Sarah Kinsley Reigns Supreme With New EP

Sarah Kinsley is part of the next wave of indie pop singer-songwriters, ushering in the future with her discography that is reminiscent of Mitski, Samia, and girl in red. The Columbia University graduate has three EPs under her name, as her most recent EP, Ascension, was released in early June. Fresh off the release of her newest EP, I had the chance to sit down at Governors Ball with the rising artist to speak about her performance, latest release, and career goals.

To begin, you performed at GovBall earlier today. What was it like getting to perform at this festival and seeing all of your fans, especially right after the release of your EP?

It was great, really exciting. It was nice to feel the recognition of songs that are already out, such as “Oh No Darling!” and “Lovegod.” We’ve just started playing them live on this last leg of tour, and it was super awesome.

Were there any songs that you’ve been particularly surprised by the fans’ reactions?

Definitely “Oh No Darling!”—that song has been really surprising to me on tour when people scream back, ‘Are you really there?’ or just get really excited. It’s a very new feeling because that’s something that happens for very specific songs, like “Karma” or “The King.” It’s nice when that process comes back for the new stuff; it’s really rewarding.

Congratulations on the release of your new EP! Are there any standout tracks that you think new fans should explore first or any messages that you want fans to take away from the EP as a whole?

I’m excited for them to get to know “Black Horse.” That’s one I’m really, really excited for. I think my main wish for a takeaway would be for people to experience an emotional or spiritual journey through the music. It’s definitely intended to be a whole listening experience; the whole thing is 16-20 minutes, so my hope is that people find solace in a lot of the songs and different ventures.

I also saw many fans saying that they “ascended” while listening to the new music, so are there any songs that evoke that same kind of feeling for you?

Definitely “Sliver of Time,” the last song on the EP and one of my favorite pieces of music I’ve ever made. I think it’s really funny because the song took so long to finish and coincidentally, someone that I’ve ascended the most to. I think it’s because it’s such a lush, synthy song that feels like it encompasses you, and I love that it’s the last song on the EP because it feels like a really great closer to me. I think if I were to ascend the most to any song, it’d be that one.

You were mentioning “Oh No Darling!,” and I love the storytelling that you use throughout the track. Are there any artists or even unique inspirations that you draw from to enhance your storytelling abilities?

I think a lot of the artists that I listen to are either really ambiguous or so specific. One of my favorite artists is Cocteau Twins, and they’re so ambiguous a lot of the time that sometimes you don’t even know what they’re saying. Then there are lyricists, like Lorde or Phoebe Bridgers, those are more mainstream names to focus on, but they have such specific ways of writing. I think I’m somewhere in the middle where I really want to achieve some things of both. 

Somebody in the comments of the music video post for “Black Horse” wrote, ‘Can you stop singing the story of my life?’ so I was wondering if you experience any challenges in being able to be so vulnerable and write about your personal experiences. 

If anything, I think I wonder sometimes if I’m giving away too much, being a little too vulnerable. I think songwriting has been a great emotional outlet for me and remains as a second journal or diary for me to word-vomit. The real issue is just wondering if I’m saying too much or giving too much away. I’ve really gotten used to being vulnerable and trying to be as honest or real as possible. It’s a good feeling but takes a lot of getting used to though. 

Given that songwriting is a form of self-expression, do you use any other outlets to express yourself?

Yes, I journal all the time. I like to paint, even though I don’t have much time for it. Writing poetry also helps, as well. 

Do you have any goals that you’d like to accomplish during your career?

Today was definitely one of them, and I’ll hopefully be back. I really want to soundtrack a film at some point in my life—that’s a big goal of mine because I’ve gotten a lot of comments about how my music is very cinematic. That would be a really exciting thing to do, and I’m a very visual person also, so I would love that. I just want to keep playing and meeting people! It’s a real honor to speak to people after shows, and the bigger the shows get, the more it’s like, “Oh my god, there are just so many people who are experiencing such similar things!” I just hope that it keeps going, and I feel very lucky.

Any last messages you’d like to send to your fans?

Just that I love them! I had a lot of fun today, and I hope they enjoy the new EP.

Be sure to listen to Ascension on all streaming platforms, and catch Sarah on tour this fall!