Sarah Ann Rée

  “I have really immersed myself in diverse musical landscapes, honing my craft and enriching my artistic perspective in different vibrant cities around the UK.”

Up n’ Comin’ NI is thrilled to introduce this week’s artist Sarah Ann Rée, a folk-inspired singer songwriter from Belfast (now based in Bristol!)

“I've lived all over the UK since leaving Belfast in 2018. I went to university straight after school and completed a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics and physical chemistry at UCL in London, which was pretty full on and didn't leave me much time to pursue my musical endeavours! I felt a bit lost upon graduating and I was desperate to give more time to my music.” From there, Sarah moved to Glasgow for a year. During her time there, she felt torn about which degree to pursue, considering a psychology Masters or a Music degree. She made the right decision and applied for BIMM Bristol. Sarah has now just completed her Master’s degree in Popular Music Practice. 

Music has always been a big part of Sarah’s life. “My mum is the head of music in a grammar school in Belfast and so I have always been around classical music, whether it was attending her concerts, or listening to her mark A-Level compositions upon compositions!! My dad is a big music lover too and listens to a huge range of music spanning from country to heavy rock. There was always music playing in our house growing up. I picked up cello at age 8 and took private lessons (after not being offered an instrument at school due to failing the music exam!)” Sarah went on to do her grade 8 and diploma in classical cello. She played in the Youth Orchestras in Belfast and Ulster which gave her opportunities to tour around the US and Europe.

“I picked up guitar and singing at around 13/14. I was really drawn to ‘The Chicks’, a band that my dad played a lot growing up. They definitely inspired me to pick up the acoustic guitar. I am self-taught through YouTube tutorials and just learning chords. I would play for three, four hours a day at the beginning. I became obsessed with it, and singing, and learning all different types of covers. Once I grew in confidence, I decided to take what I had learned to the streets of Belfast and busked all Summer of 2017 and 2018! I adored busking and I also made a good bit of money! I didn't have any other part time job other than going into the city centre every weekend!”

Classifying her musical direction as “Folk, Country and Indie” styles, it is no surprise that there are many artists that Sarah takes inspiration from. As mentioned before, The Chicks were pivotal in her ambition to learn guitar and experiment with harmonies. Other artists would include: Joni Mitchell, Adrienne Lenker, Phoebe Bridgers, Faye Webster, Maggie Rogers, Ricky Lee Jones, Norah Jones, Patty Griffin, Hozier, Brandi Carlile, Fleetwood Mac, Alanis Morrisette, Sammy Rae, The Weather Station. “All of these artists and more have played a huge part in shaping my artistic style and identity in my music. Subconsciously, I have drawn so much melodic and harmonic inspiration from them, as I see similarities in my music and theirs. And lyrically, I am drawn to both poetic and direct lyrics, and so listen to many different artists to get a sense of these different techniques, which I then try to implement in my own.”

Commenting on the fact that she has struggled with confidence in her own singing abilities, guitar playing, and songwriting, Sarah talks about how she would constantly compare herself to other artists. It comes as no surprise therefore, that her proudest achievement to date was “taking the leap to pursue this and start songwriting- ignoring the inner critic who tells you that you shouldn't.”

“I try to tell a story in my songs and find it hard to NOT write very vulnerable, truthful lyrics on my personal experiences and reflections. Songwriting has been a very cathartic journey for me.”

Sarah began her songwriting journey back in November 2022. “Being a complete novice in the realm of song writing, I was unfamiliar with the intricacies of the creative process. It was during this time that I had began to experiment with open D tuning since a lot of my folk influences utilised this tuning in their compositions. I wanted to distance myself from the conventional open chord progressions in standard tuning and I was experiencing difficulties with bar chords. This became quite a key component of the creative process. When I write a song, it usually starts with a tuning, messing around in that tuning, figuring out chords that resonate with me, and securing a chord progression. Melody comes second, and then lyrics (usually).”

“I try to create a captivating blend of folk-infused melodies, interesting chord progressions in alternate tunings and introspective lyrics. In my upcoming EP, I have used a different alternate tuning in each song, as I love exploring new, interesting tunings, and find it useful in differentiating each song's sound.”

“I definitely write lyrics from the heart and from a very vulnerable place. I will often have my diary and notebook beside me to try to uncover any ideas and lyrics from those if I’m struggling for inspiration. Some songs come easier than others and I'm learning this throughout the process. I will definitely try experimenting with writing from a more imaginative place in the future, so that I am maybe not singing about my ex every gig haha!! But usually, they are very truthful lyrics, and all from my own personal experiences.”

While mostly writing music by herself, Sarah does say that “I definitely collaborate with people during the process. I use friends, housemates, or family as a sounding board often! I think feedback and collaborating with others in any form is super important when in a creative funk!”

Sarah says that there are a few confidence boosts which she has had which stick out. “I think one of the most memorable encounters has to be whilst I was busking in Covent Garden and the iconic Bill Bailey shouted out of his dressing room window in Covent Garden and threw down a handwritten note thanking me for the afternoon entertainment and my beautiful singing. Another cool moment was when the "super-producer" Glen Ballard, co-writer, and producer of Alanis Morisette's "Jagged Little Pill" and Michael Jackson's "Thriller", came up to me during a busking set in London and complimented me on my version of his song!”

“I would say that I try to really tell the story as much as possible, lean away from conventional chord progressions and write interesting melodies and harmonies which sound familiar yet new at the same time.

Sarah has been busking for the past four years, performing in various locations around the UK and Ireland including Belfast, Dublin, London, Bath and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2021. She has performed solo at multiple weddings, parties and bars through the online platform Encore Musicians. “I am also a sofar sounds artist and have played intimate, stripped back gigs in Bristol, Belfast and Manchester. I am currently very active in the Bristol music scene, playing venues such as Strange brew, Mr Wolfs, Thekla, The Exchange, SWX, the Golden Lion, Grain Barge and more recently headlining The Louisiana and The Exchange. I was on the lineup for Dot2dot festival and Moles Festival in Bath in Summer’23.” 

Sarah usually performs as a one-piece band, with an acoustic (sometimes electric guitar), a reverb pedal sometimes and her voice. As well as this, she also manages and promotes herself! 

Outside of that, she has played with a four-piece band a couple of times and is looking into securing more permanent players to be a part of her musical journey. Why not get in touch if that could be you! One of Sarah’s favourite gigs was her EP launch at The Louisiana with the full four-piece band on the 1st August. “It was a really special gig as the turnout was amazing and it felt so cool to headline a venue for the first time, playing with a band, and showcasing my songs!” 

So, what’s next for Sarah Ann Rée

“I hope to continue on the same path… Onwards and upwards! I will be working on more original music, maybe another EP, maybe album. Would love to gain a big enough following to tour around. And the EP release is the next exciting thing in the works. Been a bit of a delay with it but I'm excited to have music released soon!”

Make sure you follow her and keep up to date with all her songs, events and gigs: 

YouTube: Sarah Ann Rée

TikTok: sarah.ann.ree

Soundcloud: Sarah Ann Ree

Bandcamp: Sarah Ann Ree

Spotify:Sarah Ann Ree

Instagram: sarah.ann.ree

Facebook: Sarah Ann Rée