Versatility can pave a way to a fruitful career for many musicians working to perfect their craft. From learning how to produce to writing songs to learning how to play instruments, many musicians can do a few, but Lonzo Sanders can do it all.

Growing up in Indianapolis, where his exposure to music first started in church, Lonzo would begin producing and working for musicians to help craft their sounds, fronting his band Mansa, and starting to write his own music to kick off his solo career. Lonzo, despite his humble attitude, can do it all.

I had the opportunity to chat with Lonzo about forming his band Mansa, producing and working with local artists in the city, his plans to release his own music, and lastly, what he does on his chill days.

It’s nice to meet you, Lonzo! I’ve heard many impressive things about you prior to our chat today. So, first things first, how did you get started with music? What inspired you to start your journey with the craft?

I grew up in church, so that’s where things started for me. My sister was a cold instrumentalist. She was older than me, and seeing her play the drums in church, I was like, ‘I’m trying to do what she’s doing.’ So, I started off playing the saxophone. When our organist left our church, my mother, who was the choir director at the time, was like, ‘You need to learn how to play the organs.’ We would get to church two hours early and would stay there two hours later so I could mess around with the settings and learn how to play the songs every Sunday. From there, the rest is history.

What other instruments can you play at the moment aside from saxophone, drums, and the organ?

All of them that’s not guitar or classical strings. Any keys instrument, any horn, any brass, any percussion. I have played almost every instrument on the songs I’ve recorded.

That’s impressive! Could you tell me more about forming your current band? I know it was mentioned you were in a band called Mansa, so tell me more about how the group got together?

In the band, I’m lead vocals. I also record drums live and play saxophone in Mansa, too. We got together because of the guitar player, Kyle Paul. I met him at a jam session, and we clicked immediately. A couple weeks later, they reached out to him to perform at Sundays on State Festival with a time slot saying ‘We have a time for you, and you can do whatever you want.’ He reached out to me and was like ‘Hey, we clicked so well at the jam session we might as well get up here and do this gig at Sundays on State Festival.’ I was like ‘Damn, that’s wild. I appreciate you.’ He then reached out to some musicians he knew, and it just so happens that it was all musicians I had just met as well. We did a bunch of covers, and everyone was fucking with it. At the end of the gig, we were like, ‘We might as well do this all the time.’ I set out what my goals were for the band, and everyone was rocking with it. The rest is history.

It seems like everyone was at the right place at the right time. I also heard that you’re a producer, too. What artists have you produced for here in the city, and how did you help in crafting their sound?

I started taking producing more seriously during COVID. Many of my instrumentalist homies did not know what to do or when the outside was going to open back up, so that’s when I tapped in on making beats. I’ve worked with a lot of folks in Chicago like Jay Wood, Sterling Hayes, Recoechi, and a whole bunch of people, really. Everybody that is very serious about the craft, we’ll more than likely work together at some point. Chicago is interesting because the communities are based around the art creation process. Though I can’t speak for everyone else, Studio Shapes is this hive mind where everyone is down to work on everyone’s music. There’s no ego about it.

You worked with so many people here, wow! I heard you have plans for solo music in the coming year. How do you think your experience in producing will play a role in the creation of your solo album?

Oh yeah, there’s a bunch ready to drop, starting next year. To answer the question of how being a producer helps with that, it helps me be more specific about what my message is. Many times, for an artist that doesn’t make beats or produce, the process is that they’re going to link with a producer and let them know what’s they’ve been listening to lately, then the producer makes the song for the vocalist, and then that’s it.

However, it’s easier for me to be more specific because I’m also the cat doing a lot of the producing. I can listen more specifically to different sounds, different textures I want, different drum patterns I want. I can communicate that with myself you know, more shorthand rather than an artist who isn’t an instrumentalist. I have been working with some cold producers in the city though like Galaxy Francis, Omoide, and Ari Burns, who are two of my favorite producers. I’ve been working with and getting beats from them as far as the solo things go. We’ve got a bunch ready to drop, and I’m extremely excited about it.

