San Sebastian – Imaginary Lover (2025)
With a soulful sassiness and mischievous charm, singer-songwriter San Sebastian saunters across fields of pop, collecting a magical, kaleidoscopic bouquet of sound. He first made his way to people’s ears in 2022 as one of the favourites on Swedish Idol – a pretty face with a powerful voice and confident stage presence. From then on, his journey didn’t end; it was only the beginning. He caught our eyes and ears in 2024 with his debut single, ‘Hear Me Out’. Today, we take a listen to his most recent release, ‘Imaginary Lover’.
While San Sebastian (also known as Sebastian Rydgren) began sharing music last year, or at least according to Spotify, he is regularly turning international heads with his music. Following the well-received ‘Madness’, the Swedish musician takes a step into the world of electronic pop with ‘Imaginary Lover’. Produced by Tobias Bergerwall, the single is ready-made for dance floors or those festivals where everyone is twirling about, lost in their own little worlds.
As a song of a fantastical relationship where all things are ideal, perfect, absolutely otherworldly amazing, ‘Imaginary Lover’ reminded me of Adam Rickett’s song ‘I Breathe Again’. Not that there is a great similarity in their voices – San Sebastian adopting a more soulful, higher tone – just that the overall vibe of ‘Imaginary Lover’ matches the breathiness and sassy sensuality of Rickett. A song of dreams, desire, yearning and love, ‘Imaginary Lover’ uses the upbeat arrangement to evoke a more intricate underbelly. San Sebastian explains:
“The song ‘Imaginary Lover’ is about fantasising about a relationship where everything is perfect and all dreams can come true. It’s about how your fantasies and dreams can create a make-believe world that makes you happy, safe and satisfied. Where nothing and no one can destroy or disturb your life. Even though you know it’s all a fantasy, you don’t want to meet the reality and let go of the satisfaction you experience by dreaming about your ‘Imaginary Lover’”
Not sincere, necessarily, but certainly offering heartfelt tenderness and sentimentality within the sonic bubble of enigmatic mystique, San Sabastian continues to keep our attention with ‘Imaginary Lover’. While I wait for more from this talented artist, I am content to have this song and his others on repeat.
Find out more about San Sebastian on his Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Soundcloud and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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