Sarah’s music continues to resonate around the world

“I PICKED up a guitar and piano in my teens and started writing songs at around 17, and here we are.”

Clondalkin-born Sarah Crean has captivated audiences with her honest songwriting and evocative performances.

Her journey from local gigs to viral fame on TikTok is a testament to her talent and resilience.

Her music continues to resonate deeply around the world.

She began her career by writing and producing her music at home, in her bedroom.

Sarah has a single coming out this summer, and it’s fully produced by her, which I haven’t done since I was in my late teens on a project called ‘’Call For Refinement’’.

Sarah’s relationship with SubSounds came about from when she started teaching guitar lessons at the Des Carty Music School.

She has been a mentor in the project and has “honestly loved every second of it!”

Sarah is also delighted to be invited to headline this year’s Youth Music Festival at the Tallaght campus of TU Dublin on July 5, with the first single from her new project expected to release shortly afterward; be sure to keep an eye out!

What inspired you to become a singer-songwriter?

It was always something I wanted to do from quite a young age. I wasn’t really good at anything else, to be honest!

I tried all kinds of sports and failed miserably at each one of them. So music was the clear winner.

I definitely grew up in a music-loving household too – my parents weren’t instrumentalists but just loved music and constantly played it around the house. Stuff like Springsteen, the Eagles, and all big band/rock and roll vibes.

They would drag me to literally any gig they were going to (perks of being an only child), and my music taste and love for it as a whole really formed from there.

I picked up a guitar and piano in my teens and started writing songs at around 17, and here we are.

What have been some of your favourite songs or projects you have worked on?

I definitely have the most love for songs that I’ve worked more independently on.

I started out by writing and producing my stuff at home, cooped up in my bedroom, so it’s nice to revisit that setup every now and then.

In terms of those tunes, it’s my new project that isn’t out yet.

The first single is coming out this summer, and it’s fully produced by me, which I haven’t done since I was in my late teens on a project called ