New York-based singer-songwriter, actor, model, and dancer Aaron Sand shares his most personal and earth-shattering single to date, entitled "Still Here (For Dad)."
You never know what to expect from Aaron Sand. The 22-year-old recording artist is a one-of-a-kind talent who spans genres like pop, rock, and alternative. He brings much-needed originality to the music scene through his distinct voice, meaningful lyrics, and symbolic artistry.
With the release of his breathtaking new single, "Still Here (For Dad)," Aaron Sand showcases a more personal and vulnerable side of himself. The song is a tribute to his late father, whom he lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 20-odd years later, Aaron Sand's voice still quakes at the memories of that horrid day that changed his life forever.
Sand mentioned how he intended to donate 50% of the song's proceeds to the 9/11 Tribute Center, which was hanging on by a thread and nearing closure. Now that it's closed, Sand will donate 50% of the song's proceeds to help them reopen.
Elaborating on the personal new single, "Still Here (For Dad)," the experience begins with gentle and calming piano melodies alongside haunting strings that linger in the background. Right off the bat, we can hear the aching emotion Aaron Sand carries through his quaking vocals that recount such terrible memories of the day that started out just like any other.
Moving through the song, the background strings start to expand to create a deeply cinematic and compelling listening experience. This is by far one of the rawest and most vulnerable songs we've ever experienced from an independent act; Aaron Sand's lyrics move mountains as he aims to make his father proud while hoping that he's smiling down from the heavens above.
When you want to experience pure unbridled emotion like you never have before, hit play on Aaron Sand's bone-chilling new single, "Still Here (For Dad)," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Aaron Sand. You've truly moved us with your raw emotion and vulnerable lyrics in your new single, 'Still Here (For Dad)." Why did you decide to create this single now and not earlier? What inspired you to do so?
It just came to me, really. I had been wanting to write a song for my dad for a while, but I was struggling… it wasn’t until I took a break from trying that I had it. I was in bed thinking about my dad after a long day, and I fell asleep sad and missing him… then I woke up around like 2 or 3 in the morning, opened my audio notes, and started singing it while crying… it really just came to me. It was one of those moments where you sorta just pop up suddenly from sleeping with the lyrics in your head and start jotting it down. I got started on it, and as soon as I recorded what I had in my head in my audio notes… the rest just naturally flowed out of me. It took me like 10 minutes to write (minus the extra couple of minutes it took to re-record it a few times in order to have it sound good due to my crying.)
How long was "Still Here (For Dad)" in the making? How long did it take for you to create, write, record, and rework the single?
I wrote it in late December, and I went into the studio to record it professionally in June. The writing process was done via audio notes, as I already had a tune in my head with the lyrics. It took like 10 minutes to get it all down in my voice memos app. As for the studio session… it took a bit longer as it wasn’t just vocals. RJ Pasin (producer) and I had to work together to create the track. It was very important to me that we had piano and strings, and I had a very specific idea in my head of how I wanted the track to sound. RJ was absolutely amazing. He completely understood what I was going for and helped me to bring my vision to life. It was one of those situations where we just clicked. He just knew exactly what I wanted, and he helped me to make sure everything was perfect. Once the track was ready, I got in the booth and recorded the vocals. I did a few takes to make sure I had everything down the way I wanted… it was important that it was raw and that it really captured the emotion… but obviously, I wanna sound good too. So I did a couple takes to make sure I got it all down right. After that, we did a bit more work on the track and made sure everything was perfect. All this typically takes a lot of time. However, I believe it took about an hour or two to do everything, if I remember correctly (which is extremely impressive considering most people take much longer in the studio when recording a song.)
What was the most challenging aspect of creating "Still Here (For Dad)?" Did you run into any emotional obstacles along the way?
The most challenging aspect was definitely sounding good while crying. This is a song that is near impossible for me to sing without crying, and there’s a part in the song where I belt and get higher as well… so naturally, I was struggling a bit there. After multiple takes of that part, we managed to get one where I was slightly pitchy, but it still sounded okay. It was good enough. We added a tiny bit of pitch correction, and we were set. I’ll definitely be switching up how I sing that in live performances so as not to embarrass myself. Long story short: I can barely sing this without crying, and that definitely made for a bit of difficulty. However, I also think it added to the song, as it made gave the track more rawness and emotion.
Do you usually create ultra-personal and emotional songs like "Still Here (For Dad)?" Or would you say this is the most personal single of yours to date?
All of my songs are extremely personal. However, this one is definitely the most personal. This song takes the cake for sure. I don’t think I’ve ever written a song that was just as personal and deep as this one is.
What's next for you?
I’m currently working on my second album, although I make no promises as to when it will be done, as funding it is expensive as hell. I’m gonna do my best to book some more live shows. I’m hoping to eventually go on tour or join a tour (preferably both.) I’m looking into signing with new management. I’m not sure if I’m going to sign with anyone at the moment, but I’m in talks regarding it. And I’m in talks to potentially walk in fashion week (although don’t get your hopes up as nothing is confirmed yet.) I’m simply being considered right now.