Sweety High had the opportunity to sit down and speak with singer-songwriter Steinza ahead of his headlining show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Playing at this iconic venue is something that many artists can only dream of, but it is a true testament to Steinza’s craft.
Only the second stop of his Steinza Was Here tour, the artist put on a masterclass in deep storytelling through song. Steinza is an artist who truly connects with his fans, not only through his music but as a person. There were moments throughout the show where he recognized fans in the audience, and of course, moments where he did his signature “SIP” chant while drinking water.
In this interview, we chat about the tour, what his music means to him and his fans and the legacy he hopes to leave behind. If you have a chance to catch one of his shows, we highly recommend attending.
Maybe bring some tissues, just in case.
Sweety High: You’re about to take the stage at the Troubadour, this iconic venue in L.A.. How do you feel? How do you feel knowing that, you know, so many other greats have graced this venue?
Steinza: Oh, man, I feel lucky, and I feel blessed. It definitely feels super full circle. You grow up and you hear about people playing this room and about people attending shows in this room, seeing artists for the first time. I don’t know that I’ve even really processed it yet. The show hasn’t happened, but it feels awesome.
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SH: Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Steinza I always vocal warm up. I usually brain-rot. I like to be horizontal. Sometimes I’ll hit a little yoga. A little downward dog, perhaps. I like to go on a walk, too. But one thing is, I feel super time-anxious before the show. Like, right now I don’t even know what time it is—5:48. And I feel like I have 15 minutes ’til the show starts. We have four hours. So then I just sit around so I don’t miss anything. But for this tour, I want to be better about going on a little side quest before the show. Because the thing too, is that pre-show minutes are like longer than microwave minutes. They’re in the realm of treadmill minutes. You know what I’m saying? No, like, super ritualistic ritual, though.
(Photo credit: Maddy Myer)
SH: A lot of your songs are deeply personal. What’s it like to write a song about someone from your past? Do you ever wonder if they know it’s about them, or ask yourself, what if I run into them on the street and they know?
Steinza: I think that this is a nuanced question. I’d never feel shy to write about my experiences. And I think that the people who have a place in my life understand the functionality of that for me, because I write songs as somebody would journal. There are so many songs, too, that I never show anybody, that I just write for me. That’s why I started writing in the first place. At the same time, there are some songs—”Taste the Dirt” is a good example—that maybe are a bit more pointed. But for the most part, if I’m writing, I do think that there’s an art to expressing within the boundary of remaining respectful towards people. Because I’m not trying to s*** on people. But I am trying to express purely and unapologetically. As for running into people that a song is about, I feel like if they’ve reached the point in my personal life where there would be a song about them, then they would already know what’s up.
SH: Is there a song on tonight’s set that you’re especially excited for for the crowd to hear live?
Steinza: Oh, yeah. We’ve been having a lot of fun playing “Work of God,” because it’s a rare, happy song for me. Also, “Roots” is still just my favorite song to play, I think, just because it’s like the pocket of that song is just fun to be in. It’s a fun little world to exist in.
SH: For somebody that might be seeing you for the first time tonight, what do you kind of hope they walk away with?
Steinza: I hope they walk away feeling part of a community. I think that’s the most beautiful thing about being an artist and being privileged to tour. And it’s a beautiful thing for me too, selfishly. Like the first time I did a headline tour, it was the first time I ever saw the people who listened to my music. You would get people coming to opening sets. A handful here and there, but to see a room full of people that all share common ground, it’s just cool. I’ve seen people get married, from meeting at my shows, and I’ve seen friendships form, and it’s just cool. So I would hope people walk away feeling a part of something. And at the same time, too, separately, I’ve noticed my shows for some people can be kind of cathartic. A lot of the music is pretty emotional and, I think it means a lot for people to hear specific songs that they relate to or that they feel seen by.
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SH: What is a lyric that you’ve written that hits different every time you perform it?
