Monthly Archives: April 2025

Time Stood Still… Again

There was something special about this song. I felt it when I first released it, back in March 30th, 2020. It wasn’t like other Sandra Bullet songs. However, I didn’t get it quite right. I remember struggling with it, trying as hard as I could to get the sound I wanted. I eventually had to compromise and settled with that first version.

Looking back now, it’s obvious why that was: Time Stood Still was never meant to be a Sandra Bullet song. Even without me knowing (at least consciously), there was someone else singing, someone else telling me that wasn’t it.

You see, before Sandra Bullet was born, there was Sandra Lourenço. But she always felt like a misfit, bullied at school, ignored at home, always the new kid, the one that doesn’t fit in. And so, she hid herself. She bought new clothes and built a new personality: confident, proud, strong.

Little by little, that side of her started dominating everything she did. But some could still see that little sweet girl inside her. Somehow, even in my darkest moments, specially in my darkest moments, that little girl was the one holding me, caressing me, smiling at me.

And now, it’s time to honor that little girl. The one that always dreamed to be a singer. I let her call the shots, and as I did that, she took ownership of Time Stood Still. It was the only pre-released song she wanted to include on the album because in a way, it was always hers.

You see, Sandra Lourenço sings from an open heart. And an open heart invites all feelings and even all sides of oneself, and so you will recognise the Bullet here and there, in a word or note. She will always be a side of me, a side of strength, determination and power; but she will never be all of me.

Time Stood Still, out April 25th 2025. Pre-save it now!

The Story Behind The Upcoming Album

My first romantic relationship lasted 16 years. We met when we were only 18, and had no idea what we were doing. But we loved each other, deeply. We were also best friends. But, on the contrary of what people usually tell you, that’s not enough for a fulfilling (or at least functional) relationship.
We were too young, too emotionally immature at first. Almost every argument started with the smallest thing, and would escalate into one of us breaking up with the other. After a few days, we would be exhausted of being mad and get back together.
Years went by, the arguments stayed, the break-ups were (almost) fully replaced with the silent treatment, pouting or hurtful communication, lasting sometimes weeks.
It was painful, but staying away seemed to be even worse.

Most of those feelings I turned into lyrics and songs. Strumming my electric guitar softly late at night because I couldn’t sleep, haunted by what seemed to be an impossible situation. Singing what I couldn’t say, many times while crying, music was my escape.
I released some of these songs (Passado Presente, Longe, Depressão, What Tha Hell, Time Stood Still), but others were just too emotionally heavy, so I kept them to myself.
When my healing journey began, I started seeing things more clearly; and with clarity, I knew what to do next.

With the break-up, came grief: grieving not only the end of the relationship itself, but the place I called home, the city I called home, the workplace I had built from scratch, but the hardest grief of all was grieving my best friend. Not being able to talk to him like we used to. And then, seeing him moving on so fast with someone else, building a family with someone else.
Again, I did what I do best: I transmuted these emotions into music.

Eventually, I started feeling more confident in my process, and decided to share not only some of those songs but also reflections about relationships, personal growth and life overall in the podcast “Reflections Of A (Slightly) Conscious Being“. And with that, it became clear that the next step would be a full album with those songs.

I struggled with that idea for a while. Some songs were incomplete, and others carried some messages I no longer related with. I doubted myself. Should I release such painful songs? Force myself to finish them, feel that pain that is so familiar and yet still so painful?
Then, I took a look around. So many people stuck in the same patterns. Feeling the same emotions I did. I thought about how much music helped me deal with all that pain, not only making music but also hearing songs from other artists, songs that resonated with the pain I felt inside. And then I felt selfish. Why should I keep these songs to myself? Knowing that maybe, one of them will help someone that is looking for a song to relate with, to cry with, to sing their way out of those tears.
This album is for all of them, and to be honest, for everyone else. Because we all felt unloved at some point in our lives. We all have felt abandoned, betrayed, left out, inadequate, not good enough, broken, flawed, stupid, ugly and so on. Sometimes we blamed others for it, sometimes we blame ourselves.

I am no different. We are, after all, only human, and that’s what this album is all about: human relationships.