Sagan

I've been hearing a bit of commotion about Sagan, the solo alternative dance project from the artist of the same name. Catching on pretty well with a decent audience, and striving to attain nothing but perfection, as well as trying to maintain a healthy relationship with her fans, I got the time to have a nice little chit-chat about not only her history with music, but also her forthcoming EP.

Hello and welcome to the site! Let's start off with the basics and get a little bit of an introduction from you. What's your project and what are your goals with it?

Sagan - "Thank you for having me here. Well, I am in a self-titled project that comprises many styles of music including alternative dance, new wave, synth pop and elements of trance. I am really into the sound that was once big in the 80s new wave scene, so you will hear that as an influence, as well as some 90s alternative mixed in with more modern sounds. My main goal is to give people a reason to go out and dance - I notice that's not happening much anymore. People are bored. I want to breathe fresh air into music."

And, regarding your background as a musician, when was it that you first got inspired to get near a synthesizer and create music?

Sagan - "I have been playing music ever since I was a child; keyboard and guitar were my first instruments and vocals were always a part of my life - whether it be recitals or chorus growing up. I was in a couple of bands throughout the years, different genres, one of which was punk. I am convinced that music is encoded in my DNA so it wasn't so much inspiration as it was destiny."

Did you have any major influences from other musicians to create your own art? Or, were you inspired by other individuals? Artists? Friends? Family?

Sagan - "My father and grandfather were musicians, so again, I think it's genetic. But yeah, my first real dose of music was alternative and new wave from the 80s and 90s. I fell in love with The Cure at a young age and had pictures of Robert Smith plastered all over my walls. I have always loved anything with a good groove so, if it got me moving, then I wanted to hear it all of the time. Some of my major influences are very eclectic and include Depeche Mode, Cyndi Lauper, The Prodigy, Peter Gabriel, and even Type O Negative and Danzig believe it or not. I also listen to my fair share of hardcore and punk; I think it has a bit of influence on me as a musician."

And when did you really sit down and decide that you wanted to make music for a career? Did you have any second doubts, or was it just something straightforward from the get-go?

Sagan - "I decided to make it a career after I left university. I was always in some sort of a music project but I kind of knew none of them were very serious. I was majoring in biology and as much as I loved my work, both in academia and in the laboratory, I felt like I was in the wrong place. Science is very important to me but music trumps it. I just could not see myself doing the typical, status quo 9 to 5 lifestyle; it was stifling to me. Once my music started to head in the right direction, I decided to go for it, all or nothing. No second doubts, music sustains me and I will worry about settling the score with science later when I am old."

Did you start off solo? Or did you have a lot of help in the beginning before getting into your own style of mixing and creating music?

Sagan - "I had some track ideas that I was working on but then I met up with Brendin Ross and he and I started to collaborate, which made it great because he has a formal education in music; he taught me a lot of what I now know in terms of working on a DAW, and he sat through my billions of questions and answered them for me. I needed a professional producer to help me with my vision, and the combination of our creativity really started to bring out a new feel to the idea, and pushed boundaries for both of us as musicians."

When did you start to get noticed within the music scene? At least, more than nothing at the beginning?

Sagan - "It's interesting because the first couple of songs that we were working on were mislabeled as EDM. I mean, at the time, there were more progressive house and dubstep elements in the project so it seemed natural that we would attract people interested in that genre. It was electronic, it made people dance and it was music, so that acronym seemed to make sense. We slowly started to realize that it was not a good fit and as the music evolved and we were no longer experimenting, it took on a darker feel, which was innate and came of no surprise. I started getting noticed at that time, but people were mistaking me for a DJ. I have never been a DJ in my life and it got really confusing, especially when trying to book shows. Everyone wanted to put my vocals in their mixes but it was hard to be appreciated as an electronic act in that scene. So we relabeled as alternative dance and it just started to take off in a new direction. I still receive a lot of love from the EDM fans and they have been with me all of the way, but it's been great to meet so many people who are interested in other genres as well."

You've also teamed up with Brendin Ross of Bile and Frontal Boundary to get more of a stage show out to the audience. Where did you two meet and when did you decide to partner up?

