Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Christian Sparacio

We’re going all-in on Christian Sparacio. The Colby College football QB-turned-singer-songwriter spoke with us about transitioning from athletics to music and learning to express himself in a new way.

He’s taken all of his life experiences and channeled them into a new body of work, showing his growth as a man and as an artist.

Pop Culturalist caught up with Christian to chat about his new single, “Baby Blue,” why it’s important to bet on yourself, and what fans can expect from his upcoming EP.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Christian: I’ve had a desire to sing my entire life, but I didn’t open up to it until I was in high school. I joined the chorus during my junior year, and I realized I had a knack for it and that I could actually do it. I developed this confidence. I went to an artsy high school, so it allowed me to be surrounded by a lot of different artists and songwriters. It gave me a platform to explore, and I realized I loved it.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Christian: Oh wow. That’s so tough. Professionally, there are a lot of people musically that I idolize. I love John Mayer. I think he’s a great artist, and I love his music and his sound. I love Kings of Leon. I think that they’re awesome.

I played football my whole life, and that taught me to approach anything with a relentless attitude. I’ve learned by example from all the coaches and teammates I’ve had throughout the years. They’ve taught me how to be a professional musician and how to live a fulfilling life.

PC: You’ve got a new single out. Tell us about “Baby Blue” and the inspiration behind the song.
Christian: I wrote the intro about a year and a half ago. It was during a period of time where I had just graduated high school and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a full-time musician. I was coaching high school football, and I didn’t know where I was going. I literally had no idea. I felt like I was in this ethereal limbo. I was like a spirit floating around, and I didn’t know where to go, hence why there are long fluttering falsettos in the song.

Then a year and a half later, you let songs sit. I was listening to it again. I was like, “This is perfect! It identifies perfectly with how I am—and a lot of people are—feeling right now.” No one knows where the hell they’re going right now. It’s an unprecedented time in all of our lives because we don’t know when it’s going to end.

I’ve been spending a lot of time alone. I mention it in the song, but when the walls come down, I don’t want to be alone. I realize that I love having my friends, family, and loved ones around me. I think even when you’re surrounded by love, there’s a subconscious feeling like fear that you might be alone, which is scary.

PC: What did you learn about yourself as an artist and as a person when you transitioned from football to music?
Christian: These are great questions. I learned how to express myself. As a young kid, I was an emotionally driven person. I’m a romantic person, and I have a lot of feelings. I’ve never had an issue with feelings, but it was about having the emotional intelligence to recognize what I was feeling and how to communicate it with people properly.

Football was a great avenue for me because you can be emotional, but if it’s not controlled emotion, you’ll get hurt or you’ll hurt someone else. It was that structure that allowed me to control my emotions.

But when that goes away, you need something. I realized that music allowed me to connect with my feelings and express them in a way that is super coherent and honestly brings me internal peace and allows me to understand what other people are feeling too, which is important, because being cognizant of how people are feeling is what they deserve. You don’t want to be negligent with someone else’s feelings.

PC: Great answer. You’ve dropped a few singles up to this point. If you had to choose one that best encompasses you as an artist, what would it be and why?
Christian: That’s so tough. I feel like I’m changing so rapidly as an artist. I can’t release music fast enough to reflect my evolution. I’m not saying that I’m totally evolved, but there are nuances that are changing and being sifted.

I’d say it’s a combination between “Language of Silence” and “Baby Blue.” “Language of Silence” has an electronic vibe to it but in an experimental way. It’s simplistic, but it has a very, very folky melody to it. Then you have “Baby Blue,” which is singer-songwriter and folky. It has some experimental vocals in the background, like with the shouting and stuff. But for the most part, it’s pure indie folk in my opinion. I think a combination of those two is the exact direction that I’m going as an artist, and where I feel the most comfortable in.

PC: That’s the perfect segue. The music industry has evolved into a singles market. How does that change your approach to music?
Christian: That’s a great question. It’s constantly evolving. As an artist, you want to release as much music as possible. You have a full album, and each song is its own beautiful little story, but that’s not how people are consuming music. People’s attention spans aren’t that great.

So I’ve been adapting and releasing singles. We’re planning to release an EP, but that’s been postponed because of the pandemic. It’s still up in the air but hopefully by late summer. I have to adapt and try to thrive within the constructs of the current music industry, but it’s a little disappointing because I would like to put out a full album. But I know that no one’s going to listen to the whole thing, besides a few people.

PC: What can you tease about the EP?
Christian: It’s funny because we’re constantly pivoting. My managers and I are trying to figure out what the angle is. The plan is to release a few more singles. It’s all coming-of-age music because I feel like I’m at the precipice of finding myself. I guess in a way, everyone is.

It encompasses all that comes with coming of age. It’s reflecting on all those feelings of growth and realizing you have limited time and you want to make the most of it. You want to reflect, and you want to be nostalgic about the past and what you learned from it. It’s always good to look back into your memories and enjoy them. But in the end, you’ve got to keep moving forward because time isn’t waiting for you.

PC: Speaking of finding yourself and coming of age, what’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started your career?
Christian: So many things. Honestly, don’t overthink everything. I think one thing that I would tell myself at the beginning is don’t be nervous about being yourself. No one else deserves anything more than you do.

If you have a dream, whatever it may be, you should go all-in on yourself. Ten times out of ten, if you’re playing Texas hold ‘em and you look down at your hand and it’s Christian Sparacio or it’s Kevin or anyone, I’m betting all my money on myself because I deserve it just as much as the next guy. I’m not going to screw anyone over, but I’m going to work hard and do this.

I think at the beginning, I didn’t have the confidence to dive in headfirst because I was like, “I’m not like these other people that succeed.” One day, it snapped and I was like, “They’re doing what they love. I deserve that too, so I might as well try.”

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Christian: Healy

PC: First album you bought?
Christian: John Mayer’s Born and Raised

PC: First concert you attended?
Christian: *NSYNC at Madison Square Garden

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Christian: The Head and the Heart album. Everything comes together so smoothly. It taught me what an album is supposed to be like.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Christian: Red Rocks

PC: A must-have on the road?
Christian: Coffee

To keep up with Christian, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Pick up or stream “Baby Blue” today.

Photo Credit: David Ross Lawn