With Sandra Hesch, diversity, positivity, and healthy influencing are core elements in fashion and lifestyle. Sandra is an Austrian musician, songwriter, influencer, and fashion icon. She shares her intriguing experiences, struggles, and journey from her little hometown to becoming a music sensation and a thriving social media influencer in the big city of Vienna, and how these elements have shaped her growth and mindset.
I never wanted to be a creator; it just happened to me. My career started unintentionally
Sandra Hesch
FAB: You made your debut Fashion Week appearance in 2023. How was your experience?
Sandra Hesch: It was amazing. I was a little bit overwhelmed; I did not know what to wear, but I enjoyed it. I had good company from the Austrian CN18. It was a lot of fun, but I was overwhelmed by the fashionable people there.
FAB: What does fashion mean to you?
Sandra Hesch: Fashion is a way of expressing myself and a way of expressing my character. For me, I have always been fashionable. I always felt like I needed to look a certain way, but in the last couple of years, I discovered that it doesn’t have to be one style. I can express myself differently every day, however I feel. I would say I am not the biggest fashionista. For example, I’m not even wearing makeup today. Some days are like that, and other days, I like to dress up. I put on a fancy outfit and makeup and do my hair, but not every day is like that. I always try to apply a certain colour range. In the summer, I like to wear colourful outfits, but now that it’s winter, I don’t even know how to dress for the cold. I’m putting on my brown jacket over everything, so I really don’t care about what I’m wearing underneath because nobody is going to see me. Fashion is easier in spring, summer, and autumn. I think we can all agree on that.
FAB: You’ve transitioned to music?
Sandra Hesch: I wouldn’t say I transitioned. Music has always been a part of me. I did music way before I started my social media channel. I started writing songs when I was six or seven years old. I didn’t even know how to write the words correctly, but I still have the songs here. I started writing songs pretty early, and I also took piano lessons and singing lessons. The whole social media part came in later.
FAB: Is it a must for a musician to learn a particular musical instrument? Does it have a particular impact on your musical journey?
Sandra Hesch: I think it definitely helps you to write your own songs. I started writing songs on the piano, and some people started writing songs on the guitar. I think it’s really difficult to start writing songs if you cannot play any musical instruments. Nowadays, you can type in a YouTube search “beats that sound like Rihanna” and you’ll find beats that sound like Rihanna’s songs, but when I was a kid, I did not have that. For me, the piano was really helpful. Even now, when I have live performances, I enjoy playing the piano on the stage.
FAB: What’s the story of how you were discovered? How did that validation impact your confidence and your future aspirations in the music industry?
Sandra Hesch: I was working in a bar as a waitress, and there was a producer sitting there, but I did not know who he was. I just started a conversation with him, and he said, “You have a nice talking voice; do you sing?” Then I said, “Yes, I sing and I write songs. This was when I didn’t even have a social media channel. He suggested we try out a session, and we did. I had a session with him, and he pitched the song we wrote during the session to a music label, and then the label liked it and talked about signing me. That was my first signing.
FAB: What was it like growing up?
Sandra Hesch: I come from upper Austria, from a really small village that has about one thousand, four hundred inhabitants. It’s a really small place. Everyone knows everyone. I actually dislike that. People are always gossiping, and everyone knows everything about you. I have a feeling that I could not really be myself and express myself the way I wanted to back then because people would judge me. I’m really happy that I moved to Vienna; it’s a big city. It’s more anonymous, and people are just more open-minded. No one is judging you. I would say that overall, I had a good childhood. Don’t get me wrong. I was living in a big house with my family and big gardens. It was really nice. The thing I did not like was the gossiping.
Good energy out, good energy in.” Those are some of the things I always repeat
Sandra Hesch
FAB: You have an impressive social media channel. How do you differentiate yourself from the pool? What’s unique about you?
Sandra Hesch: I would say the difference between me and other creators is the fact that I never wanted to be a creator. It just happened to me. Thus, my approach to social media is different from every other person’s. This is how it all started. I was part of a TikTok video of a friend who was already famous, and he tagged my private account in the post. The video immediately went viral. Overnight, my private TikTok account garnered over 100k followers.
