Orion Sun’s Album Is Coming Sooner Than You Think

There aren’t many artists who would leave the stage mid-performance to go hug a fan in the crowd. But on Saturday afternoon at Outside Lands in San Francisco, Orion Sun did just that.

“I love having that connection,” she tells ELLE.com backstage from her dressing room. “I’m pretty distant online so it means more to me when I’m actually face-to-face with people and get to have these moments. And that’s where the ‘sun’ part of my name comes from. I’m at a distance, but close enough that you can still feel the warmth.”

Born Tiffany Majette, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter has been on a steady rise since she began releasing music six years ago. In 2017, she released a slew of singles, like “Sweetest Thing” and “S T R E T C H,” before dropping two back-to-pack projects in 2020—her mixtape A Collection of Fleeting Moments and Daydreams in January and debut album Hold Space For Me in March. Both releases spawned hit songs like “Antidote,” “Mirage,” and “Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me).” And last year, she released an EP titled Getaway.

Recently, she’s been tinkering away and recording new music for her upcoming sophomore album and fans at the festival got an early taste. In the middle of her set, she played a demo song titled “Nights Like This,” which will make an appearance on the track list. As for that release date, it’s sooner than you think. “Lord willing, it’ll be out spring of next year,” she says. “I just have to be careful because I don’t wanna take too long. I wanna keep the momentum up.”

Here, Orion Sun breaks down her Outside Lands performance, new music, and her plans for the rest of the year.

You started off the show by telling the audience that you were really nervous. Was that because it was your first time at Outside Lands or just a performance thing in general?

I think it’s a combination of both. I’m usually just so nervous in general. I started making music just on some therapy shit, so this is a dream come true. I think I’m just waiting for all of this to feel normal. Before every show, my whole body sweats from every part and the tips of my fingers get cold and numb. But then as soon as I walk out and do a song I’m like, “This is where I belong.”

I noticed that you walked out with your journal in your hand. Why’d you decide to bring it onstage with you?

That’s my baby. I was a writer first and started off writing a lot of poetry. Then, over time, it became something I did for my mental health. It just became an all-in-one thing. Then when I started doing music and performing, it was where I kept my setlist and notes. So I would play a show and then have notes beforehand describing how I was feeling, details about the venue, and how I was treated there. And then the aftershow notes were like, “Oh, the crowd was good. They liked when I did this and that.” So it became a fun little analysis thing for me. And now, it’s a comfort thing. I just feel at home when I have it with me.

How have you evolved as an artist over the years?

I think I’ve grown a lot in terms of how far I want to take my artistry. I admire artists like Andre 3000 and Sade. It’s not about the money for me. It’s not about anything for me. I really don’t give a shit, but I do, unfortunately, care if it will be received well. For so long, I made music for fun. Like, “Who cares if it has a hook? Who cares if I don’t sing a second verse on it?” And even down to how I dress, even though I’m androgynous or whatever, I still have to worry about how I look. So it does become annoying when I see myself being limited from certain opportunities because I don’t fit something exactly. I have to maneuver that without losing myself. And that ultimately trickles down into the art and what I want to sing about and how I want to be remembered. [Fame] comes with a lot. And then you see people like Doja [Cat] and it’s like, “How does someone get to that point?” Because she wasn’t like that all the time. So it really makes me walk gently and really take my time and make sure that this is the trajectory that I want. It’s not exactly what it looks like in my head yet, but we’re gonna get there.

You’re set to go on tour with Daniel Caesar this fall. Are you going to have a similar set like the one today or do you wanna switch some things up?

I’m gonna switch some stuff up. For festivals, I was thinking that the chances of people knowing my catalog is very slim, so I wanted to give a broad sense of my music. But for Daniel, I want to incorporate, not necessarily deep cuts, but for example, we did a really cool rendition of my song “Mirage” and it sounds really dope live. So those kinds of elements are gonna be more in the Daniel shows.

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While you were onstage here, you mentioned that you were working on your new album and previewed a demo song. For the fans who didn’t get to hear it live, how would you describe it?

Hold Space For Me was about falling in love and this project is about coming out of that and processing the fact that it didn’t work out. I’ve gone through breakups before, but with this one, I now understand every sad song ever. And the crazy part is that you actually believe you might not ever feel anything else other than that. So I was delving into that a little bit and I was like, “I refuse to stay in this [feeling], so I must write about it.” But it was hard. I think “Nights Like This” came from just waving that white flag. Like, “Honestly, I miss you so much and you’re not even here to hear this.” In my head, I was just like, “I wanna play this song in my boxers with my little socks like I’m in some cheesy movie sliding across the floor.” It’s one of those songs where you can just sing it at the top of your lungs. You miss someone, but in retrospect, it was good that it ended. I think honoring those feelings is important. I picture someone listening to it with a nightcap vibe. Like, “Don’t tell anyone, but I miss you the most.”

In addition to polishing up your sophomore album and hitting the road, what else are you up to for the remainder of the year?

Outside of spending time with some family and friends, I think I wanna start throwing some parties. I have these mixtapes and I put ’em out on the same day every year. This will be the sixth one on November 25th and it’s like a benchmark of what I’ve been through throughout the year. But, also, it’s to see if my skills have improved. So I figured I would only do seven tapes and I want to transition this “test” philosophy elsewhere in party form. So it’d be really cool to throw parties in L.A., Atlanta, New York, Chicago, and maybe Montreal in November or December for when the mixtape comes out. I love DJing and bringing people together even if I’m not performing. So keep a lookout for that.

This interview has been edited and condensed.