2021 was a big year for musician Sarah Kinsley. Her debut song ‘The King’ became a viral sensation on TikTok, giving her an immediate spotlight and audience that most artists spend years developing.
Now in the fall of 2024, she’s on tour celebrating the release of her debut album Escaper, which was released last month to critical acclaim.
The tour includes a sold-out stop at Durham’s Motorco Music Hall on Saturday, Oct. 5.
WUNC Music’s Brian Burns recently caught up with Kinsley to talk about her new record and her background in classical music.
This is an excerpt of an edited transcript of that conversation. You can hear the full interview by clicking the LISTEN button at the top of this post.
Growing up, you trained in classical piano. I'd love to hear a little bit about your transition from classical to pop music.
"It was super seamless. I spent the first 10 to 13 years of my life being all for classical music — it was my whole life basically. When I was in middle school and high school I started listening to the radio and pop music a lot. I loved Carole King. Caring more about how people sang made me care about how I did, weirdly. It was like an instrument I didn't understand yet."
The new record opens with 'Last Time We Never Meet Again,' a song you wrote about the end of a friendship. Tell us a little more about what inspired that song.
"I think that when you distance yourself from people, you feel a wide array of emotions. For several months after the death of this friendship I felt a lot of anger, resentment, and guilt, but the underlying emotion that stuck with me was wanting to pay homage to this friendship. It's weird to feel that kind of love, even amongst anger, because it doesn't feel real sometimes. I wanted that song to acknowledge the anger I was feeling, but to essentially be a celebratory song."
Sarah Kinsley's debut album is Escaper. She plays at Durham’s Motorco Music Hall on Saturday, Oct. 5.
