What’s hiding under the bed with Sarah Yagki
Source - Supplied
The moment I heard Sarah Yagki’s new single Alone (out today!), I knew it would be my new favourite crying-screaming-singing in the car song. This rising star from Eora/Sydney is an alternative pop artist who is serving up her larger than life emotions on a plate. A soft grunge grittiness contrasts beautifully with the dreamy hues of impeccably styled performances, bringing to life a beautifully cinematic world we never want to leave.
For Sarah, music has been a form of escapism from a very young age. She grew up in a non-musical household, and didn’t have the opportunity to begin singing lessons until the age of 14, when she was able to start working and making her own money. “Music wasn’t something that was given to me,” she recounts, “but something that I found through not having a lot.” Intensely grateful for the opportunities she’s had, Yagki met her band at uni and has now reached a point where she is surrounded by a team of people who understand and encourage her sound. Any and all of the positive attention Sarah’s music has been garnering is an opportunity for her to stop and reflect. “I’m still quite harsh on myself,” but looking back on support from publications like Futuremag and the folks at Triple J, “I’m still taken aback but I’m really excited.”
Growing up, her favourite artists were pop sensations from the 2000s and 2010s like the Veronicas and Avril Lavigne, who have clearly been big influences on her style. Today, she references Halsey as one of the artists she turns to most for inspiration, in terms of the look she wants to put out in the world. It all started for Yagki when she dyed her hair red in high school. “It was very controversial at the time,” she laughs, but “the red hair stuck and everything kinda centres around that.” The soft grunge reds and blacks make a cohesive style across the band, according to Yagki, but she doesn’t just stop there. She’s pretty down to earth, as she says “I’ll never be an artist that’s gonna be able to pull off that supermodel runway look.” Having grown up with boys, enacting these visual elements is one of the most important aspects of making her mark on the world. “Finding that style and discovering that is still a journey for me and I’m super honest about that.”
Yagki begins her song writing process with the melody. Writing herself or with her guitarist Ethan, it is crucial for Sarah that throughout the production process, the core instrumentals remain in the forefront. The lyrics come from a deeply personal place for Yagki, to a point of almost brutal honesty. Living with cPSTD, “a lot of the topics can be a lot heavier,” but she aims to create a world within her music where she can relive and digest those emotions. On stage, Sarah brings moments back to life from her past which she thinks “really helps people connect” to her sound, through her true authenticity. At a recent headline at the Oxford Art Factory, she speaks of how the entire room went still – “everyone was so locked in that you couldn’t move.” That raw emotional pull is what Yagki is so thankful to see, as she “gives all [her] emotion” when she performs.
Now taking a step in a new direction for her sound, the release of Alone marks the beginning of a journey into a new dream pop era for Yagki. “Everything just gets bigger and a little bit darker” from now on, as she opens up a new larger than life arc for her music. “You’ve seen a lot of the soft stuff, you’ve seen that pop side, but what’s hiding under the bed?” The perfect music to listen to with the volume up in your car at night, “maybe a bit of rain, we’ve got the full moment happening,” head straight to Sarah’s Spotify here to check out her new single. Catch her instagram here, and her website here for any updates. And don’t forget to check under the bed for any special surprises!
