SARA ANGEL is a great name for a singer and like Elvis and Madonna, it’s not made-up; her parents are Christian artist Priscila Angel and Los Temerarios frontman Gustavo Angel. At just twenty-two, Sara already has a storied musical history, she started out identifying as a Latin singer, opening for her father, but now more fully embraces her multi-cultural influences. Born in Mexico, moving to Texas as a child, then attending the prestigious Belmont University in Nashville, where she still lives, she is finding her own distinctive voice that comes from all, and yet none, of these places.
In person Sara is bright and bubbly with little hint of the emotional depth she mines in her work. She sees herself as a songwriter first, and is happy to work with and for other artists.
She has always written songs, first for fun, then something clicked and she knew it was what she wanted to do so she took it more seriously. She is a regular attendee of Nashville’s “Writers’ Rounds”, where songwriters perform songs they are working on for each other in a spirit of open creativity.
Her latest song “What’s Love?” is a post break-up ballad that captures the misery of heartbreak and the temptation to keep the ghost of romance in your head.
According to the young artist, “‘What’s Love?’ is about loving someone who’s already gone. It’s holding onto memories that still feel real, even when you know they’re not coming back. It’s the kind of love that hurts because it never had a chance to stay.”
There are shades of Adele and Taylor Swift, not in an imitative way, but in the emotional honesty and vulnerability. Her voice can be fragile and breathy, then soaring and powerful by turns.
Using musicians Angel met at Belmont she wants to keep writing and releasing songs in both Spanish and English. Angel is proud of her duality. Especially as, her family still speaks Spanish at home. And she knows there are millions like her, who happily straddle two cultures.
“I envision good things to come, but I’m still figuring it all out,” she humbly advises. I love music and I want to create something where people feel identified and feel welcome...to find some sort of community within my music.” Now with “what’s love?” and more music and a tour ahead, Sara Angel is just getting started.
Ultimately,, Sarah Angel refuses to be defined by the genre-specific music industry. And with a massive Tik-Tok following that is impressive in any language, the power is in her hands.
You can also follow Sarah Angel on Instagram.
Photographer credit: Kike San Martin. Sarah Angel
Interview by Guy Picot