Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Mootz.
Sarah, before we jump into specific questions about your music, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I always sang. Whether it was good or not, I always walked around with some melody coming out of my mouth. However, I didn’t take it seriously until it seemed to be the only way that I could truly express myself. I got bullied in middle school and started spending my lunch time in the chorus room. It wasn’t long after that that my Chorus teacher (Scott Riley) started to encourage me to sing for him. One solo at a time, I began to take the stage until he eventually signed me up for a judged performance where I’d prepare and sing a whole piece on my own for musicians and music instructors to receive an overall rating. I ended up with a superior rating (the highest rating I could get), and from then on, I was hooked.
About a year later, I started to learn guitar. I learned 3 of the simplest chords that I could and then began writing melodies to go along with them. In elementary school, I had had a passion for writing poetry and received numerous small awards for my writing. The moment that I learned to play guitar, it was like all of the things that came so naturally to me just molded together to become one of the most enjoyable forms of self expression and therapy that I had ever experienced. From then on, I wrote songs, performed those songs, and managed to spend almost every minute of my free time that I had locked away in my bedroom.
As I grew older, music became my everything. It was my friend when I had none. It was my strength when I had none. It was my high when I was low and everything in between. Now hundreds of songs, performances, and enough closed doors and triumphs for a whole story book later, I am still here. Music is my way of connecting to people, and each person that my music touches make every trial and all the hard work well worth it.
Has it been a smooth road?
The music industry isn’t an easy industry to be in. It’s also not easy in general to find yourself and figure out what direction you want to take in an art form turned career path where there are just so many options of routes to take and ways to create. My first hardship was when I was 16 years old and had a run in with an industry shark – as I like to call them—a women that took advantage of my dreaming head and my young and naïve self. Typical story, we’ve all heard a million times. She came along, told me about all the things she could do for me and then a photoshoot, and a couple of false promises later asked my mother to pay her phone bill for her. I swore then and there that this was the last time I’d let somebody walk all over me and trained myself to catch the signs and look for red flags. Little did I know how truly deceiving industry sharks really could be.
I was let down over and over again the next few years of my life by multiple people and false promises, but the hardest one for me to swallow was when an old family friend and Nashville producer lead me on for about three years of my life. So much money, so much hard work, so much time and mileage on my little red Ford Focus that I needed to last, but the worst of them all were oh so many high hopes that were squashed in the process. Nine un-mastered tracks later and a full two years of begging via emails, voicemails, text messages, and written letters, I finally got my music back in my hands and although it didn’t get me anywhere physically, mentally, I was a whole new artist and whole new person. The advances that this trial has helped me and my music make have played a key role in my career thus far.
Among the other bumps in the road along my journey, I’ve learned the difficulty of fighting to be seen for my artistry rather than my looks. I’ve learned how to not only ask for respect but demand it. I’ve learned the true definition of integrity, and I’ve even gone to court to stand up for myself when it’s been compromised. I’ve learned to listen to myself and what the universe is telling me. Through years of trial and error I’ve managed to mold my sound into a stronger representation of my true talents. I’ve gone to 3 different schools and changed my major three different times to get to where I am now and truly love what I am studying and doing with my life. Being a full time student at UGA and a full time musician at the same time isn’t necessarily a cup of tea, but I have found my place. I study Music Business and Communication Studies in hopes of gaining more opportunities within the music industry. Hopefully, one that will allow me to pay back my student loans. I am choosing to trust the process and working as hard as I can to create my own success. You know the saying – Nothing worth having comes easy.
We’d love to hear more about your music.
My music aims to make people feel something. I want to always remain honest and real in my music and myself. I am known for my old-soul lyrics and a unique voice that tends to set me apart from a lot of current artists. The depth behind my songs is what makes my music as a whole stand out. The emphasis that I have put on creating a moment for people and truly touching hearts and souls is what drives me to continue. I am most proud of the way that my music has impacted strangers that I do not personally know on an emotional level, and the way that it’s connected me with people I would have never been connected to otherwise.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Our city has so many opportunities and music lover within it. My family moving to Atlanta when I was in high school was the best thing that could have happened for me. Not every beginner musician gets to be exposed to a community that is so in touch with the arts and offers so many open mics, and live music venues to use as an outlet. I wouldn’t be where I am today had I not been in Atlanta, and I am thankful for this city.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4808 Netherlands Place
Flowery Branch, GA 30542 - Website: https://www.sarahmootz.com
- Phone: (864)331-9880
- Email: mootzsarah@gmail..com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahmootz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahmootzmusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahmootz
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com
- Other: https://t.co/smZtrMrAmu?amp=1
Image Credit:
Madison Rannals
Jerry Finley
Abigail Mootz
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