New Music from Allison Leah, Alex Skye, Sarah Suarez, Ava Dallas, Haley Montelaro, Stephània, and Sabrina Ponte

"I Didn't Know I Was Growing Up" - by Allison Leah

Release Date: May 1 2026

What You Should Know: "I’ve had this song in my pocket for over a year now and have been waiting for the right moment, and grad season just felt right. This song is also the first single off my NEW EP, Mirror, releasing this summer. It’s a 5 song collection of reflections, musings on growing up, and self-identity. These five songs are some of the most vulnerable I’ve ever written & sharing them right now feels so right. "

Find It: Spotify, and Apple

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previous Noteworthy Releases: "What I'm Missing", "24 Years Down", "Sorry For Myself", "i gave u my number"

Previously on Section 36: "Allison Leah Visits Section 36 Music!", "Allison Leah's 36 Favorite Things"

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"Never Have I Ever" - by Alex Skye

Release Date: April 30, 2026

What You Should Know: "This song is a hyper-pop, dance, house song that is for an upcoming project… BUT I am releasing it under my name first. Here is a break from the sad indie folk"

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple and Spotify

Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Alex Skye Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Hairline Fracture" - by Sarah Suarez

Release Date: May 1, 2026

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple and Spotify

Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Sarah Suarez Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Easy" - by Ava Dallas

Release Date: May 1, 2026

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple and Spotify

Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Ava Dallas Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Out of Our Control" - by Haley Montelaro

Release Date: May 1, 2026

What You Should Know: "I cannot express how surreal this is. My younger self knew she wanted to be an artist and a songwriter, but didn't know how to get there. Every year of middle and high school I would say "This is the year I'll release music" but had no idea what steps to take.

Now at the age of 19 I can say I have 9 tracks out, 6 of which are in this EP. Life is crazy."

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple and Spotify

Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Haley Montelaro Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Every Kind of Way" - by Stephània

Release Date: May 1, 2026

Find It: Everywhere, like  Apple or Spotify

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Stephània Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Back In Boston" - by Sabrina Ponte 

Release Date: May 1, 2026

What You Should Know: A version of this song like you've never heard before!

Find It: Spotify or Apple

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "Songs that Cover the Bases", "It's 2025 In Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Sabrina Ponte Visits Section 36 Music!"

Sarah Suarez Visits Section 36 Music!

So glad Sarah Suarez was able to visit Section 36 Music! I'm sure you have all listen to her fantastic single, "Front Row". If not, you'll want to listen as soon as you can. It's so wonderful that she wanted to visit with us and discuss her music, challenges, and a bit more. I'm sure you'll love what she had to say.

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

I really love your recent single, "Front Row." What can you tell me about it?

I wrote "Front Row" early in 2025, coming off of a break from school that I spent in central Florida with my family. I've found that the longer I've lived away from home, building my own life, the harder it is to go back, although I love spending time with my family. I get really horrible writer's block in my childhood home, and that silence has a way of making me question whether I'm a songwriter at all…like the distance from my routine is enough to convince me the whole thing was a fluke. Coming out of that experience and returning home, back to my routine and my found family, found myself airing out all of the frustrations I'd been carrying: feeling stuck in fear, and realizing I had actually been preferring to live in that fear, watching my own life from a distance rather than taking risks and being an active participant in it. This song ended up being the first I ever performed at a writer's showcase, as well as my first single. It feels good to be disproving the very feeling I had while writing it, simply by putting it out into the world.

Do you have a favorite memory from the recording process?

My incredible producer and close friend, Ellie Schubert, has since made the "fuck-it take" a tradition in all of our sessions with players, and it was born during the recording of "Front Row." As far as I know, it's something Ellie came up with herself, and it's exactly what it sounds like: the final take of any session where everyone is encouraged to leave everything on the floor, mess around, have fun, and play as though it's the last song they'll ever get to perform. When we give players free reign to experiment, we often get some wonderfully chaotic results, but when we listened back to "Front Row"'s fuck-it take, we found some genuine gems, some of which actually made it into the final mix.

You're attending Berklee College of Music. What made Berklee the right choice for you?

I've been so grateful for the opportunity to study at Berklee. I'm actually a double major in Songwriting and Music Therapy, which is an unconventional combination that keeps me incredibly busy, but when I was applying to music therapy programs, many were at conservatories that wouldn't have allowed me to pursue an education in popular music alongside it. Berklee gave me the chance to study not only music therapy, but also songwriting and music production, all while being in an environment where I could explore every aspect of my musicality, including how it connects to my cultural background. Berklee's diversity made it the perfect fit for my diverse pursuits.

What do you enjoy most about performing live?

For me, music is fundamentally about connection and community, and there is nothing quite like what live music creates. One of my favorite facts from my music physiology studies is that when people listen to music together, their heart rates actually begin to sync, an entrainment effect where the heart aligns with the rhythm of the music (the same innate pull toward synchronization that makes us want to dance). Every time I'm on stage and I feel the room lock in, when the audience goes quiet in exactly the right place, or the energy shifts all at once, I think about that. I can't think of a better way to describe the feeling of togetherness I experience, not just with the band, but with the audience. It has always been the place where I feel most like myself.

If you could cover any Disney song, which would you choose and why?

A Disney song that has always meant a great deal to me is "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas. The film has been widely criticized for its romanticized and inaccurate portrayal of Indigenous people and history, and rightfully so, but the song itself has always struck me as a genuinely beautiful call to action, and one that remains, unfortunately, deeply relevant. The imagery in the lyrics is breathtaking, and the way the harmony moves creates tension in exactly the right places. I've always been drawn to the Disney music of the '90s, as I watched those DVDs on loop when I was young, and that song in particular holds a special place for me.

What are your immediate musical goals?

I'm so excited for everything I have coming up. The songs on the horizon deal with themes that are very close to me: the kind of feelings that are easier to bury than to say out loud, and what happens when you can't keep doing that. I want to keep creating and writing as I have been, but my next goal is to invite people further into my world, whether through live shows or connecting online. I'll also just say: we recently recorded our first Spanish-language song, which feels like a really significant moment for me. Many more songs are on the way, reflective of my journey over the past year, and I hope listeners are able to connect with them, and with me. Stay tuned.

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I am most definitely staying tuned! 

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!

Sarah Suarez Releases "Front Row"!

There's a particular kind of paralysis that comes with knowing exactly what you want but being too afraid to reach for it. That tension is exactly where Sarah Suarez lives on her new single, "Front Row," out on Friday, March 6th.

Equal parts alt-rock grit and jazzy introspection, the song drifts between horse racing imagery, a love left unspoken, and a shelf full of dreams collecting dust, which all circle the same quiet confession: I keep waiting, and I don't know how to stop. The production matches the push and pull at the heart of the lyrics: warm but restless, textured but never quite resolved.

Fans of Mitski's emotional precision, Wolf Alice's raw alt-rockenergy, The Last Dinner Party's theatrical storytelling, and Hayley Williams' confessional urgency will find a lot to love here, with a touch of Faye Webster's jazzier, more reflective sensibility woven through the edges.

"Front Row" is out March 6th. Follow Sarah Suarez at @sarah.suarezzz and stream Front Row on all platforms