Music Artists You Should Know: Seb Torgus

After a busy year chock-full of singles, LA-based singer-songwriter Seb Torgus is performing his 2024 EP, Male Madonna, for a benefit concert with 100% of ticket sales going to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation at The Echo on Jan. 19.

Before beginning in 2016, the Chicago native’s first creative love was painting and dressing up, the latter of which would later inform his showmanship and flashy music videos reminiscent of the kind you’d catch during MTV’s golden age. But prior to reaching where he is now, Torgus would first transition from acting to modeling, eventually arriving at music when people doubted whether he could make the leap.

On top of releasing Male Madonna in 2024, Torgus dropped “Fake It Till You Make It” before the year ended, a track that revitalizes new wave music with contemporary pop for a glitzy dance jam.

“Fake It Till You Make It,” despite coming in at a slim two minutes, does right by stirring up dance jitters through its glossy synths and a typically bigger-than-life persona on Torgus’ part. Pop sensibilities aside, the single also shows how he can reconfigure himself to suit best the production or core message of any given track, whether it’s a radio-friendly effort like “Fake It Till You Make It” or the racy “XTC” from 2023.

Male Madonna is more in line with previous releases than “Fake It Till You Make It,” flirting with promiscuity on songs like “My Clothes From Last Night.” Featuring heavy synths prominent from the start, Torgus performs a balancing act between the clean, refined production and his raucous vocals. Similar to other songs by Torgus, the short runtime is hardly a detriment, instead exemplifying his ability to pack a punch in two minutes or less.

Although he has yet to release a full-length project, that does not mean Torgus hasn’t spent his career zeroing in on his sound. If anything, he has become more and more reformed over the years—amplifying his strongest aspects, such as stage presence, while pushing what can be done within alternative pop. And with so many creative fields behind him, the fact that he’s able to tie them all together, whether it be in music making or acting, says a lot about his longevity and enduring factor.

Words: David Sosa

“Fake It Till You Make It” by Seb Torgus is out on streaming services. For more on new music and tickets to upcoming shows, including his benefit concert for the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation at The Echo on Jan. 19, follow him on Instagram.