Paul Sanchez

This month we are spotlighting Paul Sanchez, who is now an alum of our annual Music for Mental Health Benefit Concert series, thanks to his performance at this year’s 2019 concert! Read on to learn more about Paul.

How would you describe your music in three words?

New Orleans singer-songwriter.

Speaking of musical descriptions, what’s the earliest musical experience you can remember that made you think, “I want to do that”?

Paul McCartney playing “Yesterday” on the Ed Sullivan Show.

As a lifelong professional songwriter, you’ve spent your career using music as a platform to connect with others. How has your music been shaped through the years in reflection of these connections?

My music has changed from that of a poor boy from New Orleans, who had only seen his neighborhood, to a man that has seen the world.

Allen Toussaint once stated, “Music is everything to me short of breathing. Musical also had a role to lift you up – not to be escapist, but to take you out of misery.” With that said, how has music gotten you through hard times in your life?

My songs are musical postcards from who I was, to who I am. They are the stories of my lives, losses, and triumphs. Without the songs, I would have survived little of it, and remembered even less.

What is a message you hope others receive through your music?

To embrace the laughter and the tears equally because they are the stuff of life.

In addition to music as a cathartic measure, what other coping tools do you use to care for your mental health?

Daily meditation, and monthly therapy.

Last question: you’re singing karaoke on an off-night – what’s your go-to song?

I’m too neurotic to sing karaoke. 😊

Paul Sanchez is a New Orleans-based songwriter, performer, and multi-instrumentalist who is renowned for his work as a solo artist, with the band Cowboy Mouth, and as a songwriter for such artists as Darius Rucker, John Boutte, and Irma Thomas. To listen and learn more about Paul, check out the links below.

Official Website: http://www.paulsanchez.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulsanchezneworleanssongwriter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulsanchezmusic/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7LyUfXLMC91n6mQHgCiXq5
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe4ZoW2i__SMNyee1UEKc_w

All photos by Camille Lenain for the Brett Thomas Doussan (BTD) Foundation.