Said The Sky, also known as Trevor Christensen, is an electronic-pop artist and producer from Denver, Colorado.
Over the span of his music career, Christensen has developed his sound, introducing Said the Sky in 2014. Hits "Rush Over Me" and "All I Got" explore new soundscapes and redefine electronic, pop, and pop-punk music. His collaborations with ILLENIUM, Olivver the Kid, Seven Lions, and various other talents demonstrate his versatility and skill as both an artist and a producer.
Christensen continues to push genre boundaries with his latest single, "Treading Water." The single is a masterfully crafted coalescence of acoustic guitar, synth, and heartbreak. Evocative melodies–both vocal and instrumental–are highlighted by dynamic builds and electronic beat drops, and the song's lyrical content is relatable, yet fresh.
The official music video for "Treading Water" is a direct continuation of the video for "We Know Who We Are," in which a newly formed couple explore Los Angeles. In Christensen's newest video ("Treading Water"), the same couple walks the fine line between passion and pain. The visualizer captures the melancholy energy of the song perfectly, and compliments Christensen's other work in a number of ways.
We spoke with Trevor Christensen about his influences, songwriting and recording processes, new music, and more. Read the full interview below and check out "Treading Water." Let us know what you think.
At what age did you start playing music? What instrument(s)? I started playing piano around 8 years old–in second grade. My mom put me in lessons, so I didn’t really have a choice at the time.
How did you first get into electronic music? A buddy of mine started introducing me to house and techno in middle school. I think Sasha and Digweed were probably some of the first electronic artists I heard. How did you come up with the name ‘Said The Sky’? I was lying on the roof of a car, staring up at the sky and had a random thought: “what would it sound like if the sky made sounds?” I just took that thought and ran with it, and it gave me a lot of direction at the time as an artist too.
How would you describe your sound? My sound is constantly evolving, but I think that some common characteristics that have come through in my music have been “uplifting,” and a general feeling of “soaring.” I like sounds that make you feel like floating.
Who are your biggest musical influences? There are too many to name them all, and they’ve constantly changed over the years, but at the moment I think my biggest influences musically are all of my best friends that are around me. Nick (ILLENIUM), Bryan (Olivver The Kid), Dabin, William Black… They’re all doing amazing things and pushing me to look forward and create new and exciting things.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about you? One of my favorite things in life is teaching and helping others learn. I love when friends come to me asking for help with music–or with anything for that matter. Music is just where I trust myself the most and feel the most confident in giving others advice.
Tell us about your latest single, “Treading Water.” Who or what inspired it? It all started from a demo I got from Jake Torrey. When I first heard the vocals, everything about it felt perfect. It took me a while to dive in and feel like I had something to add, because the demo was already so nice, and I didn’t want to take away from any of it. I wanted to make sure that whatever I added would compliment what was already there.
What are your songwriting and recording processes like? They're different for every song... Sometimes I’ll start something from scratch with a vocalist or writer in the room, and other times I get sent a demo from a songwriter ("Treading Water," for example). If I’m alone, I work best when I already have an idea floating around in my head to work toward. If I’m with somebody else, I really enjoy finding the perfect 50/50 balance of letting them do what they love and what makes them excited, while incorporating ideas that come to me. I don't want to take a back seat in the session or feel like I'm controlling the whole project too much.
What was the most challenging part of creating “Treading Water?” The demo I was sent was so perfect that I was scared of ruining it. This happens from time to time, but I’m slowly learning that as long as you trust your gut and do what really feels right to you, the outcome will be something special.
Share about the single’s music video and its connection to the video for “We Know Who We Are.” Treading Water is a continuation of "We Know Who We Are." I could explain the storyline and where it's left off, but I think I’d rather leave that to the viewer to figure out!
What’s next for Said The Sky?
There are a lot of very exciting things coming up that I (unfortunately) can’t talk about. To put it generally, there will be more shows and more music!