Today we’d like to introduce you to Cole Sandvik.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always been a storyteller.
Even as a kid, I spent more time observing than talking, sitting back and thinking about the way the world is, the way it was, and the way it could be. My imagination was always bigger than my surroundings.
I was born in Orem, Utah, and grew up in a complicated family situation. My parents divorced when I was three, but eventually moved back in together when I was eight to co-raise me. I watched both of them fight battles most people never saw. During the 2008 recession, we were on food stamps and struggling to get by. My dad moved to St. George for work while my mom continued carrying burdens of her own. She came from an abusive home, spent time living out of her car, survived an abusive marriage before my father, and somehow never stopped moving forward. My dad spent years battling alcoholism. Life wasn’t always easy, and neither of my parents were handed much.
When we moved to St. George, I felt disconnected from everything familiar. I didn’t have many friends, and I was bullied for being overweight. But through all of it, I never stopped dreaming. I never stopped imagining a bigger life.
Music was there from the beginning.
As a toddler, I was keeping time to Waylon Jennings records. A few years later, I was singing Toby Keith songs around the house. In fourth grade, I performed “Don’t Stop Believin'” at a school talent show and had the entire crowd clapping and singing along. For a few minutes, I wasn’t the overweight kid. I wasn’t carrying the weight of my home life. I was just myself, standing on a stage and feeling truly seen.
Still, music wasn’t an obvious path.
I started playing drums at twelve and picked up guitar at fifteen, but my focus shifted elsewhere. I lost the weight, became a competitive bodybuilder, built a personal training business at seventeen, and eventually moved back to Orem to attend college. Like a lot of people searching for purpose, I chased achievement. I competed in rodeos, played football, built businesses, and dedicated myself completely to whatever was in front of me.
I was preparing for medical school, and by most people’s standards, everything was going according to plan.
The problem was, I felt empty.
Everything changed when I spent two summers traveling through Europe with my best friend. During my second summer, I worked in a hospital in Hungary and found myself with something I hadn’t given myself in years: time to think.
For the first time, I started asking myself what actually made me feel alive.
By then, I’d been playing guitar seriously for a few years. I’d always written poetry and even started writing a book, but songwriting felt different. It was immediate. Honest. It combined everything I loved about storytelling into one form.
At first, I kept the songs to myself.
One day, my family heard me playing through my bedroom door. They walked in and asked what Zach Bryan song I was singing. When I told them I’d written it, they were stunned. So was I. For the first time, it felt like I’d found the thing I was meant to do.
I started playing local shows, and eventually my mom encouraged me to take music seriously. I resisted at first because I knew what it meant. If I went all in, there was no turning back.
I spent most of my life trying not to be seen. Music demanded the opposite.
Eventually, I took the leap.
Since then, everything has moved fast. I’ve played the Bluebird Cafe, been invited to songwriter showcases in Nashville, grown my audience by thousands of followers, and begun working with multi-platinum producer Sergio Sanchez. Together, we’re preparing my first official releases and building the foundation for what comes next.
At its core, my music is about ordinary people carrying extraordinary stories. It’s about resilience, dreaming bigger than your circumstances, and chasing a life that feels true to who you are.
I’m proud of where I come from, and even more excited about where I’m going.
One day, I plan to sell out the Delta Center and represent Utah on the national stage as an alternative country artist. Until then, I’ll keep writing, keep learning, and keep showing up.
Because I’ve learned that the distance between the life you have and the life you dream about is usually just the courage to start.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is “hell yes” an option?
My entire life, people have told me what I couldn’t do. My response has always been the same: watch me.
One thing I’m not afraid to talk about is that I was sexually abused as a young child. It’s a difficult reality, but I believe people who have endured trauma should never feel ashamed of their story. Especially in entertainment, where so much of what people see is a carefully crafted image, I think there’s value in being honest. If someone can look at my life and think, “If he went through that and still chased his dreams, maybe I can too,” then sharing it is worth it.
I’ve faced my share of adversity. At 12 years old, a team roping accident left me with severe hip injuries and confined me to a wheelchair. At 15, I suffered a Grade 3 concussion playing football that nearly took my life. Time and time again, life knocked me down, and each time I had to find a way to get back up.
But the hardest battle wasn’t physical. It was depression.
For years, I wrestled with feeling unseen, disconnected, and empty. I was an only child. I had friends. I was relatively well-liked growing up. From the outside, everything looked fine. Yet I’ve always felt different—like an old soul trying to find where he belongs.
Ironically, that emptiness became one of my greatest gifts. It gave me depth as a songwriter. It forced me to ask bigger questions about who I am, what matters, and what kind of life I want to build.
Songwriting became the place where I could explore those questions honestly. It’s where I make sense of the world, my experiences, and myself.
At the end of the day, we may only get one life. Understanding who I am and sharing that truth through music is the most important thing I’ve ever pursued.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a singer-songwriter from Utah, and more than anything, I’m a storyteller. I’ve always viewed the world a little differently, looking for the deeper meaning in ordinary moments and the stories hidden inside everyday people.
While I’m fortunate to be working with an A-list producer and building momentum as an artist, at my core I’m just a guy trying to represent the people I grew up around. The men and women next door. The dreamers, the underdogs, the hard workers, and the people trying to find their place in the world.
My mission is to put Utah on the country music map by highlighting the unique country culture that exists here, blended with the alternative country, punk, and rock-and-roll influences that shaped me. I want my music to feel honest, relatable, and unapologetically real.
More than streams, followers, or accolades, I want to create something that genuinely impacts people’s lives. I want to write songs that make people feel understood and put on shows that leave them driving home thinking the ticket—and even the $30 parking—was worth every penny.
Above all, I’m proud of the community and culture we’re building. I want people to feel like they’re a part of something bigger than a concert or a song. I want them to feel seen.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I love anything written by Eckhart Tolle and Ernest Hemingway. Tolle challenges me to think deeper about consciousness, purpose, and presence, while Hemingway reminds me that some of the most powerful ideas can be expressed with simplicity.
At the same time, I don’t take myself too seriously. As much as I enjoy philosophy, psychology, and exploring the deeper questions of life, I need balance. Comedy is a huge part of that. Whether it’s Joe Rogan, Kill Tony, or other comedy podcasts, laughter is just as important to me as reflection.
I think that balance shows up in my music and personality. I’m naturally drawn to depth, meaning, and introspection, but I also love good stories, absurd humor, and not getting lost in my own head. Life is heavy enough on its own. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is laugh.
That combination of curiosity, depth, and humor is what keeps me grounded. It’s what fuels my creativity, and it’s a big part of who I am both as an artist and as a person.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cole.the.bull/
