Sarah Miles is a singer/songwriter who has just released her first full-length album via Rock Ridge Music titled “One”. Media Mikes had the pleasure of talking with Sarah recently about the new album and what first drew her to music.
Adam Lawton: Can you tell us what first interested you in music?
Sarah Miles: I grew up in a pretty musical family. It was something I was always surrounded by starting at a very young age. I sang in choirs and a cappella groups all through high school and college. In high school was when I got my first guitar and around that same time is when I started writing music as well. I also started doing some performing on my own. The more I started doing that the more I started to realize that music was something that I wanted to do full time. I went to college while still doing music on the side and after I finished college I moved to New York and have been doing music ever since.
AL: What was it like working on your first full length album?
SM: It was an awesome experience. I had released two EP’s prior to this on my own which was a lot more difficult as I didn’t have a fan base yet so the music was just kind of there. With this new album I have been around now for awhile doing shows and I got myself a manger to help with things as well. I released the album through Rock Ridge Music so I had a lot more support and backing with this release which was very exciting. The actual recording process for the album was really cool as I worked with a great producer by the name of Dave Pittenger. The recording took almost a year and I had been writing for about two years. It was a very long process but totally worth it because I was able to pick out my favorite songs. Everything was really cool and I got to meet a ton of great musicians along the way.
AL: Having taken so long during the writing process was it hard to pick out or reconnect with some of the songs during the recording process?
SM: It was definitely tough. Even while I was recording the album I was still writing. You are always changing as is your music so it was certainly a challenge. I tried to pick out songs that all worked together and which had similar themes which made things a little bit easier. Things were certainly tough but I am happy with the choices I made.
AL: What is your standard approach for writing a song?
SM: Usually I start on the guitar. I will pick out some chords I really like and just play them over and over again. From there I may come up with a melody and then the lyrics come second. There are times when that can be different though. If I am writing about a specific thing that happened to me or was something I saw things may be reversed. Typically I start with the melody and go from there.
AL: You have a quite a few YouTube video. Do you plan to make any for songs off of “One”?
SM: I am going to be doing a video for the song “Standup” which I am super excited about. I am shooting it this month along with a video for a cover song as well. There is certainly going to be things to check out in the near future.
AL: Can you tell us about some of the live shows you have coming up?
SM: I have a few shows booked right now and I am hoping to book some more in the New York area soon. I live in New York so I do have a couple NY and Philadelphia shows already booked. I will also be doing some college shows throughout the east coast which will be a lot of fun. I am also looking in to doing web shows. This is something I am really excited about doing. I just did my first one a few weeks ago and I the idea of my fans being able to watch me from wherever they are is really cool.