INTERVIEW: Sarah Saint James releases new single ‘outta this world (f*ckboys in space)’: "It feels like there is a generational switch happening at the moment"
Sarah Saint James is a Sydney based, Adelaide singer-songwriter who today releases her new single ‘outta this world (f*ckboys in space)’, an addictive, jittering electro track with razor sharp lyrics challenging the male ego and arrogance when it comes to their relationships with women. “I’m wondering ‘bout the chances / The luck you’ve been having with girls / If ten out of ten have been crazy / You must be out of this world”. Sarah also today releases the iso-DIY music video for the track, which features cameos from her musical friends including Aya Yves, Cam Nacson, Doolie, Sarah Wolfe, GENES, Cate Canning, Paces, and Angus Legg.
Since her debut musical release in 2019 with the single ‘Bittersweet’, Sarah has been attracting attention for both her solo career and also writing for other artists, with her name appearing on tracks by artists such as Paces, Sadboii, Gia Vorne, Sarah Wolfe, Tyron Hapi, Lakeland & Go Freek. ‘outta this world (f*ckboys in space)’ is the latest step in what is promising to be a highly successful and intriguing musical journey. To celebrate today’s release, we caught up with Sarah to find out more.
Hey Sarah! Thanks for chatting to us! How have you been surviving lockdown and isolation?!
Thank you for the opportunity! Honestly, I’ve been playing a disgraceful amount of the Sims, eating and writing music. It’s been surprisingly refreshing to have what feels like a forced vacation!
Your new single ‘outta this world (f*ckboys from space)’ is out this Friday, congratulations! It is such a fab song, can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind the track?
Thank you! Yes! I met a guy who kept talking about his ex and how she was ‘crazy’ and I just thought about how many say the same! I left the day with a note in my phone that said ‘if 10 out of 10 have been crazy then you must be out of this world’, and I thought how weird and wacky would it be to make the song about some sexy space alien man - and I did. It was really fun to write.
In a similar vein, can you give us a brief overview of the creative process behind the song?
I wrote the song with Cam Nacson (SADBOii) in November of last year, we wrote and recorded it in about 5 hours in his studio, I was buzzing on banana bread and caffeine. Cam is one of the best people I know, and an incredible co-writer and producer.
The music video is so cool as well with loads of cameos from other musicians. What was that like to make, and how did you pull it all together in the middle of isolation and social distancing?
I sent all of my friends a message and asked who’d like to be involved and I was actually surprised at how many people said yes ha ha! I guess that’s what happens when your friends are all creatives. I actually just made it all on an app on my phone after they all sent me a private link to their videos. It was really fun to make.
As well as being a solo performer, you also write tracks for other artists. How do you find the creative process differs when you are writing music for others as opposed to for yourself?
I think with my own sound it’s quite different, like the next few singles I have like a weird mix between pop/hip hop/rap/emo music, so that’s definitely a key thing when I write for myself. When I write for others I really let them lead the session and see if we can tell their story and get across what they want to say. It’s different but I honestly love both equally.
If we can take it back a bit now, what role did music play in your life when you were growing up?
Literally everything. I grew up very shy, insecure and bullied so I found my escape in music. I can’t really articulate what artists like My Chemical Romance and Lady Gaga meant to me. I started making music because I wanted to be for others what they were for me.
Who were the artists that inspired you, or who you looked up to, when you were a child?
My Chemical Romance, Lady Gaga, Queen, David Bowie, Bring Me The Horizon. Such a weird mix but all very theatrical and eclectic musicians.
How did you get your career as a musician started?
By accident actually. I saw a post on Facebook years ago asking for a vocalist and went for it. After that I got my first taste of performing, but didn’t actually start writing until almost two years ago. In August 2018 I started writing after a trip to LA, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I feel like this year I really found my niche and my groove and now I am so excited to share it with the world!
You identify as LGBTQI+ and in the last few years the representation in music for the LGBTQI+ community seems to have increased dramatically, which can only be a good thing. What are your thoughts on this increase in representation and do you think we have more to do?
Yes! It’s very exciting. I think that fluidity is being more widely accepted these days, which even for me is different to growing up. It feels like there is a generational switch happening at the moment, even from when I was in school. I think the rise of people displaying pride and inclusivity on social media has helped with it hugely, but we do still have a long way to go. I’m hopeful that we are on the right path though!
On a similar note, the music industry has traditionally been very male-dominated with women generally not getting the same respect or exposure as their male peers. What are your thoughts on gender equality and sexism in the music industry?
I have, not surprisingly, encountered casual sexism countless times in the music industry. I have reached that point now where if I encounter people who are like that I just don’t associate with them anymore. There are so many respectful and incredible other people in this amazing industry that for me I just avoid people who aren’t inclusive and non-judgemental.
What’s up next for Sarah Saint James?
More releases! I’m currently writing an EP, but will probably push a couple more singles out first. I would like to get back into touring in 2021.
‘outta this world (f*ckboys in space)’ by Sarah Saint James is out now through Ditto Music. You can download on iTunes and stream on Apple Music and Spotify.
To keep up with all things Sarah Saint James you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
