NOTES AND NEWS FROM THE COUNTRY MUSIC SCENE
We’ve teamed up with the crew from Front Porch Music to bring you a round up of news and interviews from the Barrie region’s growing country and western scene.
Every month, Logan Miller of Front Porch will share a conversation with an emerging local artist, as well as news and notes from around the horn.
This month Logan chatted with Sarah Wickett !
And be sure to check out Front Porch on FB and Insta for more great country content!
Sarah Wickett
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9CvTJOnHMw/
Sarah Wickett is a Canadian country artist with roots that come from just across Lake Simcoe in Beaverton, Ontario. She has a new single out called “Did It For Me” and she’s about to take the country industry by storm with this new release.
Being from the area, there’s a really good chance that you have seen Sarah perform at one of your favourite venues in Barrie and Simcoe county. Having played Casino Rama, Kempenfest, and many other venues, she’s no stranger to the local music scene.
Inspirations such as Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, and Christina Aguilera have driven the evolution of her sound and the creativity behind her songwriting. Wickett moved to Toronto to pursue her music dream, learned to play guitar and began writing original music.
We had the chance to connect with Sarah Wickett to talk about her latest single, her creative process, and the music industry in general. Check out the full interview below.
Front Porch Music Guest Interview: Sarah Wickett
Front Porch Music: Sarah, it’s so great to be able to have you join us! We’re really excited to be able to introduce you and your music to our audience. Since this is your first time joining us, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?
Sarah Wickett: Yes! Thank you for having me. I grew up in the small town of Beaverton, Ontario. I spent most of my childhood on the lake and competitive figure skating. Despite performing for most of my childhood, I was actually a very shy kid. I always had a strong passion for music and so my parents put me in vocal lessons when I was 8 years old to try and push me out of my shell.
Since then I have overcome a lot of my fears and have been building an insanely fun music journey for myself. I’ve worked hard at finding opportunities and have worked with some really amazing people. I’m making music I’m very proud of and I’m so excited to start sharing it with the world. As far as my music goes, I would say it is for lovers. I am in love with love. Ultimately, if I can impact people with my music, I would call that a huge win.
We had the chance to preview your new single “Did It For Me”, and it’s really great! It’s an anthemic country-rock song with a great message. Can you share with us the inspiration behind the song, and why it was so important to you to release this single?
Thank you so much. Of course. It felt like for the past 2 years I’ve been kind of lost. I didn’t really know what the next move was supposed to be for my music. I was writing with producers and musicians, but wasn’t 100% in love with the songs we were doing. On top of that it was taking a lot longer than I wanted and I was really frustrated. We finally finished a song we thought had potential to be the single, but I was still on the fence about it.
So, I took a trip to Nashville and performed it at some writers rounds there for the first time. I spoke to a lot of musicians and industry professionals and their advice really opened my eyes. When I got back home, I knew something needed to change. So that’s kind of where this song came from. I ultimately had to make some decisions that I knew would disappoint people and burn some bridges. BUT I knew I would be happy and excited about music again. That was the most important thing to me. Now I am SO happy I made that decision and wish I made it sooner. But I’m grateful for the learning curves this industry throws at you and if I didn’t go through that, I wouldn’t have this amazing song!
You’re a talented artist and a great songwriter. Tell us about your creative process for writing new music?
SW: Thank you! My creative process is so different every time… which makes it really fun. Most times the lyrics come first but sometimes the melody does. I’ll see a sign or hear something on the radio and it’ll make me think of a song idea. Sometimes I’ll just start playing random chords and the lyrics and melody will just come out. Song writing is so fun and I really love that part of making music. Some days are more productive than others.. sometimes I can sit down and write a full song in two hours and other days I’ll sit there for 3 hours working on a chorus but can’t think of a verse for the life of me.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9AKKJIH9GR/
Being from the area, you’ve had the chance to play some of Simcoe County’s biggest venues – Kempenfest, Casino Rama, and countless others. What are your best memories of playing in the Barrie area?
Kempenfest was a lot of fun because it was gorgeous summer day and my whole family was able to come watch. My grandparents who live in Windsor were actually staying up in Beaverton at my parents and had never seen me perform before. So, they were able to come and that was really special.
Over the past couple of years, there has been more pressure for gender parity on radio stations, music festivals, and the country industry as a whole. What are your thoughts here and what do you think needs to be done to increase overall representation in the country industry?
As a female trying to navigate her way through this industry, I would absolutely agree with what has been coming to light regarding gender equality in our industry. Our country women work just as hard as the men do and definitely deserve to be applauded for their hard work. Country wouldn’t be where it is today if it wasn’t for females constantly shaping it.
Your single “Did It For Me” is being released on Feb 28th. What’s next for you, where can people see you perform?
I have plans to be playing shows all summer. There will also be lots of new music coming all year. I can’t say too much right now but I am very excited for the summer and for what’s to come.
Quickly – what are the 5 songs that you currently can’t get enough of?
“Field Party” by Kassi Ashton
“La” – Kelsea Ballerini
“Black Sheep” – Walker Hayes
“Crowded Room” – Selena Gomez (ft 6BLACK)
“Cool Anymore” – Jordan Davis & Julia Micheals
About Front Porch Music
In country music, the Front Porch has long been a place of reflection. A place where you can look at the life you have inside that front door. A place where time almost seems to stand still, where you can get away. It’s also a place where you can go to observe the world as it passes by you. To think about your place out there beyond the driveway.
That’s the idea behind Front Porch Music. We want this to be the digital Front Porch where music fans can come to get away from their lives and take a look at what’s happening out there in the world of Canadian country music. A place where we can sit together and talk about everything this great world of music has to offer. We are committed to promoting Canadian country artists, festivals, and shows to help both emerging and established artists connect with fans and find new ones.
What did you think of Front Porch Music Guest Interview: Sarah Wickett? Let us know in the comments!
Be sure to check out last month’s chat with Rob Watts to get more of your country fix.
And hit up our range of playlists and podcasts for more from the killer music scene here in Barrie!
