Sarah Kinsley remains one of the breakout stars of 2023 — the release of her Ascension EP is an iridescent highlight in the musician/singer/producer’s four-year climb. But as spectacular as the past year has been for her, we’ve got a feeling she’ll be going supernova in 2024. It all starts with her upcoming headlining tour in the U.K. and Europe, which will be followed by a date in Nashville opening for Mitski on her The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We Tour.
A classically trained musician and graduate of Columbia University, where she majored in music theory, one of the defining qualities of Kinsley’s music is a euphoric tension between structure and liberation. Her music, both lyrically and melodically, yearns for the emotional freedom to express the ineffable — grasping amidst crystalline cries and enchanting synths for a lofty connection with her listeners.
As an undergrad, she stumbled upon a particularly devastating fact regarding feminine representation in the music industry, learning that only two percent of music producers were also women. The discovery pushed Kinsley to start experimenting in her dorm and posting the results on Tik Tok. Four self-produced EPs later she’s established herself as the intricate creator of the sonic worlds she alone makes manifest.
If you haven’t already, you absolutely must immerse yourself into The Fall and The King. Their soundscapes replete and gushing with the melodic emotion of her lush pop and shivering piano-led ballads. Here, Kinsley’s flooring vocal leaps and dives take center stage alongside an ever-quieting poetic lyricism that cuts deep and stirs the very depths of a primal soul.
Not long after the release of her third EP Cypress, its five tracks previewing her ethereal Kate Bush-esque approach to pop, she signed to Verve and Decca Records, under which she released her Ascension EP. Kinsley then spent the summer on the festival circuit, enthralling crowds from New York’s Governor’s Ball to Lollapalooza, as well as opening for Gus Dapperton and Weyes Blood.
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The latest gem in her radiant crown of achievements? Being named one of Vevo’s 2024 DSCVR ‘Artists To Watch’ — was also accompanied by two mesmerizing live performances of her songs “Lovegod” and “Sliver of Time.” Given just how prolific Kinsley has been in the past (releasing a new collection every year since 2020), it’s hard to see her slowing down. And with the recent hint she dropped on her Instagram, a debut LP or another electrifying EP could very well be on the way.
Words: Steven Ward
Visit Sarah Kinsley on their website, TikTok, and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Sarah Kinsley tour
JAN 16 – Le Hasard Ludique – Paris
JAN 18 – Le Botanique Orangerie – Brussels
JAN 19 – artheater – Cologne
JAN 20 – Bitterzoet – Amsterdam
JAN 23 – Lafayette – London
APR 10 – Ryan Auditorium – Nashville *
* w/ Mitski
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