Tracks Of My Years: Sara Ryan

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With that Best New Folk Artist 2018 gong on the mantlepiece and a certain Christy Moore singing her praises, it’s clear that Kildare artist Sara Ryan is about to become a major new Irish voice.

And just as Hozier made his quiet debut at The Hot Spot back in, oh, 1854, you’ll be able to say you caught Sara Ryan before the stadium years when she returns to The Whale on Saturday, September 21st.

Keen to provide a stage for the new wave of acclaimed singers, dancers, musicians and actors emerging in this country, The Whale introduced their New Artist strand this year with Sara, who shared the stage with Damien Dempsey’s good buddy, Steo Wall. 

As she prepares for her album launch in Greystones, we asked Sara to reveal the songs that have inspired her on this path, and, firstly, how she first got that insatiable, incurable and miraculous music bug…

I’ve always sang. Ever since I could talk, I’ve been singing, either, on my own, in shows, with bands or in musicals. It has always been my happy place, along with guitar playing.

My father always told me to write down how I was feeling as I always had so many thoughts that I didn’t know what to do with. I found putting pen to paper made me feel free.

My love for singing, writing and guitar playing combined introduced me to my first and everlasting love – songwriting.

My inspirations…

Robbie Robertson Heartbeat Drum Song Ma Chi Ta
I have a memory of this beautiful song being played in the car on the way home from school. At the time, I didn’t fully understand the language as it is sang in Navaho, which is a Native American language, but the one thing I knew for sure was that it made me feel something.
This song inspired me to write that way. It showed me that no matter what, the song you write has to make people feel. Without that, what’s the point? The song is full of the most heart-opening vocal harmonies and percussion, so simple but so moving.

The Beatles Come Together
I started gigging with bands as a teenager, and this was one of the first riffs that I learned to play on my electric. I remember the feeling of performing and jamming with a band was electrifying. I knew then I wanted to do that forever. The groove within this song is so passionate, it lured me in straight away, and the vocal is so incredibly soulful. I wanted to do that too!

Moby Porcelain
Moby has an amazing power as an artist to transport you to another place. The first time I listened to Moby, I felt like I was lying on clouds. His melodies are so meditative, and they created a huge sense of solace within me.

Joni Mitchell River
Lyrically, I can relate to Joni so much and still do. From listening to Joni, she helped to show me to write about the parts of yourself that everyone is afraid to talk about. Joni has a beautiful balance between metaphorically speaking and literal speaking. She paints her lyrics so delicately but so perfectly.

Mick Flannery I Own You
Mick’s songwriting is similar to Joni in how he writes about the part of the self that everyone else is afraid to talk about, and I love that. I love exploring each and every part of the self through expression, singing, songwriting, as that is the beauty of it, and that’s what makes people feel something real.
The instrumentation and production within Mick’s music is so full of grit and drive. I adore how raw it is. Each chord that is played perfectly illustrates the lyric above it. It’s wonderful.

You can check out Sara Ryan’s music on Facebook here, and grab those September 21st album launch right here.