“phendste” (pronounced “Fend-STEE”) is deeply personal to Stephen Dranto, so much so that its name is composed of fragments of his own. But it didn’t start as a passion project, according to Dranto, who said he originally wanted a name under which he could demonstrate his capabilities to other producers, songwriters, and artists.
“I wanted to release a song a month in 2021,” said Dranto in an interview with The Stute. Originally, he noted, he hoped phendste would merely be a launching point for collaborations with other artists. “But quickly I realized that I couldn’t keep up with that pace. […] I knew that if I wanted to release music again, it had to mean something more.”
And so, phendste shifted to be something that Dranto would turn into wholly his own. “All the songs I’ve written and released have always been very close to my heart, and sometimes I’m really scared to release them. But there comes a time where that fear of judgment is overshadowed by the potential a song can have when others listen to it.”
Audiences responded to Dranto’s commitment to authenticity after the August 2022 release of his 7-track EP “under the rug,” for which he collaborated with Vadym Pastukh, Sam Sherwood, Diego Ignacio, and artist ZCO on select tracks. The EP’s second single, “i’d find you,” became phendste’s breakout hit, racking up over 2 million YouTube views and 4 million Spotify streams.
“I had taken a long break from sharing anything on social media and releasing music, kind of cutting off communication from the online world for a year,” said Dranto. “The first track on the EP sets the tone where I want to be more personal in my music, and talk about things that I would usually sweep ‘under the rug.’”
Such success and personal growth didn’t come without its challenges. As a single-member act, says Dranto, he has to worry about “promoting my own music, producing, songwriting, engineering […] On top of that it can feel really isolating doing these things. I have started to work more with others, trying to build a team around my strengths and weaknesses.”
Now is a better time than ever to tune in: phendste is performing at the Stevens Innovation Expo on April 28 for the first time since last September, and will be releasing a new single called “no flowers” on May 12, which Dranto hints is part of a larger project currently slated for July. This summer, he’s planning to hold multiple concerts in New York City with a full band. Check out phendste now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and other music streaming platforms.
