- From Brighton, Ontario
- Opened shows for the likes of Jimmy Rankin and Kevin Costner & Modern West
- Named Best Country Artist at the Toronto Independent Music Awards
- New album Change due out next month
EXCLUSIVE SONG SNEAK PEEK: Listen to ‘Off the Love’ from Change.
Sarah Cripps has been branding her own version of country music for well over 10 years now, and she’s only in her early 20’s. Right across Canada she’s being compared to the likes of alternative-country songstresses Kathleen Edwards and Kim Stockwood. Cripps will embark on her third cross-Canadian tour in early February and we caught up with her to chat all about the new album, heading out on the road, and why she wants to go to Ireland.
Q
Your album Change is dropping next month, describe the feeling of this finally getting out there to your fans.
A
There are almost too many feelings going on inside me at once. There is a ton of excitement, mixed with some vulnerability. It’s like taking a diary filled with entries from the last five years of my life and publishing it for the world to see in hopes that people will enjoy it and want to hear it over and over. But in the end, I’m just so happy to get it out there. With all the people involved in the making of this project, I have a lot of confidence in how it all turned out. I feel so lucky.
Q
What’s your favourite song on the record?
A
It is a really hard thing for me to choose, because this whole record has been so close to my heart for so long, but I would have to say “Ghost of a Man”. It’s a song that I sat down with my guitar player and wrote in about half an hour, then did the same with laying down my guitar parts and my vocals. It all happened so fast, but it was the raw energy that translated into something so personal for me, and it really resonates with that exact feeling I get when I write and record any tune. I think that’s why I made it the opening song on the record, it’s basically a true tell of who I feel I really am as an artist.
Q
You’re hitting the road in February on a cross Canadian tour. What’s your favourite part of being on the road?
A
My favourite part of being on the road is all the people I get to meet along the way. This will be my third national tour and it I feel fortunate to be able to spend it with the wonderful people all over this country. When we play shows, it’s such a treat to have anyone come by to say “Hi” and chat for a bit. It gives me so much inspiration that I’ll be keeping tour diary in my blog on my website.
Get to know Sarah… TC’s Quick 5
1. I never leave home without ….. My cellphone
2. The first thing I notice about someone is their ….. Boots. I’m boot obsessed!
3. I wish that for one day I could …… Write and record tunes with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys.
4. I’ve always wanted to visit ….. Ireland. Any place that takes pride in their music, their beer, their whiskey and has beautiful scenery like that, is a place for me. Plus, those accents always get me!
5. By this time next year I want to ….. Release my album and tour in the U.S and the U.K.
For more on tour dates and Sarah Cripps, please visit: www.sarahcripps.com