Since I’ve always had the big passion and the big dream of becoming a singer, I thought, Why not post some covers on TikTok and try to become a singer? I also started doing lifestyle content. This is how I became a little bit more famous on the internet. The unique thing is that I never wanted to become a creator. I wanted to become a teacher. Here I am.
FAB: Teaching? That’s incredible
Sandra Hesch: I’ve always liked school. I always enjoyed studying. I was kind of a nerd when I was in school. I really enjoyed English. Now, my English is not that good anymore because I never talk in English. I wanted to become an English and nutrition teacher. I always wanted to lead a group or something. I just loved talking in front of people. I thought becoming a teacher would be it. I am really happy that I am not a teacher now, that I’m self-employed, and that I can be creative with my job.
FAB: What’s your opinion about inclusivity in fashion and unhealthy eating habits just for people to fit in?
Sandra Hesch: I had an eating disorder from the age of thirteen to sixteen. I wanted to study nutrition so I could understand it a little better and then teach my students. I wanted to have more information about all of that. I think it’s really awful that the fashion industry, social media, and the media generally project a noninclusive standard of beauty. People feel the need to be thin or lose weight. I can’t blame those people because I have been one of them, and it was really hard for me to get out of the spiral.
Now, I try to share my story about my eating disorder. I even wrote a song about it, and it’s coming out in January 2024. I try to help people who are in the same situation now; I try to make them feel heard and understood. The thing I really enjoyed about the CNA fashion show is that the models were really diverse with their weights and body forms. I hope it’s going to continue like that at other fashion shows. I hope that the trend towards thin bodies will go away.
My biggest dream is to touch people with my words and to make them feel heard and understood
Sandra Hesch
I feel like if you have an eating disorder, it will never completely leave you. Going back to normal is really difficult, but I’m taking baby steps in the right direction. I am not really overthinking everything I eat. Things switched. Back then, I exercised because I wanted to lose weight and because I wanted to look a certain way, but now I exercise because it makes me feel good. I am happy when I exercise, and I need that in my day-to-day life. I would say it’s a process, and I think everyone who has been in this same situation and has suffered from some kind of eating disorder can get what I say.
FAB: There’s a series on Netflix called “Everything Now” about anorexia.
Sandra Hesch: I would love to watch it. When I was still dealing with this eating disorder, it was very hard for me to watch those kinds of things. I think I’m in the right headspace to do that now. Stay up to date on the newest in the world of Fashion, Arts, Beauty and Lifestyle; Follow FAB on Instagram.
FAB: Content creators are under immense pressure from their followers to keep creating, and this could lead to a loss of authenticity. What are your strategies for dealing with pressure to create?
Sandra Hesch: It’s quite hard. I am trying to find my balance, and I’m trying to stop focusing so much on numbers, but it’s easier said than done. Those numbers determine your income, and people judge you based on your numbers and views. I think it’s easier said than done to not focus on them. I think it’s hard because the algorithm is kind of forcing you to post every day, so you’re forced to be creative every day. Sincerely, I think it’s kind of impossible to be creative every day. Someday, you just don’t have the time to be creative, but if it’s your job, you have to be. That’s the struggle, even for writing music. For me as a singer, I do not have to write a new song every day, and that’s a good thing. I don’t have to be in the studio every day. I go to the studio once every two weeks. It’s hard to be creative every day. Some days, I just try not to work at all. I decided not to post. My channel is not going to die just because I didn’t make a post one day.
FAB: Is that a thing of quality over quantity?
Sandra Hesch: I think that sometimes it doesn’t apply to social media. A lot of my videos, which took really little effort, go viral, and videos that I put a lot of work into don’t get as many views. I don’t know if the algorithm really works with quality over quantity, but I have that mindset. Instead of posting a really bad video, I’d rather not post anything.
FAB: What does it take to create content? What’s your daily routine?
