Photo courtesy of Florence Sullivan
On January 20th, KSDT was fortunate enough to join °1824 in their virtual press conference with rising indie pop star Sarah Kinsley, discussing her upcoming EP, Fleeting.
This was my first press conference, so if that wasn’t anxiety-inducing enough, it was being hosted on Zoom… I was preparing for the trenches. However, °1824’s team was amazing hosts, and Kinsley gave everyone on the call detailed insights into her process of creating music. Her enthusiasm and brief yet impactful interactions with the various outlets were endearing to say the least. Although we ran out of time to ask all the questions, by the end of the 60 minutes with Kinsley, it was as if I melded with her music.
The questions asked ranged from simple and fun to thought-provoking and deep, and regardless of what was thrown at her, Kinsley answered with care. The press conference danced around the context behind her artistry and current project, Fleeting. Kinsely explained that as a musician, she has been taking in the art around her to create her own work. In relation to works that have inspired her upcoming EP, she said, “When you listen to music so much, it seeps into your consciousness in some way.” She proceeded to list her inspirations, such as the album Hats by The Blue Nile, and musicians like New Order and Blood Orange, as artists constantly in her subconscious when creating her melodies and lyrics. When detailing her general artistry, she dove into the “wolf” inside of her: her upbringing in classical music. She said that by growing up learning classical piano, she is grateful for the beauty of that world; however, the rules of creating are much different and more strict. With that being said, her personal music intuition can be murky, making this upbringing a double-edged sword—although it makes her creation process uncertain, if you have ever listened to Sarah Kinsley, her music transcends normative pop music, blending into cinematic pop.
As an avid listener and long-time fan of Kinsely, I recognized how in the two singles she has released from this EP, her music is sonically more experimental, adjacent to her album Escaper; however, more blatant and vulnerable lyrically. Kinsely dove into her songwriting process, specifying how her intentions with this EP were to be honest. Throughout her career, she has been worried that if she is too honest, no one can relate to her music; therefore, she makes her lyrics vague and sugarcoats her feelings. But for this EP, things are different—she is challenging herself to be candid in her emotions and vulnerable in her yearning. By doing so, even though she is being more specific in what she is releasing to her audience, she is also removing the wall of nuance that hides how she truly feels.
Going into this conference, I thought things would steer towards teasing Kinsley’s new EP. Conversely, it was deep and introspective. Kinsley dove into her songwriting formulas, her love of sonic textures, current inspirations, and future anticipations—shaping the Zoom conference to feel intimate and engaging.
Fleeting, an EP centered around freely longing and desire, is set to be released on February 13th. For those who enjoy good music, cinematically watching life pass by, and continuously wish for more, Sarah Kinsley will always be my recommendation.
