Blues music artist, Sarah Matthews
Blues music artist, Sarah Matthews
Where did you grow up? Oakland and San Francisco, CA.
What inspired you to get into music? I've loved music since I was a young child. Whitney Houston was my idol and I always wanted to grow up and sing on a stage like she did.
At what age did you write your first song? When I was in elementary school, I used to sing a lot of popular songs/x-mas carols and I'd often create newer renditions of old songs. I guess I was 9 when I re-did Deon's song "Run Around Sue" but changed the lyrics to "Run Around Lou" and made it more about guys running around with other women. My first REAL song writing though didn't come until my 3rd/4th year of college when I had a better understanding of structure/harmony/music theory.
Do you play any instruments? Yes! I'm a music teacher and I play lots of instruments. Clarinet, ukulele, guitar and I've always loved the piano.
Do you write for other artists? Not at this time but perhaps I will some day.
Being a music teacher, what age group are your students? I've taught voice lessons to students of all ages throughout my life. Currently, I teach general music and choir to elementary school students (age 6-11) .
You have performed all over the world, what is your most memorable place that you performed? I got to sing in fantastic cathedrals in France during a choir trip in college, one of them was Rouen Cathedral, it was so incredibly beautiful. More recently, I got to perform with a choir in Greece at the old theatre called Delphi Theatre, also incredible to imagine how ancient it was. More locally, I got to sing at the SAP center in San Jose with a choir for the Legend of Zelda tour and several times I've sung on the stage of Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco with choirs from around the world. I also got a chance to sing at Lucas Valley Ranch for some video game and movie sound tracks and that was HUGE highlight of my life.
Has Covid affected your music career? In many ways Covid has affected my music career because it's given me more time to write music and reflect on the struggles of today. In terms of performing though, it's left an empty hole that can't quite be filled until this pandemic is over and people are allowed to group together again for live music. I really miss performing live!
Are you working on any new projects? Yes, I'm currently working on my 2nd album. We've been writing and recording like crazy. I'm excited to complete this project hopefully by the end of summer 2021.
What are your plans for the rest of the year? I plan to continue to write and record music as much as possible. If we can perform live again, I'd love to book some shows locally in the Bay Area but until then, I'll continue to write.