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

Alright, Sarah Rae thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Music. One of the most coveted lines of work. An industry with just as many solutions as there are secrets. From a young age, my soul called to it. I would get on a stage in grade school, and it felt like my soul was set on fire. The atoms inside of my body shook fervently, and effortlessly. Adrenaline pumping. Shoulder down, head high. Of course I didn’t know what any of those feelings meant at that young of an age, but I knew I loved it. I took every class, turn, lecture, and setting I could to learn how to sing well, compose beautifully, and bare my soul to an audience. Stage presence had to have been the one thing that came more naturally to me than anything because to me it always came down to being the most vulnerable version of yourself. A great acting coach taught me that people relate to you when you’re vulnerable. They like you when they can relate to you. They respond when they like you. That, more than anything, is the most essential skill to learn when wanting to pursue being a performer of any kind.

I pride myself on wanting to teach others the ropes of the music industry. In that, I am 100% self taught. After 10 years away from music, I came back during the pandemic and would spend literal hours at the computer learning about publishers, sync licensing, contacting curators, contacting press, contacting venues. I made spreadsheets for my spreadsheets. Picked the brain of my idol producers here in Atlanta, and I put it all together in to a recipe that caught fire for the “Sarah Rae” project turned “of persephone”. I feel it so vital to share knowledge with each other, because no one should be able to gate keep art. No one should be able to withhold industry secrets, and I have a fire in my belly to share what I know with everyone willing to work hard enough to use it.

My biggest obstacle and wish for myself was abandoning music in my early 20s. I never left the scene, and was always a shadow, but becoming a shadow was always my biggest regret. I didn’t give myself the credit I deserved, and believed becoming successful doing it was beyond my means. I know now how much of a fallacy that was, and plan on selling out stadiums one day. While I pave my way to the stadiums, I aim to bring every peer around me who wants to rise with me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Sarah Rae, and I am an Atlanta-born artist. I was a musician at a young age, and pursued literature and music theory while in college. I decided early that music was the love of my life, but after a few life-altering traumas I convinced myself in my early 20s that I wasn’t capable of providing what I needed to pursue that soul passion. I’d come to find by 30 that wasn’t true, but for almost 10 years I pivoted to the hair industry to sustain my artistic need. I loved doing it for a long time, but when the pandemic came around my soul was tired, and yearning. It yearned for the stage. It yearned for vulnerability. It yearned to share a message with anyone who may listen. I shut down my salon near the end of 2021 after releasing a few successful singles as Sarah Rae, and 180’d right back to where I started. The love of my life. Music. I came across a guitarist, Anthony, and my current bassist Chris who saw in me what I’d tried so hard to see within myself, and that led to the coming together of the early stages of what would be siren rock. Playing venues right out of the pandemic starting with Athen’s Femininenergy which came to Atlanta, run by Oynx Echelon’s Akeeme Martin who gave me the benefit of the doubt by being the first to book me, and finalizing that re-ignited fire. We proceeded to play 2-3 shows a month headling venues like The EARL, Star Bar, Center Stage, and others really gaining a live traction on our music. Anthony ended up leaving the band to handle life matters, which left us with our current music family – Nick Mays on the drums, Steve Bob on the guitar, and Chris Tinsley on the bass with myself a the songwriter, vocalist, and keys.

We released our first full length album as the official “of persephone”, Bridge to Neverland, really introducing to the world our claim to the music industry – siren rock.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Honesty. Trust. Transparency.

Creatives give everything they have to their craft. The world needs art, but only invest in brands. Locals love indie music, but don’t attend shows. Family and friends support your happiness, but only buy from millionaires. It’s kind of a vicious cycle that feeds the industry that keeps secrets from the very people who give it life.

The bottom line is that no one should be gate kept. Services that force you to buy reviews like SubmitHub. Playlist curators that put a price to putting a song on a playlist. Producers who take your money, but don’t uplift you by sharing your work themselves.

We need to support each other. We need to uplift each other. We an all be successful at the same time because not everyone hears the same message when it comes to everyone’s music. No one feels the same thing from listening to the same song. We are all needed. All of our music is valid, and all art is beautiful. I truly believe that we are capable of making this happen if we all put in the same effort we use to compete with each other, and instead share with each other.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

We spend our life savings on creating the art you thrive on.

We adore it, don’t get us wrong, but if you truly enjoy us, buy our merch. Come to our shows, and don’t expect to get in for free. Put our shows on the calendar the same exact way you would for a billboard artist 6 months ahead of their show who you’ve never met.

I absolutely adore community, people, and our city, and I adore all of our fans so I feel this is a very important message moreso for those closest to creatives than it is for those who found them because they love their art.

I am so very grateful to have such an amazing support system as a creative, and such an amazing fan base for our music who uplifts us with every release, announcement, and show. For all non-creatives that enjoy our music, we only hope that all creatives get just as much love as we do, and that non-creatives are always considering how to uplift your local creatives trying put beauty in to this world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ofpersephone.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ofpersephoneband/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ofpersephone/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/sarahraesings/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/ofpersephoneband/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/ofpersephone/
• Other: www.linktr.ee/ofpersephone/

Image Credits
Smiling Eyes Media