We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah J a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I grew up doing musical theatre and singing classical music. I began voice lessons at 7 and stayed with the same instructor until I moved here to Nashville. My household has always been very musical and I always felt that I had music in me. I started playing guitar at 10 and piano at 12, so I always knew that music was something that gave me comfort and made me feel purposeful. I started playing contemporary music professionally at 17 and everything took off from there. I took my first gig thinking that it would be a fun hobby that I could indulge in every now and then. It quickly snowballed into a full-blown career and I ended up being a senior in high school while also being a gigging musician in my local area (Huntsville, AL) on the weekends. I knew from that first gig that it was something that I could really lean into and I loved every second of it. I was named “Best Singer in Huntsville, AL” in 2021 and 2022, and I am so humbled and grateful for that. I moved to Nashville to further pursue my musical and scholastic careers. I am now a resident musician and singer at many fine-dining venues in Nashville, TN, and also specialize in private events. I never thought that one gig back when I was 17 would turn into this, but I am forever thankful that life brought me to where I am today.

Sarah , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started my musical journey when I was about 7 years old, although much of my family says I was singing before I could even talk. I started singing and dancing in musicals and it just naturally progressed and flowed into what I do today. I am classically trained, vocally, and had the same vocal instructor for about ten years.

She really is more like family now. I have always been intensely passionate about music and I think growing up watching my dad sing in a local band in my hometown of Huntsville, AL really magnified that passion even more. I started playing guitar around the age of eleven and piano around twelve. I always loved playing guitar, albeit difficult to learn in the beginning stages. However, when I started playing around on the piano I instantly fell in love. I was hooked for life and really never looked back. I taught myself in the beginning and then eventually started taking lessons to progress my skills.

The week before I turned eighteen I played my first contemporary live show in Huntsville, AL. I had absolutely no idea that night would change everything for me. I went into that show thinking it would be an amazing hobby because I love to play my instruments and sing, but I realized that I could possibly expand this into a career after getting an amazing reaction from the crowd. Soon after my first show, I began to book monthly, then weekly, in Huntsville playing at local fine-dining restaurants, casual restaurants, breweries, and doing private events.

My original music is a mix of neo-soul/pop and alternative and my cover music genres range widely so I am able to match the atmosphere of a venue by playing anything from Sam Cooke to Coldplay. After about a year of being in the Huntsville music scene and winning “Best Singer of the Year, 2021,” I knew that I would be moving to Nashville soon to attend Belmont University, on a fast-track undergraduate program in pursuit of a Ph.D. in Occupational Therapy, so I began to pursue new avenues in the Nashville area. I was fortunate enough to connect with some amazing people and quickly started booking venues and private events here in the city.

I now do mostly fine-dining shows, private events, and weddings and I absolutely love my job. I never in a million years would have thought that one night back when I was seventeen would have led me to be a musician in Music City at nineteen years old. I have residencies here in Nashville and travel back to Huntsville for shows about once a month. It is challenging being a full-time student and working as a musician, but I would never wish for anything else.

I released my first EP titled Miss J in May of 2021 and just recently released a single titled Be Okay. My music is available on all streaming platforms and can be found through my website sarahjmusic.com.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I think that many artists, including myself, are driven by the desire to want to make people feel something. Music is so moving and I know that it is what I leaned on the most as a kid trying to understand the world around me. Music has always been my crutch and I want to give some of that back to my listeners. Whether you are in the best spot in your life or the worst spot in your life, I just hope that I can give any kind of insight to people who listen to my music. My goal is to make music that I love, sing for people who love to listen, and inspire other young artists to believe in themselves.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think that today’s society has turned the music industry into a cookie-cutter-fast-track market. Music releases used to be something that brought people together. Friends used to buy the latest records and have listening parties. Mom and Dads would turn on their favorite vinyl records while cooking, and people would save up to buy a new CD. Records were made with recording instrumentalists; real bands. Much of the industry does not work like that anymore, and that is okay. However, I hope to bring some of that nostalgia back with my music. I think the best way that today’s society can help support artists is to download music, keep buying physical copies of music, and stream stream stream. Of course, I could say follow on social media but I honestly get sick of talking about social media sometimes. I also think that it is very important to go to local artists’ shows and support them in their live shows! All of these things will help keep the ecosystem in line.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sarahjmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialsarahjmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialsarahjmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6BCnQGNCUxwffp-tpSStXw

Image Credits
Cristian Sigler