Sarah Perkins Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music had another visitor! Sarah Perkins is a fantastic singer, whose recent single "wanna be her" is one of my new favorites. I was so honored she was willing to visit with us to discuss the single, her musical goals, and more!

So, let's see what happens when Sarah Perkins visits Section 36 Music!

What can you tell me about your single, “wanna be her”?

“Wanna be her” is a song about loss, longing, and jealousy. It has a very bitter edge, tackling the feelings that may arise when your ex gets a new significant other, but you haven’t yet gotten over them yet. It is new territory for me sonically and I still love the way it sounds, even after hearing it a billion times while I was writing and editing it and when my producer Alex Vaccarello was working on it. It has gone through a lot of different versions to arrive at the point it’s at now. Originally there was no second half to the first verse or a bridge, but adding those sections really helped complete the story I was trying to tell. The main emotion and message of the song honestly scares me a bit to have out in the world - it feels vulnerable and a little bit ugly - which is how I knew it was the right song to push forward with and release. 

How would you say it compares to your previous release, “again”?

I would say “wanna be her" is definitely a bit of a 180 from “again” in terms of feel/vibe. I had written “again” 3 years before I had even started getting it produced, at a time when I was really struggling mentally. The song went through a lot of modifications before it was released. I learned a lot about myself as an artist through creating and releasing “again”, which I am so grateful for, as it has allowed me to better understand my vision for what I want my music to sound like and the story I want to tell - which I think is clear with the sonic and lyrical palette “wanna be her” has. While “again” is acoustic, “wanna be her” takes on a more biting edge, leaning into distorted electric guitars and uptempo drums. Though I still resonate with and love “again”, “wanna be her” feels like a positive progression in my sound - it feels even more like me. 

You attended Berklee College of Music. What did Berklee do for your music career?

Berklee gave me the space to hone my sound, vision, and goals, understand the music industry, and grow my technical skills. Before Berklee, having a music career felt like this big, mystifying thing - essentially unattainable. I didn’t even know where to start in order to achieve my goals. But as I began to learn more about the craft and the ways that I enjoyed creating music, I started to understand where I could fit in, in all of it. I learned that I could create my own little pocket of the universe where my music could live, a place that people would hopefully resonate with and find comfort in. There is space for everyone in the industry, but it definitely takes a lot of hard work, perseverance, and self reflection to get to a place that you are happy with. Berklee made me believe I could achieve what I wanted and gave me the tools to begin. Now is the fun part, where I use and modify those tools for the rest of my life. I’m in it for the long haul. 

Who or what would you say are your biggest musical influences?

I always struggle to answer this question because I listen to a lot of different styles of music, and my musical influences are always changing. At the end of the day, my musical style is a culmination of everything I’ve ever listened to - from High School Musical and Camp Rock when I was 9, to Victorious when I was 13, to musical theater when I was 16, to the many indie/pop/rock artists I listen to now. Currently, some of my favorite artists (in no particular order) are Lizzy McAlpine, Ben Platt, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and Conan Gray. I think I am a pop girlie at heart haha. The people I am most influenced by musically are artists who write deep, thought provoking or clever lyrics and clearly put a lot of love and care into their sound and message. I think it’s clear when an artist truly loves what they do and the process of creation, as it makes their music so much more personable and relatable. 

What is the biggest challenge you face when it comes to your music?

The biggest challenge I face when it comes to my music is deciding on a direction to take thematically, aesthetically, and sonically. Not that one always has to decide on one specific thing, but I find that it really enhances my sound and message when I do so. I just always have so many ideas and things I want to try out! I think there is a time and place to go all out and have things be a bit messier versus fine tuning and making really polished work. I think “wanna be her” really captures the balance in between the two. The song has a grittier, raw feel to it, while maintaining thought out and edited lyrics and cohesive sound.

What are your immediate music goals?

One of my immediate music goals is to start performing live more. There’s nothing like the energy of live music and being able to see people resonate with your music in real time. I really enjoy performing and am looking forward to getting back on stage and having fun with it. I also want to consistently release new music. There was a pretty large gap in between my first single “again?” and “wanna be her”, but I have so much lined up in the new year that I am really excited about. 

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I can't wait to see what she has planned!

As always, I want to thank Sarah for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her on Instagram, and Spotify to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again Sarah, and good luck reaching your goals!