Sarah Maclaine Bird's Basement Interview

Sarah Maclaine is performing at Bird's Basement in September

Sarah Maclaine delights audiences with her rich, velvety voice and fantastic vocal range, and eclectic repertoire of jazz, pop and R&B. 
www.sarahmaclaine.com

Interview with Sarah Maclaine

Question: Can you tell us about your upcoming performance at Bird's Basement?

Sarah Maclaine: I perform every couple of months at Bird's Basement in Melbourne, it's a wonderful venue, and my favourite to perform in. Pete Camilleri works his magic with the state of the art sound system, the fantastic atmosphere, the great stage. It's one of the best live music venues in Melbourne.

I'll be performing an eclectic mix of jazz, pop and R&B; my repertoire includes a few twists on jazz classics as well. With me will be Todd Sidney on piano, Gideon Marcus on drums, Alex Yarosh on guitar and Dean Addison on double bass.

Buy tickets here.

Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Sarah Maclaine: I have many favourites, a few that come to mind are Natural Woman (Aretha Franklin), One day I'll Fly Away (Randy Crawford) and Let's Stay Together (Al Green). All quite different, but I love singing them.


Question: If you could have anyone in the world attend a show who would it be?

Sarah Maclaine: Paul McCartney with Sting as a close second. Maybe he could attend as well? Am I allowed two?

Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Sarah Maclaine: I love both. Performing live is exhilarating, having a live audience is so much fun and I love the energy and vibe. Recording is also wonderful, as I love the creative process. Having my original compositions come to life is a thrill.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Sarah Maclaine: The everyday quirks of life, the things that make me laugh, smile, cry. And love and matters of the heart are frequent themes in my songwriting.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Sarah Maclaine: I have an eclectic taste in music, I love pop, jazz and R&B. The Beatles are always on my playlist. I'm also enjoying Kurt Elling (jazz), Bruno Mars (pop), Josh Pyke (pop), Kate Miller-Heidke (pop) Eclectic.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Sarah Maclaine: Ever since I was little I was dancing around and singing to people all the time. I even remember running out into the playground at primary school and singing songs from the movie Xanadu!

Both my grandfathers loved jazz, the classic crooners like Bing Crosby and Dean Martin, and both of my parents are innately musical. My grandfather sounded uncannily like Bing. There are many singers in my family, in fact, my brother Sebastian was with the Australian group "The Ten Tenors" for around five years.

I was surrounded by artists growing up, and music always filled my house, growing up, I remember a few artists who influenced/inspired me in different ways: Olivia Newton-John, Fred Astaire, The Beatles and Harry Connick Jr. Again, very eclectic.

Question: If you could collaborate with another artist who would it be?

Sarah Maclaine: Paul McCartney.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Sarah Maclaine: Lack of confidence and belief in myself early on in my career.


Interview by Brooke Hunter