Diving into Innovation: Sage Suede’s “Dirty Blonde” Reviewed

Guys wait, wait, have you heard Sage Suede‘s latest album, “Dirty Blonde”? If not, you’re in for a treat. This album isn’t your average playlist filler – it’s a whole vibe, a sonic journey that’ll have you hooked from the get-go.

Sage Suede’s music is like a blend of several genres right from electronic psychedelic to hip-hop, all in one place. Yet, round it up, it’s not just the beats but the feels. It’s more than just music that you hear in “Dirty Blonde”, it is a feeling.

Along each track, a different story is told for instance, the groovy beats of “High” and the fine tunes of “Palm Trees and Scotch” with Dazmin D’leon. Also, there’s “Itty Bitty,” an oldie that will literally force you to tap your feet and move your head in no time.

However, “Dirty Blonde” manages to ooze out a feeling all its own. It brings you just straight into a completely different world where music is better than just the soundtrack – it’s like an adventure.

Hence, if you’re up for an unexpected turn of events, a new trip, then “Dirty Blonde” shall be the album you’re looking for. SAGE SUADE isn’t merely rapping; he’s creating moments, and ‘DIRTY BLONDE’ is one you’d not wish to miss.

Listen to Dirty Blonde on
https://soundcloud.com/sagesuede/sets/dirty-blonde-clean?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fsagesuede%252Fsets%252Fdirty-blonde-clean

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What is your stage name

SAGE SUEDE

Is there a story behind your stage name?
I’m a musician & model that is into magic. The name is meant to describe my vocal delivery in an abstracted manner through the tactile / textures. I see a sage green aura a lot while meditating and I have smoked sage for the thujone, but usually absinthe is easier.

Where do you find inspiration?
I write from the heart, so my writing is usually based on real experiences. Recently, I have had a lot of stalkers, so I wrote the single Saiko Choto, which is in Japanese and English about the crazy chick that follows me around shopping. She’s not Japanese, but I like the psycho fashion in harajuku. I’m a polyglot, so I write the way that I think and sometimes make stuff like that or in Spanglish.

What was the role of music in the early years of your life?
I was in musicals growing up and often got cast as the prince. Even in shows that I wasn’t part of like at Esther’s Follies they would just pull me on stage and do an entire number. When I got older, I started to party more and wear leather, so people saw me more as the bad boy and I was also in a musical as Flynn Rider so that’s where I got a lot of free vocal training, even though it wasn’t totally my vibe.

Are you from a musical or artistic family?
Music was always a part of my life and I used to play often for memorial services and Alzheimer’s centers with my family. When I got older, I started to book my own shows since I was the most into music.

Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry?
I always wanted to travel and experience the world, so I chose to be a musician and also a polyglot. My first albums were Music by Madonna and Deee-Lite’s Greatest Hits. I think the electropop of producer Mirwais and dance house like Towa Tei impacted the style of music that I produce today.

How did you learn to sing/write/to play?
Most of the electropop that I create is in Ableton with sampling. I’m also a multi-instrumentalist but usually I sing & dance on stage. I do my vocal arrangements and most of my beats before post-mastering, which are layered to sound otherworldly lately.

What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform?
I saw Crystal Castles live at Stubbs in high school and almost passed out. Alice Glass has a great stage presence and it felt spiritual for me.

How could you describe your music?
I’d say electropop with some punk, hip hop and reggaeton vibes. The style varies a lot with the way I’m thinking and feeling, as well as the styles that I’m enjoying in my free time. I create culture based on what I’m experiencing.

Describe your creative process.
I usually write the lyrics before I make the track. Sometimes I structure the track around the poem. Other times, I’ll arrange the beat before I write the lyrics and tailor the lyrics for the beat, like I do on some collabs.

What is your main inspiration?
I’m inspired by everything that I’m going through in life, as well as by other art that I experience. For example, my psychothrillers on Amazon… a lot of the inspiration comes from being stalked for the past 3 years and my next door neighbor’s divorce.

What musician do you admire most and why?
Probably someone like Shygirl or on her label because I dig the London sound. I guess I’m spearheading that electro scene in Austin, which is the London of the southwestern US. Another artist would be Uffie and I’d like to have a fashion bender too.

Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career?
Yeah, I’ve made a ton of different styles and languages. After playing The Viper Room, I feel this rockstar energy that I want to share more of. I’m not sure how I would like it to manifest most in my music yet, but I wrote Psychotic Bulgogi on the way to the venue and published a few other psychothriller novelettes later, so I might just be a little more goth.

Who do you see as your main competitor?
My only competitor is myself, because I’m only benchmarked on my own success.

What are your interests outside of music?
I like fashion and the new Robert Wun show is a favorite. I also like Versace.

If it wasn’t a music career, what would you be doing?
I like to model too and that’s a big part of my online presence. I have a photoshoot on Friday and thousands of pictures. I like to work with brands and share the influencer deals with fans on instagram.

What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
Stalkers. They are very annoying and they deliberately lie about everything in my life, including my name to random people offline. Online, they’ll go down my follower list and lie to people.

It is bogus and they don’t make anything, but if they spent the time on themselves then maybe they could. The stalkers in my apartment complex attacked me with a weapon and they caught a case with the municipal court, but they are still yelling lies out the window.

If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be?
I don’t think there is any equality at all with the corporate monopoly and federal funding is a disproportionately serving corporate slush fund for award show circle jerks, so it has never served indie artists at all that do our songwriting and arrangement. There doesn’t seem to be a pipeline from artistry to corporate wasteland anymore and most of them are buying the entire track, so it’s often a disappointment to listen to.

Why did you choose this as the title of this project?
Dirty Blonde is partially about the experience of being a carefree blonde, which also includes being stalked like on the song “Itty Bitty” which alludes to the risk of being stalked at home or a relationship gone wrong because of a possessive ex. Crime stats show the prevalence of blondes being stalked is higher and I didn’t realize this growing up but I learned later from crime shows.

I wrote Itty Bitty before moving to a new apartment complex, where I was stalked again and it was much worse with people trying to sneak inside my place at 3am on multiple occasions, so I must have foreseen this while writing the lyrics. Being blonde is fun but it can also come with additional risk of violence so you have to be careful and lock the doors.

What are your plans for the coming months?
After being stalked again, I am planning to move. I have a performance at Package Menswear on March 14th which is an underwear store so it will be sexy.

Do you have any artistic collaboration plans
Yeah, I’m still working out details and making demos. Dazmin D’leon is working with me on a few tracks. I’ve also gotten in touch with Tying Tiffany and C+C Music Factory through instagram so we will likely collab too. I listened to both of them growing up and am stoked about the possibility of us making collabs together now that they have expressed interest.

What message would you like to give to your fans?
You can make a lot of content on the cheap and do it on your own. The corporate scene has little integrity and that’s why I don’t feel like any of them are real competition in songwriting, because most can’t write. I’m dropping new books on Amazon and you can check out the channel for my latest show in Hollywood at The Viper Room and dope music vids on Youtube