INTERVIEW:
SARA
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IT has been a real thrill…
PHOTO CREDIT: Aury Hernandez
getting to know a terrific and awe-inspiring young artist. London-based, German-born SARA is someone that everyone needs to know! I think that she is a modern-day role model and someone who will quickly become one of our most arresting, intriguing and wonderous talents. I have been chatting with SARA about her stunning and instantly memorable debut single, Runaway. It is such an original and fantastic Pop-Rock anthem that will resonate and connect with so many people. It is inspired by her journey from living a German small-town life to pursuing dreams in creative and buzzing hubs such as New York and London. SARA wrote and recorded the track – and upcoming releases – with GRAMMY award-winning Chris Sclafani (Ed Sheeran, Halsey, Selena Gomez). Jerry Barnes, who has performed for and written with artists such as Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder, and Nile Rodgers, is a music legend who took an immediate liking to SARA’s huge and unmistakable musical talent. After coming across one of her online covers in 2019, Barnes invited her to his studio in New York - and he has been a guiding mentor to her ever since; connecting her with producers and writers. Watching her videos on TikTok, SARA is such a warm and beguiling human! You can feel the passion she has for music and how appreciative she is of the support from fans. Here, I ask SARA about the captivating Runaway and what comes next. She discusses working alongside Chris Sclafani, when music came into her life and when it touched her, how inspiring cities like New York and London have been regarding her music and creativity, and whether there are any gigs coming up. Take some time to check out this interview with a phenomenal artist with…
A bright and golden future.
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Hi SARA. How are you? How has your week been?
Hi Sam! I’m doing great. Super excited for the release! Not gonna lie: my week has been quite stressful. It’s really cool to see all work from the last few months slowly coming together though. How are you?
Can you tell me more about Runaway. What was the inspiration behind the lyrics, and what was your reaction hearing it back for the first time?
The lyrics are inspired by my own journey. I grew up in a small German town where I’ve always felt judged and watched. Everyone knows each other there and word travels fast, so if you don’t comply with the small-town culture’s standards, you’re quickly made fun of or treated as an outcast. I spent my childhood and teenage years supressing so much of myself and holding back what I really wanted to put out in the world because I was surrounded by people who thought they had the right to tell me what I should and shouldn’t be doing. The older I got, the more I felt the need to break free and start a new life somewhere where no one knows me. I ended up doing exactly that and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. I now see the people that used to be mean to me in school and some of those people seem really unhappy with the life they’re living now just because they’ve built it according to other people’s expectations of them. I think a lot of hate is based on jealousy. My theory is that people who try to discourage you from making your dreams come true secretly have the same dreams but they are too scared to take a risk and follow them themselves. So with Runaway, I’m trying to encourage people to go for what they know will make them happy, no matter what others say.
There wasn’t really a ‘first time’ listening back to Runaway, because we built the song and the production gradually. I wrote the first lyrics draft by myself and presented it to Chris (Sclafani), who then came up with some guitar ideas. I wrote a topline on top of those and then we started working on the production together. Chris did all the work in terms of production but he was kind enough to let me give feedback on every step along the way. So with every time I listened to it, the song came more and more together. When we decided the production was finally finished, I had already listened to it so many times that what I mostly felt was relief that we actually managed to get it done after having worked on it for quite a long time, and excitement because it meant it was finally ready to share it with the world.
You wrote the song with Chris Sclafani (who also produced Runaway). What was it like working with him?
A mutual friend of ours, Jerry Barnes, connected us and I remember I was scared shitless the first time I went to Chris’s studio! You’d think given the fact that he’s worked with so many big artists, his ego would be huge, but I quickly got convinced of the opposite. Chris makes it super easy to feel comfortable in a session with him, which is how he managed to really push me out of my comfort zone in terms of songwriting. Before working with him, I had only written ballads because they’re what came easiest to me. One of the first things he said to me is that most of the demos I had sent him sounded the same and that he wants us to explore a genre I’ve never written in before. So we did that and wrote a song in the span of like two days that now ended up being one of my upcoming singles. At first, I didn’t like the song because the lyrics I wrote to it were quite silly and I didn’t take the writing process as serious as I usually would, but now I recognized that exactly that is the beauty of the song. So Chris really helped me to embrace that more and have a bit more fun in the writing process.
