Spotlight On… Sarah Kinsley

Effervescent, atmospheric, and dreamlike – words often used to describe the discography of Sarah Kinsley, representing four EPs and half a decade of alt-pop masterpieces.

Growing up with classical training in violin, piano, and youth orchestras, as well as drawing inspiration from both her classical background in the cinematic ‘I’m Not A Mountain’, and her modern role models that range from Lorde’s 2017 album Melodrama to Fleetwood Mac in her latest bittersweet and melancholic EP, Ascension, the New York-based artist exhibits not only ingenious, intimate lyrics, but a genuine mastery of production.

Kinsley’s commitment to production began as a response to the underrepresentation of women in the field and her own experiences of dismissal from male peers. At the University of Columbia, she felt spoken over by the men in her classes, and stated in an interview with NME that “We need to recognise and amplify female producers.” Kinsley has also expressed anger with a statistic found by the University of Southern California that only 2% of producers of surveyed songs were female. This drive to be part of the change in the industry has resulted in one of the most talented producers in modern music.

Her sound is masterfully assembled and used to accompany and elevate her stunning lyricism

Her production process is far from conventional and well-documented: Kinsley released a video of her playing her guitar with a glass bottle, among other eccentric methods that came together to create what she called “a sonic environment that is so captivating.” Her sound is masterfully assembled and used to accompany and elevate her stunning lyricism.

Kinsley entered the scene with pop instrumentals and a self-inspired, cliched love story of young adults with her 2020 EP The Fall. She glides between sounds, her vocals swaying from gentle and mellow to vocoded and edged.

This EP takes the listener from dance-pop in ‘Serious’ to the contemplative ballad, ‘The Fall’. By way of this transition, Kinsley builds a sense of growth throughout the EP. She endures the pains of heartbreak and comes back stronger in ‘I Can Feel It’, the final track and perfect conclusion with its loud, poppy, and revitalising sound as the singer is standing back up and moving forward.

A year later, Kinsley returned with ‘Karma’, the lead single for her next EP, The King. The lead single ‘Karma’ bursts with an upbeat indie-pop rhythm and leads into the desirous ‘Over + Under’. It finishes with her most famous song, ‘The King’, well-deserving of its millions of streams for its honest and raw lyrics that narrate the dreams of her younger self, and the optimism of youth as she reminds her past self: “You’re still young and you’re still free”.

The EP peaks, however, with ‘I’m Not A Mountain’, a piece drawn from her orchestral background that acts not only as the height of the EP but as a tangible milestone of her discography in terms of vocal and sonic excellence, though her later work goes a step beyond even this. The climax of the song exposes her vulnerabilities and her smooth, sonorous vocals equally.

This intimacy and vulnerability explored in [ ‘The Giver’ ] opens Kinsley’s life to her listeners

2022 saw the release of Kinsley’s next EP, Cypress, as well as the single ‘The Giver’, a new peak for her career. If one song could be pointed to as her best-ever work, Kinsley’s second non-album single would be among the highest contenders.

Building on the expression of desire Kinsley explored in ‘Over + Under’, ‘The Giver’ is, according to a fan, the “apotheosis of Kinsley’s dissociative feminism”. With longing vocals and a poignant desperation in the lyrics, the song expresses a “raw post-coital wistfulness”, that is prominent in the lines “He turns around while you’re naked/ Says ‘We should be friends’ while you’re changing”. Sorely underrated even as her third-most streamed song on Spotify, it explores her healing from her imperfect relationship with a man she believed she could “change” and “satiate” and the forgiveness she grants herself in the aftermath. That forgiveness itself is a vulnerable, personal process that she shares through the song, creating true emotional depth to her work.

‘The Giver’ ends with the repeated question “Are you hungry for me, baby?”, a plea to be loved that shows a complete openness from Kinsley. This intimacy and vulnerability explored in the song opens Kinsley’s life to her listeners and connects them to her in ways that go beyond the tried and tested formulas of the genre and elevate her exponentially in the world of pop artists.

In 2023, Ascension was released, beginning with ‘Oh No Darling!’, a song that experiments with sarcasm and post-punk rhythm. It progresses into vocal experiments of Kinsley’s lower range and another return to her classical roots with ‘Ascension’.

The apex of Ascension can be found in ‘Black Horse’. This song expresses the burning joy of liberation and carelessness. Ascension possesses an unseen richness and new maturity that distinguishes it from the tenderness and youth of her earliest work – the journey from the sweet ‘Open Your Eyes’ to the mature confidence of ‘Lovegod’ is exquisite to experience.

[Kinsley’s] vision and artistry are at the core of each song

Having over 650,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, with many of her recent releases having reached more than 1,000,000 streams, Kinsley has already achieved great success and is bound to continue growing. The posts on her Instagram page teasing her new music have gained much interest and interaction from her fans and forecast a growing fanbase for Kinsley. With recent headline acts in 2024, and shows lined up as a supporting act for the likes of Keane and Mitski, Kinsley’s career is stepping up yet another notch as she is exposed to these enormous crowds and fanbases.

Kinsley’s greatest appeal, however, is that her main dedication is not to a profitable career or to fit into the trends of the market. Her vision and artistry are at the core of each song, and this authenticity is palpable in the quality of her art. Kinsley has created an unforgettable discography that will only continue to grow in its range and expertise as she continues to produce masterpieces in her future projects.