TW: suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, OCD<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A: I\u2019m Sarah Judith Anne (They\/She) and I\u2019m a singer-songwriter based in Orlando. I often write about mental health and my struggles regarding it, with the hopes of de-stigmatizing mental illness\u2013 hopefully helping at least one person feel less alone! It\u2019s become a really solid way to work through thoughts and feelings that have been hard to process, since I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder at a very young age, and don\u2019t remember a time without it. My experience with OCD, plus severe Anxiety and Depression, have completely influenced the way that I approach music in general. Being able to create something through these feelings helps me make sense of them, and place them somewhere outside of my brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have one released song that\u2019s available anywhere you listen to music, called \u201cSplinter and a Match\u201d, and a lot of unreleased music on my Instagram and Tiktok! I also have gigs around the Orlando and Central Florida area. Aside from making music, I\u2019m a political\/mental health activist, a student and I spend a lot of my time playing video games with my friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A: I would describe my genre as Indie-Folk\u2013 definitely warm, acoustic, and vulnerable. I work with what I have when it comes to equipment, so I rely on raw lyricism versus instrumental power, which I think adds a special strength to the songs, especially when discussing vulnerable topics like mental health. (Think Lizzy McAlpine, Phoebe Bridgers and Dodie!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A: I\u2019ve known that this is what I wanted to do since I was born. I had written music about mental health since I was a child, but I started seriously songwriting in middle school, around 2016, when I was dealing with severe Depression and suicidal ideation. I remember finding out about Twenty One Pilots, and truly feeling like I wasn\u2019t alone, for one of the first times ever. Their songs addressed mental health in such an honest and relatable way\u2013 a way I hadn\u2019t heard before\u2013 that I found a lifeline through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though I had written about mental health a little bit as a kid, I believe their music helped get me back into it in a much more serious way because I felt how beneficial it was to write explicitly about personal struggles. Songwriting became, and still is, a safe place to put my most intense emotions. Plus, it\u2019s a huge bonus when people are able to relate to it! I was born knowing I was meant to be involved in music, but I knew I wanted to make it once it saved my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A: Mental health awareness and the activism associated inherently live within my music because that is the foundation for my platform and nearly everything that I write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regarding political activism, since I\u2019m so passionate about it, I can\u2019t help but bring it up within my songwriting, however, most of my songs aren\u2019t political. When I do bring it up, I like to be fairly explicit about it, like my song \u201cmother\u2019s here\u201d, which I wrote right after Roe v Wade was overturned. Other songs like \u201cfruit flies\u201d imply my political stance and criticize the Floridian government, but that\u2019s not the whole meaning of the song. It can be a bit scary to sing about politics in front of bipartisan audiences, but when I feel inclined to sing about it, you best believe I do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A: I have two favorite parts: creating lyrics and getting to share a song with a crowd for the first time.
The lyricism is my favorite part of the songwriting process. Getting to a point where I feel like my emotions about the situation have been properly articulated is such a relieving feeling. I write a lot of songs that I don\u2019t finish or never release, but they still help me process [specific events and my emotions].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also LOVE performing live and seeing how people react to new songs. Once I play something for people, that is their song and they get to decide how to interpret it – I think it\u2019s amazing how I can write about things that feel so personal to me, and yet rooms full of people are able to relate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A: I\u2019d have to choose \u201cWhen I Cry\u201d, which is the final song of my unreleased EP \u201cWhen I Cry\u201d. I wrote that EP when I was in high school, but the song details an experience I was imagining about college\u2013 when I realized that I wasn\u2019t going to be able to hide my mental illness from [my future roommates]. I created the song to be sung with a crowd, so whenever I sing it, I get to imagine a room full of people who understand exactly how I feel, in their own way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A: YES! I\u2019m hoping to get more equipment in mid-November, and from there, I am determined to release more music in 2024. I already have a group of songs I\u2019m looking forward to putting out in the coming months!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fear of failure has prevented me from releasing much\u2013 but at gigs people have come up to me asking where they can listen to more or messaged me afterward saying how my music helped them feel less alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being able to share these songs and have people find comfort, community, and support within them far outweighs any feeling of fear. Releasing \u201cSplinter and a Match\u201d showed me how important it is to share your art and share what\u2019s on your mind because you never know who will benefit from hearing it. I\u2019m really excited and grateful to continue doing that. You can definitely expect more releases, posts, and gigs (around and outside of Orlando). I\u2019m super excited for the future!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Keep up with Sarah\u2019s Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify for more information and updates! TW: suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, OCD Q: Tell me a bit about yourself! A: I\u2019m Sarah Judith Anne (They\/She) and I\u2019m a singer-songwriter based in Orlando. I often write about mental health and my struggles regarding it, with the hopes of de-stigmatizing mental illness\u2013 hopefully helping at least one person feel less alone! It\u2019s become…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249,"featured_media":36364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1588,1437,359],"tags":[1777,314,1779,345,320,1778,969,1776,1775,317],"class_list":["post-36357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-indie-2","category-interviews","tag-activism","tag-artist-interview","tag-awareness","tag-folk","tag-indie","tag-mental-health","tag-music","tag-orlando","tag-sarah-judith-anne","tag-singer-songwriter"],"yoast_head":"\n
Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarahjudithanne\/<\/a>
TikTok: https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@sarahwithapen?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc<\/a>
Spotify: https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/artist\/1BzChiLxKzK1vXypaXhDS3?si=Kctkg9BeTzKGm_1_psQ1wQ<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"