Sarah Walk – My Body

By starrymag | January 5, 2024

By: Alejandra Gil M.

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I always have a tough time with that one. I think I would say it’s indie alternative with some folk touches perhaps?

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) I’ve had a pretty wide range of influences. I grew up listening to a lot of early 2000’s pop and R&B (Hanson, Usher, TLC…) but also had a lot of 60’s folk playing in my house (Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell). As I got into high school, I got really into alternative music like Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins and Jeff Buckley. I think I’ve brought a lot of those inspirations into my music in different ways.

Q) You graduated from Berklee College of Music grew up in Minnesota but has spent much of your time living between Los Angeles and London. Worked on debut album Little Black Book with producer Steve Brown (Laura Mvula) and co-produced your second, Another Me, with Leo Abrahams (Regina Spektor, Belle and Sebastian, Paul Simon, Pulp, David Byrne, Brian Eno). How much of that experience has influenced your music nowadays?

A) I don’t know how much of that has influenced my music, but I do think going to a place like Berklee helped me take myself seriously in a different way. It also pushed me to be a better player and allowed me to do less because I was playing with people that were really incredible musicians. I think that was the first time I really thought doing this for a living was possible because everyone around me was telling me it was.

Q) Your new single called “My Body” is out now. Please tell us the story behind the song.

A) In winter of 2021, I went to NYC for a month and stayed at my manager’s house for a change of scenery to try and start writing this album. I ended up not really getting anywhere, except a lot of little song seeds. But I think that all needed to happen to be able to get to the album that I ended up finishing and recording in 2023. Ultimately, I wasn’t sure yet what the album would be about and wasn’t really at a place where I was comfortable facing my feelings about this subject. “My Body” started as just a drum groove and bass line, and I sort of started chanting the hypnotic lyric “my bodies not my own, my bodies not my home” over it. I hadn’t yet even voiced out loud my curiosity in getting top surgery yet, so this was really the first subconscious expression of my discomfort with my body. Now that I’ve finished a whole album, which follows this journey, I like how this song feels like it’s just about to break into something bigger but never quite does. It feels somewhat panicked and isolating.

Q) What is your songwriting process? Do you need music before you can come up with the lyrics?

A) I usually start with a chord progression that I find inspiring or interesting, which leads to melodies that are typically phonetic at first. If something excites me, I’ll usually start recording on my phone so I can listen back to see if there is anything interesting that I say amongst a bunch of mumbling. Remarkably, somewhat subconsciously, it usually does.

Q) “My Body” explores dysphoria and the initial feelings you had before committing to top surgery.  What do you hope people take away from it?

A) I hope people that have experienced a similar feeling find some sort of comfort in the song; In knowing what it feels like and knowing that, eventually, I found a way through it.

Q) The song follows the release of “Lean In” on the official soundtrack for Apple TV+’s “The Buccaneers,” executive produced by Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint, who also produced “My Body.” What was it like working with Stella on the song?

A) Nothing but a joy! And, honestly, shockingly easy. Stella and I had met a year prior working on some of my demos (“My Body” was one of them) and she was producing the soundtrack for “The Buccaneers” and needed some writers. I sent her a bunch of little ideas and then she picked this one out of the bunch, came to my studio to make a demo, and the rest was history!

Q) The soundtrack features tracks from Sharon Van Etten, Gracie Abrams, Bully, Alison Mosshart, Lucius, Warpaint and more. What does it mean to get more & more recognition for your music?

A) It’s great to be in great company and I feel fortunate to get to do what I love for a living.

Q) This single is a preview of your upcoming LP out next year. Is there a song on it that you can tease that was more emotional for you to record or maybe challenging for you in some way? 

A) This is by far the most vulnerable and difficult body of work I’ve ever made. I think the whole thing was incredibly challenging and exposing, but also at the same time, one of the easiest albums I’ve ever made because it was so honest. Nothing felt forced or contrived. There were moments when I was recording it that I didn’t know were so emotional for me until I listened back to them, or started sharing them with people, and I think that will continue to evolve over time in different ways as the songs get released.

Q) You will head out on a European tour with Adam Barnes and Joe Hicks later this month, including stops in Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt and more.  Which of your songs are you most looking forward to playing live?

A) It’s been really fun getting to play new music since it’s been a good few years without any new songs being released. I’m really looking forward to continuing to expand the songs on the new album that I’ll play, and particularly getting a full band behind me down the line. It’s a really live album with a lot of energy and emotion and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how that translates on stage with other people.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) Hmmm. So many! I’d love to collaborate with Madison Cunningham, Margaret Glaspy, Kevin Garrett and Dodie to name a few….

Q) What album/group are you currently listening to and why do you like it?

A) On tour this past week, Adam was playing a lot of French music because he moved to France last year. One group that we couldn’t stop listening to was Grand Corps Malade – the group is comprised of the three losers in a category at a music awards show and the album is about kidnapping the guy who won (all in good fun!!!). There are some bangers on there, particularly “Tailler la Route.” Had that one on repeat!

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) It’s a great way to connect to fans and be able to tell my story, but I also think there is a limit, for me at least, of how much time I can be on social media without feeling like my art and my view of the world as an artist suffers. So, I’m always trying to find that balance!

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of you and your music?

A) I’m incredibly grateful to those who have stuck with me; it’s a really demanding and often times brutally tough industry to be in, but there is nothing more motivating than knowing your music reaches people and means something to them. I’m more excited than I’ve ever been to get this new music out there and see what people think. I’m incredibly proud of what Tyler [Chester] and I have created and I really hope it helps articulate a part of the queer and trans experience and provides healing for that community.