Sara Isabel

We sat down with local singer/songwriter Sara Isabel.

This rock, blues, country-western singer recorded her debut single "Simple Tastes" last year and plans to hit the recording studio this fall to begin work on her debut album. You may have seen her out and about as previous performances include playing at the Heart of the City Festival, Avenue Theatre, and CBC Centre Stage; and community events for the Pride Centre of Edmonton (at which she volunteers), OUToberfest, Youth Emergency Shelter Society, the Edmonton Food Bank, and more.

Sara became interested in singing in high school, and the couple years after that, but then she stepped away from the arts to experience the world, to work, travel, etc, before truly admitting to herself that she was an artist, and that in order to be happy, she needed to express herself. in 2008, while she was teaching English in China, she took up songwriting and guitar playing to help fill the hole she found in her heart, and she hasn't looked back since. She started performing regularly in 2010, and with the help of a grant from the Edmonton Arts Council, recorded the video for "Simple Tastes".

While her early inspiration was along the lines of Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill and other CanCon 90s rock, lately her musical tastes have expanded to take in a lot of classical, and it's Sara's blending of different styles, combined with the raw emotion of her voice, that make her songs so compelling.

Sara got into the LGBT community through friends and began to volunteer at the Pride Centre. "It's a community with a message we can all embrace," she says, and its message is simple: "respect everyone, be yourself, be proud of who you are." For Sara, that pride happens every time she stands up to sing. I think most artists can relate.

Her creative processes are varied. "Sometimes," she says, "I'll have a couple beer and sit on the edge of my bed playing around with some chords. Sometimes I'll be inspired by a view of nature, or a movie about artists like Walk the Line or The Runaways. You got to have a sense of playfulness and be willing to put in the time; then a song will come one way or the other."    It's the dedication to the act of creation that can be the stumbling block, especially for young artists out there, struggling to find their sound and to be heard.

To them, Sara has this for advice: "see yourself as an athlete: success only comes with time, training, and practice. And let your joy be your guide."

Simple Tastes. Simple Advice.

Like Sara on Facebook. Follow Sara on Twitter. Watch her debut music video here.