Steinza: Hmm. I’m scanning all the lyrics. “We’re all gonna die in the end, so we make little plans ’cause it helps us to make believe.” A little existential, but I don’t know. I have this mantra in my life. Years ago, I was really pinned down by the idea that everything is meaningless and everything will die and disappear and turn to dust and like the impermanence of everything, if that’s a word. On the contrary, the idea that we don’t really know what’s gonna happen ever. Like, we woke up this morning with an idea of what would happen today. I think that lyric speaks to that. Do you know the meme of it’s like a cartoon, and it’s two guys sitting on a bus, and one of them is looking out the sunny window, and the other the gloomy window. That, but for both of them, it says “Everything is meaningless.” Somebody’s really sad about that idea, and somebody’s really happy about that idea. And I think that writing that and realizing that with me, like, transitioning to the happy side of that meme, if that makes any sense at all. We’re just playing some songs and gaining community, and it’s gonna be a great night, and I have no idea what’s gonna happen, but I trust that it will be cool.
SH: If any one of your songs could be a movie soundtrack, which song and which movie?
Steinza: I’m gonna go “Shivers” in The Notebook. With the front half of it, the part where she’s salty because she thinks that he’s not f***ing with her, but really it’s her parents the whole time.
(Photo credit: Maddy Myer)
SH: Are there any songs that you’ve had on repeat a lot this year, or any favorites that you’ve been listening to recently?
Steinza: I’ve been listening to a bunch of Leif Vollebekk. The album New Ways. I’ve been bumping a bunch of Radiohead, going back to OK Computer a bunch. I think if I were to talk about the last year-ish, there’s this album called I Heard That Noise by Quickly, Quickly. It’s just like alternative, whatever that word means in 2026. Really talented producer, songwriter, and creative mind, and it’s just super inspiring.
SH: Who is an artist you love that people wouldn’t expect you to love? Going off that, do you ever hope to collaborate with them one day?
Steinza: Uh, they’re not alive. An artist I love that people are not expecting love is probably Juice WRLD. I also love a huge influence on my music is Stevie Wonder, which I don’t think comes through at all. But if I were to collaborate with a dream artist, it would be him, and he would sweep me under the table. I would be really stoked about it.
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SH: Your fans are really connected to the music that you produce. What’s kind of the most meaningful message a fan has shared with you, or anything that’s unforgettable from a fan interaction?
Steinza: My God, a crazy one just happened like two days ago. The last time I played in Seattle—or two times ago, I guess—I went up there and did a solo acoustic show. And in Seattle, I feel like there’s a bunch of fans of my music that have been around for a while. I recognize them by their Instagram handles, their faces. Afterwards, I was like, we should all go get pizza. And we hung out, probably like 20 of us. This girl was there, and long story short, her friend came to the Salt Lake show that just happened a couple of days ago, and she was like, yeah, she passed away. And I guess that they bonded over my music, if I’m understanding what she told me. And she was like, I came tonight to honor her. And that was heavy. That was very heavy. And then on the flip side of the spectrum, there’s a couple—I went to their wedding. I don’t remember if they met at one of my shows or if they met because of my music, or what, but they were going to Atlanta. I played Atlanta so many times, and they were coming to every show for years since I started. And yeah, she hit me up with a wedding invitation and was like, you’re a part of this. I went down to Alabama to their wedding.
(Photo credit: Maddy Myer)
SH: Is there anything else you want to add or mention either to the fans or just that you haven’t talked about yet today during our interview?
Steinza: I would like to say something I don’t think I’ve talked about, period, so I’m probably gonna stumble over it. But something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently is the importance of art, and what art is to humanity, which is this huge topic that obviously I can’t stand, but I think in 2026, there’s a lot of, for lack of a better word, threats to that. I think that we’re at risk of really watering down or cheapening art, whether that’s through compromise for views and money, or whether that’s through mediums like AI. I just think that art is a beautiful thing. Humans make art like birds make nests. We just do it. We express, and I think that the onus is on us, as creatives and as consumers of art, to support that and whatever that might look like. choosing where to consume music and how to consume music, or the way we treat art in other mediums, whether that’s film, painting or dancing. I just think that it’s really important to preserve and support. And so that would be my spiel for today. And thanks for having me.
It was an absolute pleasure to chat with Steinza. He’s a rare type of artist who is just as authentic and genuine as he is talented. We foresee bigger and better things in his future and can’t wait to see where his career goes next.
You can now listen to his Steinza’s first full album and first full album, Steinza Was Here!, below.
For more interviews with artists we love, click HERE to hear from Otlo on his new single, “Gameboy.”