Sandra Hesch: I wake up between six and seven. I go to the gym, exercise, get home, eat breakfast, and then turn on my laptop to start work. I always work with to-do lists. They really help me. I film videos, read contracts, and then do personal things like send parcels to the post office. I have this interview now, and I have a call for management later. This is my day, then I just try to get some fresh air, catch up with my friends, and then go to sleep. I also cook.
FAB: As an influencer, what kind of offers do you reject?
Sandra Hesch: I do not make advertisements for fast food chains, meat brands, or cosmetic brands that do animal trials. I get so many advertisement requests every day in my mail, which are really random, but out of twenty requests, I do a maximum of two. I get twenty requests a week, and I would do two of them. That’s the ratio.
FAB: Do you see yourself as an influencer? What does being an influencer mean to you?
Sandra Hesch: I see myself as a singer, songwriter, and content creator, and yes, I see myself as an influencer. If you’re a person with a big following and have a big influence on people, then you are an influencer. I am an influencer, I think. I think I have to be really careful with what I influence people with and not influence them with the wrong things. Sometimes I don’t really know how much influence I have on people. I started to realise that the longer I’m in this business, the more I think about it. Back then, I did not think much about the things I posted every day, but now I think about them a little bit more. I posted my gym workouts every day, and then I realised that it pressures me when I see those influencers work out every day, so I stopped posting those.
I just work out once a week because I don’t want to pressure people or make them feel like they have to exercise to look a certain way. I would say that I have a big influence on people, but I do not like the word “influencer.”
FAB: Who do you admire most in the world right now?
Sandra Hesch: That’s a hard one. I don’t admire anyone because everyone has their own problems, but if I had to choose one person, I would say that I admire Taylor Swift at the moment. She is really successful. She is the most successful female artist at the moment, I think. I admire her for her success because what she is doing is amazing, and she has a really big influence on Gen Z. It’s amazing how she’s touring around the world. I also think that with this whole success and fame, there are also a lot of challenges.
FAB: Do you have any general words of wisdom you live by?
Sandra Hesch: I am a big fan of trusting the process, and everything that should be will be. I think my mom also raised me in that kind of way. She would say, “Sandra, put the pressure off; life does not have to be hard, and success does not have to be hard. If someone is meant for you, it will be.” I like the saying, but it’s kind of overused. Still, I say, “I don’t chase; I attract. What belongs to me will soon find me.” I say that a lot. Those are the things.
I also say, “Good energy out, good energy in.” Those are some of the things I always repeat. You can’t influence everything in the world. I have a feeling that if you want something and you’re passionate about it and you work for it with your full heart, there is hope to get it, but if I don’t get it, then maybe it shouldn’t be.
FAB: What is your biggest dream when it comes to your music?
Sandra Hesch: My biggest dream is to touch people with my words and to make them feel heard and understood. It’s a dream of mine to perform on big stages with a lot of people listening to me and appreciating my music and my art. I think that’s my biggest dream.
FAB: Do you have many musical icons that have really shaped your thinking or your approach to music?
Sandra Hesch: I like Taylor Swift. Back then, I was a big fan of Shawn Mendes and Beyoncé. I am still a big fan, but at the moment, the biggest one is Taylor Swift. Harry Styles is also an amazing artist. I really like Emilio Sakraya; he’s half Moroccan and half German, and he does really cool R&B music, but in German. I think that’s really rare, and I enjoy it.
FAB: What’s your favourite food?
Sandra Hesch: Vietnamese cuisine is my favourite one.
FAB: Any upcoming shows or concerts?
Sandra Hesch: Yes, I have two upcoming concerts. One is on the 25th of February in Vienna, and the other is on the 2nd of March in Germany. I would be really happy if you could come to Vienna.
Fun Zone: #FabFastFive
- FAB: What’s your go-to scent or fragrance?
Sandra: Marrakech from Aesop. It smells Oriental.
- FAB: Day or Night?
Sandra: Day
- FAB: If you could be any animal, what would you be?
Sandra: A Golden Doodle Dog
- FAB: Fashion or Beauty?
Sandra: Fashion. I hate to wear makeup.
- FAB: What’s your favourite colour in your closet?
Sandra: Yellow.
