Cole Sage is an emerging artist making waves in the music world since discovering his passion for guitar and songwriting during the early days of the pandemic. With a love for music theory and a talent for translating emotions into melody, Cole has been crafting songs that deeply connect with his audience.
In this interview, Cole dives into his journey as a musician, the excitement of exploring his sound, and the challenges of building a career in music. From his creative inspirations and collaborations to his upcoming projects, Cole offers an honest and insightful look into his artistic process. He also shares highlights from his recent tour and the invaluable lessons that have shaped his path.
Q: How are you?
A: I’m doing well, how are you?
Q: How long have you been playing guitar?
A: I’ve been playing guitar for about five years now. I started learning at the beginning of COVID. What ended up happening was I really got into music theory. I’ve always been musically inclined, but I never thought I could play an instrument or write music. Once I delved into music theory, I started writing a little bit and realized I could make songs and knew how I wanted them to sound.
Since then, it’s been a process of finding my sound. I’m still working on it. I don’t even know if my next release will sound anything like my last one. I’ve wanted to release something for the past year but kept finding excuses not to. Finally, I just decided to do it, and now it feels like a snowball effect.
Q: How has it been touring with your girlfriend, Kenzie?
A: It’s been really fun and such a good experience. I’ve gotten an idea of what life on the road might look like for me if that happens in the future. Her band and team have been amazing—they’ve given me great advice, and I’ve tried to help out where I can to get a feel for the tour life.
It’s definitely worth it, even if living out of bags isn’t the most glamorous thing.
Q: Do you have a favorite memory from touring?
A: Definitely Halloween in New Orleans. That was one of the craziest and most fun nights of my life.
Q: Can you tell us about the inspiration for your recent song?
A: It’s about my current relationship. It’s funny because my girlfriend has a song in a similar realm that she wrote around the same time. When we met, she had just come out of a three-year relationship, and I had been out of a year-long relationship for a few months. I was ready to move on, but she wasn’t looking for anything serious.
The song is essentially about the right person at the wrong time, and waiting for the right moment. Ironically, we met around Halloween and started dating a month later, so the “wait” wasn’t that long.
Q: How did you meet your producer, Adam Henderson?
A: Through mutual friends. I met Adam Henderson through my friend Vinny, who he lived with. He’s been a huge inspiration because he’s an amazing guitar player and a self-taught producer. He can play just about every instrument now and is such a well-rounded musician.
He’s also one of my best friends, so there’s zero pressure when working with him. That makes it so much easier to collaborate. We’ve been friends for a few years, and when we started working together, a beautiful song blossomed from it.
Q: What’s something he added to the track that surprised you?
A: There’s a lead guitar in the second chorus that’s really bubbly and ambient, and he came up with that. The bridge was another surprise. I had recorded it acoustically with no drums, but when he sent it back, he’d added distorted guitar and drums. I wasn’t expecting it, and it blew me away.
Q: Any plans for tattoos from your travels?
A: We’ve talked about getting tattoos so many times! Every time we see a tattoo shop, we say, “What if we get tattoos?” My girlfriend and I want to get matching ones, though I know that’s a risk in a relationship. But I wouldn’t get her name or anything like that—that’s where I draw the line.
There are so many places I’ve visited where I’ve wanted to get a tattoo to commemorate the memories, but we haven’t had the time yet.
Q: If you could set up a dream creative space, what would it look like?
A: Definitely a 70s-style house with warm lighting—like the Laurel Canyon homes in LA. My home studio is already kind of like that. It’s painted orange with an orange sunset lamp and purple-orange lighting.
That warm, cozy vibe helps me creatively, and it’s reflected in my music. Even my album art has that orange hue. It’s become my color scheme, though I never articulated it until now—it’s just something I’ve done subconsciously.
Q: What’s next for your music?
A: I have a lot of singles planned for my solo project, and potentially an EP. I’ve also been working on another project—a shoegaze band. It’s still unnamed, but there are three of us, and we’re planning to get things rolling in early 2025. So ideally, there will be double the music coming out.
Q: Do you have any advice or a quote that inspires you?
A: My dad once said, “A goal without a plan is just a dream.” It wasn’t his original quote, but it really stuck with me. He said it when I was unsure about starting my band project and releasing my first single.
It motivated me to start planning and take those first steps. Without a plan, it’s just a dream, but with a plan, you can make it happen.
