UP LATE WITH SEBASTIAN PORTILLO

Instagram: @sebastianportillo_

This week, Distorted Magazine got to sit down with singer/songwriter Sebastian Portillo. The 21-year-old is from Estero, Florida, and got into music at the young age of seven. He told us that his dad had a lot of guitars in the house growing up, and he tried to play with one one day and broke it. Shortly after, he began classes for only a few weeks before ultimately teaching himself from YouTube. 

When asked about his influences, he referenced John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Jimi Hendrix, and Carlos Santana, calling himself a big blues guy. As for his own style, he doesn’t like to define it, allowing the freedom to make simply “whatever I think sounds cool.” A dream collab of his would be with Khalid, as they have similar styles of singing. He also shared that he is from Colombia and Honduras, so he would like to do some songs in Spanish in the future.

He told us that he recently bought a new guitar with high hopes of playing live shows soon. He would love to eventually be able to tour and take care of his family from just music, and we see that he has the drive to make that reality. Right now, he is in college, working, and living a normal life. When talking to us, he emphasized the importance of putting in extra hours if you want something. 

He started dropping singles in 2020, with “2000 Degrees” as his first release. An EP is in the works with his producers Capi and Josiah Garrett of Sunday Morning Music. He walked into a booth for the first time a year ago not knowing what he was doing, and he credits them for teaching him how to sing and be comfortable in that space.

Our favorite song of his so far is Little Hickory, which was also his favorite to make. He came up with the melody in the middle of the night and brought it into the studio the next day. “The hook sounds strong because in the background there’s a take where we put the mic in the middle of the room and all screamed the hook into it. It was ridiculous, but it worked.” His hypnotizing voice combines beautifully with the creative instrumental to make an addicting song. As for now, his new single “Up Late” drops tonight at midnight EST on all streaming platforms.