Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Sarah Anne Fernandez
THE RELEASE
Sarah Anne Fernandez has swiftly become an up-and-coming artist to watch with the successful release of her breakout track, "Nightmare." Fernandez brilliantly mixes powerful vocals and engaging melodies with private and emotional lyrics. She has a love for making music that relies on narrative and honesty. Her unique songwriting talent shows through in every tune, striking a deep emotional chord with listeners. Sarah Anne Fernandez is ready to make a huge impression in the music business, stunning listeners with her passionate and anthemic compositions. She has a burgeoning fan following and an unrelenting devotion to her profession.
"Plot Twist," Sarah Fernandez's latest single, is a gripping and energetic pop anthem that reveals the wonder of unexpected love. The song takes listeners on a musical trip where serendipity reigns supreme, thanks to its irresistible melody and seamless combination of pop and techno elements. Fernandez's strong voice bring her sensitive and passionate words to life, resulting in an enticing love letter to love itself. With its vivid and powerful music, "Plot Twist" promotes itself as the perfect summery song. As the song progresses, it simply reminds us of the thrill that occurs when love surprises us. Prepare for a wonderful encounter that will capture you and leave you wanting more of Sarah Fernandez's creativity.
THE INTERVIEW
What song or moment in time sparked your passion for music?
I’ve been passionate about music since I was two years old. As I mentioned above, the first movie I ever remember seeing was Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” and I remember being completely mesmerized by all of the music in the film. I knew immediately that I wanted to be a singer just like Ariel was, and that I wanted music in my life any way that I could get it. From then on, I was hooked. I grew up to pursue music in many different avenues - via musical theatre, songwriting, etc. I love every aspect of it and know that I’m the best version of myself whenever I’m working on music of any kind.
If you had to create a Mount Rushmore of inspiration, what four individuals molded the artist you are today?
Okay - I love this question. I’m going to go the route of artistic inspiration here and talk about the four artists whose work molded the artist I am today. Firstly, this comes as a surprise to no one, Taylor Swift. It’s impossible to not include her when she is objectively one of the greatest songwriters of our time. She’s the artist that inspired me to want to be a songwriter at the mere age of 12… when I heard “Teardrops on My Guitar” on the radio for the first time I knew wanted to write music just like she did. I’d sit in my childhood bedroom and write endlessly about my feelings, and sit at my piano and play around until something sounded good. I’ve grown up listening to and relating to her music, and the influence her music and artistry has on mine is major. The second artist is Alan Menken. The music he composed for “The Little Mermaid” in many ways was my introduction to music in general. It’s the first movie I remember seeing, and I was completely obsessed with it. Alan’s music is iconic because it’s the musical embodiment of magic - any of the films or musicals he’s composed have that utter sense of wonder and joy and adventure nestled within each note. I don’t think there’s another composer out there who could ever or has ever written a score quite like Alan Menken does. It’s his music that inspired me to love music in the first place, and I remain inspired by his artistry to this day. The third artist is Sara Bareilles. She is another objectively masterful songwriter and artist. “Love Song” is the first full song I ever learned how to play on the piano, and I remember spending hours and hours until my fingers hurt sitting at the piano until I had it just right. She has such an ability to tell stories through her music, which is why it has also in recent years translated so beautifully to the stage. She is a true wonder of an artist whose work has impacted me at so many different points in my life and career. And the fourth artist is Michael Jackson. I mean, come on. They do not call him the King of Pop for nothing. The mark he left on the music industry is indelible. My family was always a group of big MJ fans, so I grew up listening and dancing to his music since I was a child. There are few artists, I think, that are as intentional with every note and every breath of their work as Michael was. He created aural masterpieces that absolutely stand the test of time. When it comes to iconic music, it’s impossible to not mention his name, and when it comes to what inspires me musically, it’s impossible for me not to include him on this list. So yeah - Taylor Swift, Alan Menken, Sara Bareilles, and Michael Jackson. Pretty kick-ass musical Mount Rushmore if you ask me.
How does your creative process work from the moment you develop the idea to the completion of the record?
I think, for me at least, it’s different with each song. Some songs are ones that I ruminate on for months, sometimes even years, and others can pour out of me in a day. So in terms of the songwriting process, it’s kind of a mixed bag. Once it gets in the hands of my team, though, the process generally remains the same. George Holliday, my producer, and I will hop on an initial call and talk about my vision for the song and what we can come up with together to complete that vision. I’ll usually make him a playlist of reference tracks to go off of - songs that already exist that I love that remind me of the vibe I’m going for in my own song. He’ll then start playing around and creating our track and we’ll kind of message and call each other back and forth with each draft until it’s something we both love. Then I’ll record the vocals over it, send it back to him, and we’ll go back and forth again with notes and changes. And then once we’re both good with it it goes off to Carl Bahner, our mix engineer, who brings the song to life. Again - more notes, more drafts, more messages back and forth. And once all three of us love the song, we send it off to Nic at Panorama Mastering who masters the song and gets it ready for release!! It’s a lot of messages and note sessions and phone calls and drafts back and forth, but that’s honestly my favorite part about it. I love working with this team of true professionals and artists and putting our heads together to create something we’re all proud of.
As for this release, who is the producer and what about the production moved you?
For this release, my producer was the inimitable George Holliday. We’ve worked together on my past two releases as well, and have done so each time virtually as I’m based in NYC and George is based in the UK. I’ve loved working with George since the moment we met about a year and a half ago. He is such a kind and collaborative soul who makes it so easy to work with and get along with, and his talent knows no bounds. I feel like our partnership when it comes to music just works because it’s almost as if we can finish each others sentences or read each others minds. I don’t know that there’s ever been a time that George has come to me with an idea that wasn’t exactly as I imagined it to be in my head. We’re really good at inspiring each other and creating these songs together - taking my music off the page and turning it into something we can both be proud of. For this particular track, I love the joy he’s helped bring to it. I wanted this song to be bright and bubbly and full of love and George nailed that with the production. I’m excited for our next track together (and all the other ones after that, cause he’s totally stuck with me).
When it comes to the songwriting on this record, what is the message you want to get across to your listeners?
My releases thus far have been breakup anthems and more emotional ballads. This is my first true, up-beat love song. I wrote this song pretty quickly, as it was inspired by my own real-life plot twist of a love story and I found myself so wrapped up in the joy of it all that I had to write a song about it. Before being in a relationship I had always been someone who hated hearing things like “when it’s meant to be it’ll be,” or “love will come when you least expect it.” And then love did come when I least expected it and totally rocked my world. So this song is for anyone who might be feeling that way, or anyone who also found themselves in a bit of a plot twist when love found them. It’s a celebration of love itself, cause love kind of rocks. And that may be sappy, but it’s true!
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