We recently connected with Reed Thomas Lawrence and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Reed Thomas thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

The biggest risk I ever took was betting on a dream that had already let me down once.
A few years ago, I had a steady job—safe, predictable. But in my mid-twenties, I’d already walked away from that kind of stability once before. I traded a paycheck for a guitar and dove headfirst into life as a full-time musician. That journey took me from tour vans to Los Angeles, then Nashville, where I spent four and a half years writing songs, chasing the dream, and getting knocked down more times than I can count.

Nashville was a dream come true… until it wasn’t. After years of rejection and burnout, I came back to LA and slipped quietly into a job that paid well and asked little of my soul. Music became a ghost from another life. Eight years passed like a blur.

Then a friend convinced me to play in his band, and that’s where I met her—Paloma Estevez. An insanely talented drummer and songwriter who immediately saw through the version of myself I’d been settling for. When I told her I was an editor for film and TV, she shook her head like I was lying. I played her a few unfinished songs, and she asked me, “Why aren’t these out in the world?” I didn’t have a good answer. So I gave her a better one: “Let’s finish them.”

Three years later, we co-founded Sun & The Saint, and just released a 14-song album that’s not only the best music I’ve ever made—but the first I’ve truly been proud to share.

This whole thing—the music, the band, the second chance—only happened because I was willing to take a risk again. To believe in myself again. And to let someone else believe in me too.

Sometimes, you have to completely lose yourself to remember who you really are.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Reed, and I’m one half of Sun & The Saint—our Los Angeles-based duo that I formed with drummer and composer Paloma Estevez. Before the band, I spent years writing songs, touring, and working behind the scenes in film and TV as an editor and sound designer on commercial projects for brands like Nike, Roxy, Netflix, Airbnb, YouTube, Facebook, Meta, Apple, Red Bull, Gatorade, MTV, and Nickelodeon. But music has always been the one thing that makes me feel grounded. Songwriting has always been the most honest form of expression for me—where everything makes the most sense.

Paloma and I met playing in another band, and it was one of those rare creative connections that just clicked. We started writing together with no agenda—just curiosity—and eventually, we built something that felt like home. Her approach brought out a new version of myself musically—less guarded, more instinctual. That’s where Sun & The Saint came from. Everything on our debut album was done by the two of us—writing, producing, mixing, even mastering. No outside hands, just trust and time.

We’re not chasing trends. We’re not trying to fit into a genre. We just want to make music that feels real—something that moves you, sticks with you, and makes you feel a little less alone. For us, the work is about honesty and connection. For clients or collaborators, that’s what we bring to the table—whether we’re making a record or cutting a film. We care. And everything we do, we do with full intention.

That’s the heart of Sun & The Saint: two artists, all in, doing the work ourselves, and hoping it reaches the people who need to hear it.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

We’ve both been knocked flat in different ways—me creatively, Paloma physically and emotionally. There was a time when I thought I was done with music. Not in a dramatic way, just in that quiet way you start letting go of something you used to burn for. I leaned into editing—working on commercials—and convinced myself that maybe that was enough. That maybe I missed my shot.

Paloma was going through her own hell. She’d been sidelined by something unexpected that completely shifted her world and her relationship to music. She had to fight to find her way back to the drums, and back to herself. And she did. It’s one of the most quietly powerful things I’ve witnessed.

When we met, we were both in transition—tired, burnt out, unsure. Playing in someone else’s band was just supposed to be a gig. But we kept showing up for each other. Late nights turning fragments into songs, talking about all the things we’d lost and the parts we were trying to rebuild. It wasn’t about chasing anything anymore—it was about making something real again.

That’s where Sun & The Saint came from. From two people who had every reason to give up, but didn’t. We built this out of the wreckage. Not to prove anything to anyone—but because we still had something to say.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn is that success—or anything real—comes from the outside. For a long time, I thought if I just worked hard enough, or found the right team, or landed the right opportunity, things would finally click. I kept chasing that one moment where everything would “work.” But deep down, I didn’t fully believe in the music. And I didn’t believe in myself. I was stuck in this loop where I was making art, but never really standing behind it.

I used to think the world was just physical—something you pushed and pulled until it gave you what you wanted. But I’ve had to completely rewire that. I’ve learned that everything on the outside is just a mirror of what you’re carrying inside. I had a lot of doubt, a lot of fear, a lot of shame. And the world kept reflecting that back to me.

There’s an old saying I love: no one can imprison you, you can only imprison yourself. No one can free you, you can only free yourself. That hit me hard. Nothing comes to you—everything comes from within you.

Now, I try to create from a place of belief. Belief in the work. Belief in the moment. Belief in the connection. That’s what changed the music. That’s what changed everything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sunandthesaint.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunandthesaint
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sunandthesaint
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sunandthesaint

Image Credits

David Palacín
Jeremy J. Glither