Even through a screen, speaking with Sarah Kinsley felt very personal.
Over a Zoom call among 50 other interviewers, Kinsley's presence remained soft, thoughtful and unhurried, mirroring the dream-like world she has built through her music. In celebration of her “Fleeting" release and ahead of her headline tour, Kinsley reflected on live performance, vulnerability and the delicate balance between instinct and self-critique.
When asked how her live experiences influenced her songwriting, Kinsley spoke about the energy she felt in each moment. She said being on stage gives her an adrenaline rush—a heightened emotional state that directly feeds back into how she writes and reimagines her songs.
She described how she wanted her shows to feel like an invitation for audiences to step into a world of their own. From visual elements to the general atmosphere, every element is meant to feel immersive rather than performative.
That immersion is rooted in emotion and imagination. Kinsley said that returning to songs after performing them live often requires “unlearning” them, stripping away repetition to a sense of childlike wonder.
Kinsely has moved from her old album, “Escaper,” into this new chapter, and her relationship with visual storytelling and cinema has also been more calculated than the debut:
“I’ve always been very happy to have this label of cinematic pop,” Kinsley said. “I feel like the first bridge between my classical world and becoming a more alternative or like pop artist was literally through film score; that was the more modern, applicable version I feel like of what classical music was becoming. I think it also sounds so cheesy but making music that scores your life is such a big dream and goal for me. With this EP, I think I've been digging a much deeper texture and sort of building out the sonic world of the song.”
Considering herself a maximalist songwriter, she’s aware of how easily over-criticism can creep in, especially when she sits back down at the piano. Creating without judgement is something she actively works to preserve.
Rather than dictating how the listener should feel, Kinsley said that she hopes all of her music, including “Fleeting,” offers space. She wants people to take whatever they need from her music, whether that’s relief, sadness, anger or simply the comfort of feeling understood. Creating a single, fixed experience has never been her goal; what matters to her is that listeners feel something.
“I think for this second part, I think it’s definitely hard—this EP, I’m writing, like, very literally about certain life experiences, and I think the only fear I have is just maybe being too honest or talking too literally about situations,” Kinsely said. “But I don’t really fear that though. It’s just a part of it; it’s a fear, but I’m also kinda excited to have people hear the music.”
Kinsley remains forward-looking without being prescriptive. She spoke about music as an escape into different emotional realms, allowing the future to reveal itself, rather than forcing a path. Even through a screen, her words carried a sense of calm assurance.
Discover Sarah Kinsley here.