“I guess that ended up leading to me wanting to make music that serves as a soundtrack to other people’s lives now and wanting to make them feel like a true main character when they listen to my songs”
I understand there is more to come this year. Can you give a hint as to what we might expect in the way of songs and themes?
Well the song I just talked about is actually the second single! It’s a fun one that encourages to go crazy, let loose and scream along. It’s leaning into a noughties sound. I’d say it has a little bit of a Punk-Rock feel to it. It’s the song I think will be most fun to perform live!
You have got the respect and ear of some music icons and modern legends. How does it feel knowing that your music has resonated with the likes of Harry Styles?
Oh I wish it was my music that he noticed! It was a cover of one of his songs actually. I posted it on Twitter a few years ago and he ended up giving it a like. He doesn’t like tweets often and is rarely active on social media, so it was a huge honor for me! Getting my own original songs noticed by him would be a dream!
Take me back to your earliest years. Can you remember when music first touched you and the sort of artists and sounds you grew up around?
I wish I could say I grew up with really cool music influences, but my parents are quite clueless when it comes to the music world. I recently had to explain to my dad who Ed Sheeran is and my mom still doesn’t know who Fleetwood Mac are haha! The first time I realized how music can make you feel and how powerful it can be was when I was around 14 and started really getting into movie soundtracks. I used to spend hours researching which songs played during my favorite movie and TV show scenes and listening to these songs on repeat while trying to romanticize my life as a form of escapism, because I felt so comfortable in the environment I spent my teenage years in. I guess that ended up leading to me wanting to make music that serves as a soundtrack to other people’s lives now and wanting to make them feel like a true main character when they listen to my songs.
Having spent a lot of time in cities like New York and now London, how influential and important are the people and dynamics of each when it comes to your music?
Quite important I’d say! I’ve definitely been majorly influenced by living in London because the live music scene is so vibrant here and Brit Rock is such a big part of the culture. Apart from my sound, my lyrics are also quite inspired by London life. I love observing people and I find the Brits and their behavior very interesting. There’s quite a few people and groups I’ve watched from afar or have hung out with in London that have served as amazing songwriting material. Where the dynamics of the actual city influence me most is New York because it’s so full of energy 24/7. I love being able to do anything at any time, and I make full use of that whenever I’m in New York. The spontaneous lifestyle there makes me feel extra adventurous and creative, which is probably why I write most of my songs when I’m there. Being away from London and its culture also gives me a great opportunity to reflect on it, so I quite like writing about London when I’m in New York and vice versa.
“The goal is definitely to put on headline shows in the future, but I’ll have to wait for the demand to build a bit more I’m afraid”
I can see you working on film scores and writing music for big films. Do you see you feel like you will work in other mediums and take your music to new places?
Oh my gosh, thank you so much! That’s a huge compliment; I’ve always dreamt of having my music being used in a movie soundtrack. I don’t have anything else in mind at the moment, but I’m the kind of person that says ‘yes’ to every opportunity that comes her way, so I’m open for anything!
Do you have any gigs coming up? Might we see you on the road later in the year?
Right now I’m still very much in the figuring out phase. I’m hoping my upcoming releases will attract a few listeners that would be happy to see me perform live. The goal is definitely to put on headline shows in the future, but I’ll have to wait for the demand to build a bit more I’m afraid. Until then, it’d be lovely to do a few support slots, but I don’t have anything planned as of right now because I’m about to go back to the U.S. again for a bit. If a big opportunity comes my way though, I’ll come back to the U.K. for it and will do a bit of a back and forth.
Finally, and for being a good sport, you can choose any song (other than your own) and we’ll end with it. What do you want to go with?
Mhhh… Since I’ve spoken about music that makes you feel like a main character a lot, I’m gonna go with New Shoes by Paolo Nutini. That song was one of the soundtracks to my teenage years and is one of my favorites to listen to on a warm summer day!
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