Email:neill@outloudculture.com
Socials: @neillfrazer
Earlier this year, Sarah stole the hearts of millions of social media users nationwide after posting an early clip of her newly-written (at the time) song, “Get Back Your Fight.” The favorable response motivated Sarah to finish writing, recording, and producing the track in her Nashville studio.“THIS is a survival song! Amazing,” wrote one TikTok user. The song’s popularity connected her with more than 100,000 new followers across social media while increasing global DSP streams to 174 million, which prompted her label to plan a release date for Best Days.
The album, praised by Wonderland Magazine for its “optimistic outlook and plenty of emotional vulnerability,” debuted last Friday (9/22) and arrives on the heels of Sarah’s toughest emotional season. Aside from “Get Back Your Fight,” Best Days includes other standout tracks, “Billboards On Sunset” (watch here), co-produced by Taylor Hill (Summer Walker, Coi Leray), and “Triggered” featuring MTV VMA winners Social House (Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez) (listen here). Holding writing credits on all 16 tracks, Sarah explores an entire spectrum of emotions over lush instrumentation sprinkled with electronic elements and warm pop textures.
Hi Sarah, welcome to OLC! Can you tell us about how your musical journey began and who were some of your influences growing up?
I grew up in a musical family. When I was 12 years old, I went to my first concert (Rebecca St. James), and I knew that night I wanted to be a singer. My dad built a recording studio for my siblings and me by our house, and we played a lot of music in the church. From there, I started singing in bands and writing songs around 15. It has been a passion ever since.
You have a new album called “Best Days.” What was the inspiration behind it, and what motivated you to create it?
I usually have a clear vision going into making an album, but with this one, it took me a minute to find that clarity. Usually, I start writing, and eventually, something clicks. Best Days was one of the first songs I wrote for the album. As soon as that one was complete, I knew this was the direction for the rest of the album. Some songs are very personal, and others are just fun ones. I worked with a small crew in Los Angeles, and it was very inspiring to work there. It was a vulnerable time in my life as I was going through a divorce, but writing these songs was very therapeutic for me. I hope this project helps heal others as well.
“Get Back Your Fight” gained significant popularity on social media. Could you share more about the journey from posting the early clip to the album’s release?
One of my goals this past year was not just to write the lyrics and melody of a song but also to learn how to produce/make the music. So, I dug deep to understand the technical side of production and started filming my process. I would post different clips of songs on social media as I was learning. One day, “Get Back Your Fight” came out, and I knew it was a special one from the beginning. I finished the whole song independently and released it as quickly as possible. That song grew my Instagram from 40,000 to 130,000 followers in just a few months. It is now in the Top 25 on Hot AC Radio in America. To see the impact the song has made has been excellent. People have shared their stories about getting their fight back in their personal lives, and it’s been inspiring and motivating.
The album has an “optimistic outlook and emotional vulnerability.” How did you strike this balance in your songwriting and production?
My approach to songwriting is always authenticity. Anytime I have been vulnerable in my music, people relate to it. So I don’t hold back in the emotional vulnerability. However, I have a lot of faith in myself, and I don’t want to hold that back either. Even though life is hard for all of us at some point, there’s always hope, and I want to portray that in my music.
You have writing credits on all 16 tracks of the album. What was your creative process like when working on these songs?
I collaborated with a small team of writers/producers for this project. I usually would come in with an idea or title, and we’d chat and then eventually explore sounds, melodies, and hooks. Other days, we started from scratch, didn’t overthink and just had fun with the music. There is no formula for creating music. It’s a blank canvas, and thrilling to be a part of the artistic process.
“Billboards On Sunset” is co-produced by Taylor Hill. Can you share your experience collaborating on this track and its significance on the album?
“Billboards On Sunset” all started with the title. I was staying on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles and looked out the window and saw all the billboards and flashing lights on the building. I wrote the title in my notes and later brought it into a songwriting session with my co-writers. We decided to make it a fun, dancy-pop song with a little attitude about trying so hard to love someone, but it never seems good enough for them.
“Triggered” features MTV VMA winners Social House. What was it like working with them, and how did this collaboration come about?
The Social House guys are super nice and talented. My team connected me with them. We had a lot of fun writing “Triggered,” and they agreed to be a feature on the song. It was one of the first songs we wrote for the album. I love how it turned out.
You recently performed at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, Germany. Can you tell us about that experience and how it felt to celebrate your album’s release on stage?
Reeperbahn was a blast. It was my first time in Germany. My music has done well there, so it was very relaxing and significant to be there on the album release day. Everyone was so kind. I hope to be back soon!
With a growing following on TikTok and Instagram, how do you engage with your fans on these platforms, and what role do they play in your musical journey?
Social media has been a great resource and a way to connect with fans worldwide. I try to be present as much as possible to stay engaged with people. I am very grateful to the fans who support my music. Instagram and TikTok are great tools to give them more access to my world and show them love.
Socials | TikTok (109.8K followers) + Instagram (131K followers)