Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Sara. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emily , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I couldn’t choose one as the “most” meaningful project. The thing about my projects is they really encapsulate where I am in my life at that point in time. Each point is meaningful and makes up the larger map of where I’ve come from. The project that started them all though was “Unpenned.”

I studied opera in college and Covid hit during my senior year. I really didn’t want to perform my capstone recital to an empty theater so I thought long and hard about how I could encapsulate what I’d learned in another format. At the same time, I was also realizing that I had spent so much of my education going “by the book,” following rules and doing what my professors and the broader opera world expected of me. In a way, the combination of pressures was the perfect storm to create “Unpenned” in.

My senior recital became a full length film following the story of a female singer discovering her voice in a world defined by the male composer’s quill. It incorporates many styles of music, from Baroque and romantic pieces to contemporary art song, eventually finishing with my first original song released under Emily Sara, “Take my hand.” Along the way I explored female characters I had met in operas, films, novels and musicals. Each woman brings her own struggle and sense of power to the story which is ultimately, one of self-discovery. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/r2TChdudPGk?si=HxWq_1-OwKdtk_dh

Not only did this project open me up to a new format for sharing music that was important to me, it gave me the confidence to create art from my own point of view and know that the act in itself holds value. It also introduced me to the artistic collaborator I have worked on every project with since. Making music is not just about releasing songs for us, it’s about creating a world of meaning in every detail. We are currently working on our next big project which I can’t wait to share with you all!

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.

My name is Emily Sara and I’m a crossover vocalist, songwriter, actor voice teacher and creative based in Brooklyn, NY. After studying classical voice and opera in college, I decided to expand my vocal technique and write my own music. My work explores cultural and feminine identity and pulls from many genres and styles but sits mostly in the indie pop/r&b sound world. I draw inspiration from artists like Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Fiona Apple and Sammy Rae. I write on female identity in its multitudes through my personal experiences and through the eyes of female characters I’ve met in film, literature and mythology.

I recently released a new single “Let Go of Losing You” which speaks to the fear of falling in love and the courage it takes to let a good thing happen. It’s a ballad with a vintage feel and is based on personal experience mixed with Bonnie and Clyde’s tragic love story. You can find it anywhere you listen to music! And, I haven’t even started promoting it yet so Canvas Rebel readers, you’re the first to know, but I have a new single coming out this summer called Aura! I’m so excited to put this one out. Keep an ear out for it. :)

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I graduated college, the world was still in pandemic mode. I had planned to audition for graduate school or move abroad to pursue opera once I’d completed my degrees. In my last year everything changed. Unable to perform live onstage, I retreated to my room and started coming up with my own stories to tell, writing my own music and ended up recording my first single. I’d always loved pop r&b and performed in a band regularly. With our stages closed and the campus abandoned, the songs poured out of me like a lifeline.

The only plan I had after graduation was a 6 week acting program in NYC and that’s where I ended up in July, living out of a tiny studio apartment in Chelsea and going to class 8 hours a day. I’d always wanted to move back to New York. I was born in Manhattan and spent my very early years in the city. I had always felt drawn to the hum and vibrancy of NYC and as my program came to a close, I realized I had to stay.

I walked into a bar, got a job, and called my mom in the pouring rain huddled under an awning on 27th and Broadway. “I’m staying.” I had nowhere to live but went from friend to family to friend, my suitcase in tow for 2 whole months before finding an apartment that fit my small budget. I just knew I had to be in this city that inspired me so much to make the music I felt waiting to come out. So I followed my gut and took the risk.

It definitely paid off. I spent the next year building up a network of incredible musicians who became close friends, played my first shows in the city, and started recording new music. Now, I am working on bigger projects, living with my partner in Brooklyn, and continuing to listen to my gut in the big and small decisions I’m making in my creative life.

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

I used to think that saying “yes” to every opportunity was the best way to grow, learn and become more successful as a creative, even if it made me uncomfortable. I was a pretty shy kid and it was hard for me to put myself out there. But I had this huge hunger to be onstage and I knew I couldn’t do that without getting in front of people and putting myself in situations that made me feel nervous. Pushing myself at that level, getting into audition rooms, saying yes to gigs where I have to play piano onstage (which was a major fear of mine for many years), even doing job interviews I didn’t feel qualified for, were all useful and fruitful opportunities that I said yes to. But the line between “good” and “bad” discomfort got blurred many times along the way.

The entertainment industry is not an easy one to navigate especially as a young woman. There are many who will take advantage of an “up and comer” with little experience and big dreams. You do not need to and should not feel pressure to say “yes” when the voice in the back of your head says that something isn’t serving you. If you are going against your morals to do a job, if you are being treated disrespectfully when sharing yourself or your ideas, if you feel small in a space where art is meant to grow, the opportunity will not lead to success. Just leave it behind and say “no.” I am still unlearning this in my own artistic life, but wanted to share a bit of my journey. Hopefully it helps.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emilysaraaustin.com/
• Instagram: @emilysaramusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilysaramusic
• Youtube: @emilysaraaustin
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2cjIQ0NleHwnYD5T72EI1r?si=A1A8tISkRlWdBd4g3r2AjQ
  Tiktok: @emilysaramusic

Image Credits

Kyle Logan Manning, Javi Alvarez, Henrique Penha, Tyler Clark