Sagan - "Yeah, to reiterate, we started working together and it has been a very positive experience. On one hand, we think a lot alike creatively, we have many similar musical interests. But on the other hand, our backgrounds are somewhat different so it brings an amazing dynamic to the table. We met while he was in NYC playing the Triton festival and we really hit it off; I do not recall ever getting along with someone as well as I do with him, so for music, you could say it was in the stars, it is definitely a universal interconnection. The fact that we are able to do stage shows on the same bill is incidental yet extremely convenient, because it is easier to tour together. We are lucky that many venues do not mind booking both of our projects, Sagan and Frontal Boundary, together considering the styles are nothing alike, but it is not always that way. There will be venues that just want to book me as Sagan, without Frontal Boundary and vice versa."

What are you bringing to the alternative dance table that you think no one's really seen before?

Sagan - "I do not think I am conventional in terms of my image and sound. While I am revamping some older sounds and mixing them with a more modern flair, I do not know of many artists to whom I can be compared to completely. While there will naturally be elements of my influences that come out every now and again, I do not think I can be pinned down as sounding like this person, or looking like that person. I have always marched to the beat of my own drum and have never tried to fit in. With that, I think you will find that I am just doing my own thing and not paying attention to what is cool or in. I am just me, no rules; that could be considered new."

So far, you've released two singles for purchase via Bandcamp. Have you had much reception from those two tracks so far? And, if you have, has it been good or bad?

Sagan - "I have had the most positive experience with the singles that I have released thus far. I expected critics to come out and point out all of my flaws, especially on the internet, but that has not been the case. People have been so wonderful and accepting. My music is not perfect but I am constantly evolving to ensure the sound is the best that it can be. The majority of my followers have been so supportive, more so than I could ever have imagined. I have only played a handful of live shows and the energy was intoxicating. I was beyond flattered when I received encores. It is scary going up there and playing a show with a new project - you absolutely have no idea how the crowd will react and I was so elated when I was met with acceptance and praise. And all of the people were dancing!! It made me realize that I had made the right choice to make music my career."

Aside from those two singles, do you have any other music out there that fans can dive right on into?

Sagan - "Yes, actually, there are several more songs available on reverberation (www.revernation.com/saganofficial)."

I also saw that you're trying to get your first EP released sometime soon. Can you spill any details on that? Title, tracks, or even a relative release window?

Sagan - "The songs that have been released publicly are not the official releases. We wanted to have something to give to people so they could hear what we were working on. The actual EP will have a few more songs and is in the mixing and mastering phase at the moment, so there is not an official release date set. The one song on the EP 'Autonomous' is quite anthemic and the lyrics are very powerful. I think if people stop to really listen to what I am saying, it will resonate with them. I had been reading the news, something I try to avoid, and I was extremely irritated at the state the world is currently in: the poverty, the injustice, the frustration, etc. It was all too much and so I decided at that moment that I would write lyrics to a song that we had been working on. Not all of the songs are as heavy, 'Ship of Love,' for instance, is more lighthearted in nature, despite telling a story about the angst of love. Also, 'Starshine,' my debut single, which has been accepted for play on Pandora Radio will sound a bit different on the EP as we revisited the original track and reworked it."

And what's in store for us after the first EP? Do you plan on releasing more singles, another EP or two, or do you really want to slam out a full length release?

Sagan - "There are all kinds of surprises up our sleeve so you will just have to stay tuned and see what happens. One thing you can be sure of is that there will be a lot more music and the evolution will continue."

And, are you going to be play a few gigs for to support the EP? Or are you planning on having a planned out tour?

Sagan - "Yes, we have a short, west coast, US tour happening soon. I have been keeping everyone updated via an event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/749592908433014/) As I receive links to the respective events, I add them to the page to make it easier for everyone."

As far as any other news is concerned, is there anything else that you'd want to get out as an announcement?

Sagan - "I will have limited edition copies of my single 'In Between' available at my upcoming shows so if people are interested in scoring one, they can find me at the merch table, grab a copy and say hello. My favorite part of this musical endeavor is meeting all of the people from different cities. I love to chat and hear about what everyone is doing musically, or with other interests."

And, finally, this is where the interview ends. I would love to thank you for your time, and you are free to leave off any final messages here.

Sagan - "I appreciate the opportunity to meet with you, so thank you and I wanted to thank everyone who is supporting my project. You can visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/saganofficialfanpage and https://twitter.com/saganofficial"