gift of conscience and the ability to project ourselves in one’s pain or difficulty. I hope the album revives that feeling in people’s hearts.
Do you have a career highlight to date?
Not yet as a solo artist in terms of sales or commercial success, I guess. That being said, I am really proud of the song Broken Blue, I am convinced that it’s one of the most meaningful things I have ever done in my life.
What’s to come from you?
A lot of other songs and videos I hope! I’m also still producing for French and international rappers, plenty of great songs to come throughout the year.
Why do you make music?
Because there’s nothing else quite like it, I really feel like my mind is leaving my body when I make music, I forget myself. No worries, fears or problems, it makes me feel like I am a part of something bigger than myself, not just an isolated part. That’s quite addictive.