I’ll be looking for a solo project once it’s released. Any other plans for your solo debut? Any collaborations with other artists in the city?

For sure. Everyone that I’ve worked with I’m trying to get them on records. I’ve started reaching out to a lot of my homies that record over at Studio Shapes like ‘Hey, I need you to come get on these records.’ It’s a fulfilling feeling when I make those calls or that conversation happens. Everybody’s excited to get on board with my solo material, and that’s a lot of love. So, when the word got out that this was a solo joint, it was like ‘ Hey, I’m going to put a verse on that!’

Without giving too much away, how will the first project sound? What type of vibe are you going for?

That’s a great question. I would say it’s a lot of what people know, but they’ve never seen it all together at the same time. You’ll hear a lot of jazz that my band plays, and you’ll hear a lot of R&B and gospel that sounds familiar to you. You never, ever heard it all together by the same person. A lot of the influence on that comes from listening to Mint Condition, my favorite band ever other than Earth, Wind, and Fire. It’s like they were singing yearning R&B songs then the next track on the record would be a jazz fusion song that seemed like an odd-time signature on wild, wild shit. They had a huge influence on this project.

I love Mint Condition, and it’s always interesting to see what artists inspire others to create and produce their own art. Is there anyone else you gather the same inspiration from?

There’s a difference between someone being a fan versus being inspired by because it’s many artists that I listen to constantly but when I go to make my art, it has nothing to do with that. As far as taking direct inspiration, though, Mint Condition is one of them 100%, D’Angelo, James Poyser, Erykah Badu, Brandy and others. Even a lot of what I do instrumentally, I take points from the way of Brandy sings and incorporate that into a lot of how I play. There’s a lot of influences coming from a lot of places, but it’s all coming to one singular place, which is going to be new for a lot of people.

Before I get into the more fun part of this interview, what are your other plans for 2026?

As far as the artists I’m producing for, it’s quite a few artists that have albums dropping in 2026 that I had my hand on that are ready to drop. I’ve also worked on an EP with my band that is dropping in 2026. There will be another single, and as far as the EP comes out, it will come with a music video shot by Spencer Swanson, who is one of the coldest, young video directors in the city. For sure, there’s also for sure solo music dropping for myself. That’s the main thing.

Time for the more fun portion of the interview! Whenever you’re not producing, writing, or anything music related, what is the first thing you’re doing on a chill day?

It depends. If it’s a Saturday, I’m waking up, eating breakfast, and going to hoop with the homies. Every single Saturday, we link up, rent this gym over in West Loop, and hoop at 10 a.m. That’s my me day. I don’t have anything going on and no work I need to do until later.

Spotify Wrapped came out for me this past week, so I have to ask: What songs have you been enjoying this year, local or mainstream?

Locally, I would say any song I play on this album by Recoechi is my favorite song, and I will go on record saying this. I think my most played song of the year was 4K by Rich Robbins. Outside of the city, TiaCorine had a project that came out this year that I liked and others like Leon Thomas and Vayda.

Okay, thank you for all your time with me, Lonzo! One last question before you go, what’s been one weird way you have been inspired whether to write or to produce?

I wouldn’t call it weird, but I could be biased and protective over myself. I’ve been taking inspiration when I’m out and about. Whether I’m on the train or out for a walk, anytime I see any bright colors I’ll take out my photo and take a picture, and later, whenever I’m making beats, I’ll try to match the textures and all of the patterns I’m using with the color I saw and try to create a sound palette that seems equal to the colors that I’m seeing.

I’m in Puerto Rico at the moment, and I saw a building that was a deep purple and immediately took a picture because I know exactly what that color is supposed to sound like. There’s a sample on my laptop right now that I know exactly how I’m going to mangle after this.

This piece has been edited down for clarity purposes.

Lonzo Does It All