The maven pianist and immensely talented vocalist, Sarah Angel, shares what she’s learned from her musical journey – and the motivation behind releasing the self-produced music album ‘Surrender.’
Sarah Angel, hailing from the corner of Washington State, has a profound connection with the realm of music. Growing up in a musical family, Sarah Angel has five siblings: all musicians, a mother who taught violin, and a father who played mandolin and cello. “I knew from the start that I was destined to pursue music, and I found I had a passion for it right from the beginning,” she says.
However, toward the beginning of her musical career, Sarah Angel was vulnerable to the pitfalls that most musicians face at one time or another – making a living by doing odd non-musical jobs on the side and pursuing music on the weekends. “I felt for a while like I was burning the candle on both ends, but I was determined to follow my passion for music one way or the other so I kept going,” she says. Yet, there was something missing, and the old adage ‘if you are good at something, never do it free’ seemed to always be on her mind. “After a while, I realized – if I’m truly good at this, I should be making more money” she recounts.
From that point onwards this classically trained pianist and vocalist – who began learning piano at just three years old – dug her stiletto heels in, determined to do better than just merely “survive”. She began working in Piano bars in Seattle, and later she started performing on cruise ships. This led to her being discovered by a talent agency on the East Coast of the US, and she soon began performing at piano bars around the world, including Piano Bar Maxim in Amsterdam, Casablanca Piano Bar in Germany, Piano Bars across Norway, and the Red Piano at both its Santa Barbara and St. Maarten locations.
In just a few years, Angel had visited 70 countries, and with her stellar performances on cruise ships and in piano bars all across the globe, she became quite popular with bar owners, her agents, and with her international fan base. “The best thing about performing is the feeling I get from bringing joy to people with my talent. But after performing for thousands of people, singing cover songs, I wanted to expand that number to millions – but this time, singing songs I wrote; songs that encourage people to be a better friend, to love their families, to believe in love, – and most importantly, to seek God in times of trouble,” she says.
After almost a year in production, on the record that starting in early 2020, the artist and songwriter, turned producer, is now set to release her debut album, ‘Surrender,’ in 2021. The album incorporates nine songs, each focused on a range of topics from love to friendship, from life working in a piano bar, to faith and family. Traversing many different musical styles, the album melds together cinematic strings, rock and pop sounds, with fun piano licks, groovy bass lines, and energetic drum rhythms.
On Veterans Day 2020, Sarah released the first single from the Surrender album, called “Dear Grandpa”, written for her grandfather, a US Navy Veteran, and in honor of all US military veterans. “I wanted to do something special for vets, and with every sale that I make until January, I will donate 10% to the Wounded Warrior’s Project. An incredible charity for US Military Veterans wounded in action. You can download the song right now at Sarahangelmusic.com/buynow.
With the release of her first song, it is clear that each song on the album will be a heart touching and moving melody, with a profound message. ‘Sob Story,’ is a pop song all about being a true friend, ‘More to Life’ is a punk rock hit, that questions the true purpose of life that extends beyond partying, and the materialistic lifestyle. The Album’s pinnacle song ‘Surrender’ is based upon the leap of faith we all must make when we decide to trust in God – perhaps the life-lesson we all need to learn. The song is all about surrendering to God’s will in our lives, especially when we feel hopeless or experience heartbreak, and trusting in a bigger plan for our lives, even when we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. “With my music, I want to transform people’s lives, bringing a ray of sunlight into a time when many feel shrouded in clouds and darkness,” says Angel.
Undoubtedly, Sarah Angel is an incredible talent, and the one to watch in 2021 as she releases her album over the next several months. To learn more about Sarah, and to learn about an incredible promotion she’s doing in December in support of the Wounded Warrior Project visit her Website at SarahAngelMusic.com and follow her on Instagram @SarahAngelMusic.
