Sarah Wickett recently spoke to ai love music via email about her musical upbringing, her inspirations, and the release of her latest single “Momma’s Boy”. Make sure to check out this incredible interview to see why this song is called a ” Desi Pop-Country ” mashup. But also, to see how the singer-songwriter relates her personal experience in “Momma’s Boy”.
Make sure to listen to Sarah Wickett’s newest single down below and let me know what you think!
First of all, please introduce yourself! What got you into music?
Hi! I am a country singer-songwriter from Ontario, Canada. I’ve been singing since I was 5 years old. I was also a competitive figure skater and dancer so I grew up performing. Honestly, for the longest time, I didn’t really know how I got into music. I always found this question kind of hard to answer. My Dad was adopted, and we were aware of that growing up, but 10 years ago, he met his birth mother and we found out his biological Dad was a famous jazz player and toured all over the world. So I guess it runs in the family and that’s why I just had such a burning passion for it since I was born.
What artists or musical genres inspire you?
I grew up being very inspired by Shania Twain. To this day, I still really admire her for taking a leap of faith and doing something that hadn’t really been done before by a country artist. She opened so many doors for female country artists, but also made way for a lot of the artists today that cross over and blend different genres.
I’m a huge fan of Maren Morris for that reason as well. She’s even done a couple of songs that are strictly pop. I just love how much music has evolved and how it allows artists to float between genres.
How has 2021 been so far?
2021 has been great. I’ve been really focussing on my social media and creating content. Unfortunately, live shows still aren’t really happening in Canada, so I haven’t had a chance to perform yet this year but I’m trying to appreciate the downtime so I’m all ready to go when things start opening up again. It’s been nice working on all the behind-the-scenes stuff that an independent artist must do.
What is the greatest advice you have ever received during your musical career?
“Fake it until you make it…” but in the most realistic way possible. I am a strong believer in the law of attraction. If you want something bad enough, and you tell yourself you are going to get it or you already have it. I believe it is 100% possible to bring it to fruition.
Let’s talk about “Momma’s Boy”. What is it about?
The song is about my experience dating someone who was a Momma’s Boy. The lyrics talk about cultural differences and how hard it is being in a relationship with someone whose family has a lot of expectations… I thought singing some lyrics in my ex’s native language (Punjabi) would really get the message across and widen the reach of the song.
What inspired you to write it?
I write about my experiences, so this song was an outlet for me when I was going through a breakup. Although the song is sassy and fun, every lyric in it came from a raw feeling of not being accepted, and not being accepted by the person you love’s family is really hard. I also had a lot of friends who were in the same boat as me and could relate to a song surrounding this topic, so I thought it’d be a relatable song.
You describe the song as a ‘Desi Pop-Country’ mashup. Could you explain this more?
Country music has evolved immensely over the past few years with its crossovers and representation of POC, but not necessarily so much with the South Asian community. So, having been fortunate enough to connect with many Indians and growing to love their culture, I was inspired to try and experiment with a new crossover genre that hasn’t been done before – “Desi Pop-Country”. I truly hope by trying to blend country and desi music that the combination opens more doors for not only Desi’s in the country music but any other genre that hasn’t been experimented with as well. I think inclusivity is so important for everyone.
What was the production like with this song?
The production for this song was so fun. It’s always so interesting trying to incorporate another language into a song. I wrote the Punjabi parts of the song with a good friend of mine, Vipneet Kaur, and she was such a big help. I have been taking Punjabi lessons for 1.5 years now, but it’s so different when you’re trying to make lyrics make sense in a predominantly English song. As for the music, I have to give major credits to my producers Mark Schroor and Erik Fintelman for absolutely killing it. They took my vision and made it even better than I could’ve imagined.
What do you want listeners to listen for in your music?
Listen for something new. But also – relatable lyrics that tell a story and unique music / sounds to go with those lyrics.
Any future plans?
I am planning on getting back in the studio to finish up my EP, which is set to release next year. I’m hoping to get back on the stage very soon. But for now, I am really excited to focus on “Momma’s Boy” and push it to its full potential.
