Exclusive Interview with SARAH MCGUINNESS

Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

SARAH MCGUINNESS: I’m Irish – but since leaving as a fresh faced teenager I’ve lived in the UK and America as well as having a home in Ireland. I go where the work takes me! In terms of singing and songwriting it’s difficult to remember a time when I didn’t enjoy doing both those things! I became really serious about my creative endeavours when I moved to London and I saw how talented and exceptional people can be at their craft, whatever that may be. I realised I too had to be disciplined and add focus to my work to ensure I produced things to the best of my ability too. Like most creatives I had a lot of unfinished scribblings and half penned melodies, whole bodies of work in a very embryonic state, I learned to finish things properly and to take my practice seriously too.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

SARAH MCGUINNESS: I had singing and music lessons all throughout my childhood, and was part of several choirs and a youth orchestra for many years. My Aunt was a wonderful singer who always used to teach all us children by beautiful example. I grew up singing harmonies of choral classics with her, and the rest of my family. But I longed to be part of something a bit more rock and roll, that all happened later! I attended Uni in London where I mounted nine musical productions personally and took several to the Edinburgh festival.. I feel the combination gave me an incredible base on which to bounce off throughout my career. I have continued to learn and I don’t believe you can ever stop practice and development. In the last few years I have been working with an amazing singing teacher who has helped me to unlock a new range in my voice, so, once again, I am reminded that professional exploration is always on going and I love that!

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘SARAH MCGUINNESS?

SARAH MCGUINNESS: It was a way to separate my two careers, it’s less of an issue now as everyone’s doing it but then you had to be either a director/producer OR a performer (definitely not both) and taking my family name was a good way to do that and to embrace my Irish roots.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

SARAH MCGUINNESS: I hope my lyrics resonate with people, they are mostly where my songs start and I think that shows in the final production of my songs, people often tell me of lines they remember or that have stayed with them which is really lovely. The key elements musically are a great pop melody with a cinematic style vocal, the tracks are emotional pop with a soulful edge.

5. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

SARAH MCGUINNESS:

It’s like an urge I can never stop scratching, and I get a deep joy from it that nothing else comes near. As long as I can go out singing, and being honest in my work, I shall feel fulfilled

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

SARAH MCGUINNESS: I believe music is a fundamental source of social change, and massively so in terms of acceptance of minorities, and a flag under which to gather for positive purposes and change things we believe are wrong in society. From the powerful use of protest songs of John Lennon like ‘Give Peace a Chance’ to the anthem ‘We shall overcome’ through much modern rap I believe music is a way to lessen the differences between us that are always exploited by those who prefer to exploit them. Music allows us all to feel our similarities rather than our differences and to sing and dance together – it’s totally primal and fundamental to a healthy social fabric.

7. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as POP?

SARAH MCGUINNESS: I always felt most moved by the raw soulful tones of Motown and longed to emulate that sound. It took me many years to achieve it though, and I feel I’m only just reaching my full potential in that regard now. At the same time I was very inspired by the likes of Bowie, Bolan, Velvets and Iggy, so it’s a curious combination. As I’ve got older I’ve embraced the soul side of my work more and that’s what I’m working on right now. I’m also a huge fan of the cinematic scores of Barry, Hermann and Schifrin. Writing my first musical has really helped me to define myself as an artist, because there are no rules and the story draws you to the melody and style, not the other way round. In the music industry you’re required to stick to whatever niche you find and not change, and I always found that too constricting. So using my theatre experience in my approach to music has freed me up. It means you can identify with other characters, live in their heads and hearts, and write according to the style you feel they are living in that moment. I wonder if that hasn’t happened to a lot of other writers too, as I see more musicians drawn to the format.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

SARAH MCGUINNESS: My songs sometimes start as poems, with the lyrics before the music. Or sometimes I’ll wake up in the night with an overwhelming emotion and phrase and the melody will echo the cadence of the exclamation. This leads to to the final melody and the rest of the shape of the song. There are weeks, months, (years?!) of chorus scribbles, handwritten bridges and lots of revisions, tweaks and humming! Somewhere along the line the words stop moving and it settles into the final lyrics. I have also always recorded segments and ideas on the fly, these days on my phone but, if you can believe it, I used to carry a dictaphone!

9. What would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

SARAH MCGUINNESS: I have been lucky enough to have some incredibly proud moments in my career, performing at The Hollywood Bowl and The Sydney Opera House were particularly memorable, the acoustics alone were unbelievable to experience, and then the audience…what a ride. But last year I sang in a small club in Ireland and the atmosphere was incredible, so focused and emotional – with an amazing audience. I was knocked out by that experience. Releasing my debut album ‘Unbroken’ was also just a wonderful moment, especially when we did the deluxe vinyl edition (you can still purchase it on my website), there was something very special about seeing my record in a gatefold sleeve and playing it on my parents record player that I had inherited, that made me very happy

10. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

SARAH MCGUINNESS: It’s in the nature of things for people to misuse a new toy (social media) so it’s bit like taking the wails of a toddler seriously. As my late mum used to say ’treat it with the ignore it deserves’ lol Life is too short!

11. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

SARAH MCGUINNESS: To celebrate my re-release of Christmas Everyday this year I have curated ‘The Live Edit’ (available on my socials and website), it’s a retrospective of my live performances, spanning all the years I have been gigging. Seeing all the footage has been incredible and it reminded me, after two years off during covid, how much I love it. So if you ask me after coming off stage…I couldn’t possibly be an artist without performing live. But if you ask me when I am in the studio, working with a great producer, writing in little changes and singing something over and over to get the particular nuance we want for that line, I couldn’t not be a recording artist either, it’s just such a privilege to create an album. So….they both excite me in equal measure!

12. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

SARAH MCGUINNESS: People are definitely free to interpret my songs, it’s even more touching if it affects them on a personal level. Of course there was a reason or story behind my thought process when originally creating them, especially the lyrics, but that needn’t be the same meaning for everyone. It never ceases to amaze me but music has this magical way of being relatable in different ways to different people. It’s always flattering to hear versions of a song I’ve written. When a gospel choir covered my song ‘Here We Stand’ from the ’Noma’ film it was very moving. And ‘Mama Can You See Me Now’ was written from the point of view of the subject of the movie ‘Believe’, but then later when it was revoiced by a child for a hard-hitting road safety campaign it gave me absolute chills to hear it in that context, especially with the powerful images they’d put together.