Sarah Barrios has been one of our favourite artists for a while. She has just released her second EP ‘Conversations With Myself’ via Arista Records. It’s full of her trademark, honest and relatable lyrics which make you feel,
We caught up with her for a chat about her ‘Conversations With Myself’.
Hi Sarah, thanks for taking the time to have a chat with us. Can you tell us a bit about your new single ‘Happy’? as it’s such an empowering and relatable track.
Hiya!! Thanks for having me! This song is really about learning to embrace moments of happiness instead of fearing that the worst is right around the corner. It’s okay to feel happy.
What track off Conversations with Myself are you most excited for people to hear?
Honestly I’m really excited for everyone to hear Happy! I don’t have a lot of super upbeat songs so it’s always fun and exciting to share something that people can dance to!
How do you think the new EP differs from your previous EP, Letters I Never Sent?
Letters I Never Sent was about love, heartbreak and the realization that how you treat soemone does directly effect their life. Conversations With Myself is more about introspection, re-thinking and re-approaching myself. I really dove inward and tried to share things that I was afriad of, things I was ashamed of and things that made me see myself from a different point of view!
This past year has been incredibly hard on everyone, has writing and music helped you cope with all the changes we’ve all had to face?
1000% I don’t know where I’d be without it. Writing, whether that be music, journaling, poetry, it is the one thing I truly cannot live without and while this year was incredibily difficult, I feel extremely grateful to be able to continue to express myself through music.
Your songs are always very relatable and listening to them is something we find always empowers and gives us confidence and reassurance that things will be ok. Is that something you are conscious of when writing?
I’m glad you feel that way!! I think it depends on the song really! Sometimes I’m so in my feelings that I don’t even remember how I wrote the song and other times I am very aware of what I want to say, who might need to hear it and how I would want someone to say it to me!
How do you approach songwriting? Do the lyrics come first or the melody? Are you the type of writer who just writes what they feel or do you take a basic concept and work from them?
Honestly, it depends on the day! Most of the time it’s lyric first, though usually, I have some idea of a melody in mind. I usually take five minutes before I start a session to write down everything I’m thinking in a journal and then I’ll take those feelings into the session and write the song from that! Other days I’ll go in with a word or a photo and be like, “I want to write about how this would feel.” Really just depends on my mood.
Late last year you released ‘Help’ with Rence, how did that collaboration happen, as it’s an amazing track!
Thank you so much!! The collaboration with Rence was so much fun! Help was about reaching out to others and learning to share experiences in order to heal. It just didn’t feel right to sing something like that alone. I had heard Rence’s music before and I just felt like it would be a really good fit and he was kind enough to be open about his own struggles with mental health which definitely made the song so much stronger!
How has your life changed career-wise since you signed your record deal?
It’s crazy because I’ve really only experienced being signed during a pandemic so I don’t really know much else! I’m definitely much busier now and having a team to help bring ideas and dreams to life is really something special. There are so many opportunities to connect with people across the world and share stories that I really can’t imagine my life any other way.
In the future, if you could collaborate with any artist who would you love to work with?
– This question is always so hard because I have so many haha! Hayley Williams from Paramore would be a big one for me. She’s been an inspiration since I was a kid so that would be crazy. (Also Harry Styles and Stevie Nicks)
What’s next for you after the EP, a full album maybe and hopefully when it’s safe to tour?
– Definitely more music! I’ve been releasing a song every month and people seem to enjoy that so I’ll probably keep doing that. I would LOVE to tour. I’m dying to travel and visit different countries/states and meet the people who have been so kind in supporting me! Fingers crossed we can get to a place where it’s safe to do so!
Let us know which track you can’t get enough of off Sarah’s new EP ‘Conversations With Myself; on @CelebMix!