Exclusive Q&A: Sarah Cothran on EP Release Day

Mississippi native Sarah Cothran released her brand new EP today, and she’s on tour, and she kindly chatted with us on it all!

What’s the story behind your latest single “Funeral”?

I wrote “Funeral” with an incredible artist and friend of mine, Matthew Maltese. I had the concept of feeling like you have lost yourself somehow and you are attending your old self’s funeral. We had spent a couple of days in a studio in Nashville and I had brought him this idea. The song came together really nicely, and it’s lyrically one of my favorite songs. I think there are a lot of different ways you can relate to it and it just feels really personal to me.

Can we expect some more singles or an EP on the horizon?

I have an EP coming out later this month on September 30th that I’m so excited for. I already have some ideas cooking up for the next project too! Lots of cool things are coming. 

What do you hope listeners take away from your music?

I hope my listeners relate to my music and it helps them feel understood. The purpose of music is to feel something and as long as my music is doing that in some way I’m happy.

How did growing up in Mississippi shape you as an artist?

Your childhood is obviously a huge part of who you become, and I think growing up in such a small rural town I got a really cool experience. I lived in one town really my entire life so it feels like there’s a huge chunk of me there as a person. I think just really the people and experiences I had there shaped me as an artist and it’s cool to put some of those stories into songs.

You’re joining Alec Benjamin on tour this month. What can we expect from your live shows?

You can expect some unreleased songs that are coming out later this month, but I also play some of my more popular stuff. These shows are very acoustic, really just me and a guitar which is some of my favorite types of shows.

Any dream collaborators?

Lady Gaga! She’s an icon and doing a song with her would be so cool.

Do you have a set songwriting structure?

Not really. I tend to hear melodies and go from there but sometimes it can be different. There’s no set structure, it usually flows in some way and can be different with every song. 

What have you been listening to lately?

It’s starting to feel like fall here in Nashville so I’ve brought out the autumn playlist. It usually consists of The Neighbourhood, SYML, Coldplay, Regina Spektor and much much more. Anything that brings the fall vibes!!!