The Sweet Side of Sarah Blasko

Sometimes it’s hard to meet an artist that you admire so much. You cherish their songs completely, to the point where you claim the lyrics and music as if they were your own. So that in meeting the person behind the songs, that you love so much, there is plenty of room for disappointment. Luckily for me, Sarah Blasko is a sweetheart.

It’s really hard to hate Sarah Blasko. If anyone does, they had better have a good reason why. Blasko has hugely undeniable talent, with her amazingly unique voice and her strong abilities as a songwriter. Her gorgeous presence and individual sense of style also match her beautiful songs. Basically, she’s just an amazing artist who is every bit as humble, honest and sweet as the songs on her debut record The Overture and The Underscore.

I ask her about her up-coming tour campaign, which I accidentally call The Sweetest November tour.

“It’s called the Sweet November Tour, sorry to correct you!” She says.

If anyone’s sorry, it’s me. Topic changes immediately to plans of her second record. She’s unsure of the direction she will be heading, however, she hopes that it will be more extreme and she also wants to take more chances with it. Is musical direction a conscious thing?

“It’s a kind of longing for what’s next musically and a response to what is around you occurs that is conscious, but instinctive.” Sarah explains.

Blasko had written the majority of, and recorded The Overture and The Underscore in Hollywood. The issue of where and when she will record her follow-up is brought up.

“I do plan to get started on a second record next year,” She muses, “I think I’d love to record my next album in Australia. My new favourite place is Fremantle in WA, so maybe there.”

Blasko’s new love for Western Australia is evident in her opinion toward the Australian music scene. She cites The Sleepy Jackson and The Panics as bands that make her happy. Otherwise, the overall state of music today often makes her cringe due to the influx of 80’s influenced bands.

“That’s because I grew up in the 80’s. I just never thought I’d see some of those hairstyles again!”

Speaking of style, I point out her unique presence onstage. For anyone who has seen Blasko live, or seen any of her video clips, they would have noticed her special dance moves. She’s quite the prancer and shaker. She says she loves to have a good dance, especially at lounge room dance parties, where friends gather, take turns being the DJ and get really drunk.

“I don’t like to dance at cool bars where everyone dances the same,” Sarah states, “I like to dance at decidedly uncool places where people just do whatever comes to them!”

This is typical Blasko. Everything about her is decidedly uncool, which makes her, ironically, extremely cool. She is very much her own individual. Accompanying her distinct vocal style and personality, her fashion sense is also Blasko-specific. I ask her, fashion-wise, who or where she draws her inspiration from.

“I just like what I like I suppose,” She says, “I usually forage for what suits me best at the time - I go through phases where I like certain colours or styles or clothes from different periods. At the moment I’m really into all kinds of vintage dresses which I basically live in.”

Being a fan of the 60’s and 70’s, her classic look is drawn from her love of old films such as The Sound of Music. She adores Audrey Hepburn, Fellini and Woody Allen films.

It will be interesting to see what phases she will immerse herself in next and whether or not that will affect her musical direction. However, it’s fairly clear that she will not disappoint her fans.

She begins the Sweet November tour on the 23rd in Melbourne, and then finishes the year off with Homebake, Festival in The Sun, and The Falls Festival.

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