Sarah Kinsley
Completes Tour For ‘Cypress’ EP, Discusses Inspiration For Release
ARTIST FEATURE
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ARTIST FEATURE 〰️
Cypress, the new dreamy pop EP from Sarah Kinsley, is the release that she just finished performing for audiences across the country, redefining her image to her fans.
The project hit streaming services on June 10, a year following her viral release of “The King,” which has exploded to almost 30 million streams on Spotify since. The artist said the pop anthem, “completely took over my life.”
In the months following, Kinsley has spent time exploring new themes of anonymity in her work. The success of “The King” led to chain reactions of social media traction and opportunities, with Sarah calling the explosion “really revolutionary” for her and her music.
But, as more complex emotions arose with her fame, she began to explore her own identity as an artist. The idea of being faceless inspired the music and the overall branding of the EP, even down to the cover art which features Kinsley in a blurred-out state of motion.
“I really took a step back from social media for like a month ‘cause I was just so overwhelmed,” she said. “I went back to the roots of just being out in nature; I went to California and drove around for a very long time.”
“[With] all five tracks on Cypress, I’m trying to build something new and talk about the moments after [the release of The King],” she said. “So much of the Cypress EP is about that growth; after this massive explosion and this huge, huge moment in my life.”
The new EP is rooted in Kinsley’s growth since “The King,” mapping out her feelings following the release, things she wanted to change, and how she’s grown since.“
Cypress EP / Click to Stream!
The name Cypress was born out of Kinsley's fascination with the Cypress trees in California during her road trip in 2021.
“I was really enamored with the trees in general and also just what they stood for and the idea about hiding behind your art,” she said. “As in, artists who don’t really have a public personality; they kind of just make their art and are kind of hermits.”
This is in contrast with Kinsley’s musical journey so far. She has seen great success sharing her musical journey on TikTok, allowing fans to catch an inside glimpse of her process. Now, in this latest project, the elevated concept of anonymity sees Kinsley toying with feelings of secrecy and obscurity within her songs.
CONTACT MIC
In Cypress, Kinsley shows her innovative sound is rapidly evolving through the use of new instrumentation and recording techniques.
One of these unique recording techniques is called a “contact mic”, and it produces the reverb-filled vocal tracks in the last track of the EP, “Lucky Drive”.
“I built it in a class,” Kinsley said. “It basically picks up vibrations through contact.”
The recording technique is typically used to amplify sounds that would not normally be emphasized with regular microphones, according to Kinsley. Drum hits or sounds from acoustic instruments are sometimes recorded with these types of microphones. But, Kinsley decided to apply the microphone directly to her throat, producing an other-worldly sound that ties together the end of the EP with a very distinct sound that does not appear anywhere else on the project.
“It totally cuts off all the high-end [frequencies],” said Kinsley. “You only hear my voice directly from my throat, which is a bit creepy but it made this really beautiful, warm sound.”
The resulting recording is similar to the voice of a siren, Kinsley explained. With some added reverb, the ethereal sound was born and found its way onto the new EP.
Sarah Kinsley’s music career has been a whirlwind of viral moments and internet fame, resulting in more opportunities than she ever expected. The artist just returned from a tour across the United States, where she played new tracks for dedicated fans in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Boston, and New York. However, she has already started thinking about her next body of work.
“I’m not sure how long it’ll be and how many songs I want on it yet,” said Kinsley. “But I don’t feel like I’m really quite done, like introducing myself.”
With a hit single already seeing massive success, an innovative EP release a year following, and sold-out shows across America, the journey has certainly been prosperous for the artist. And with so much left to share with her fans, Sarah Kinsley sets her sights on what she has done so amazingly thus far: creating, innovating, and paving the path for the next generation of indie talent.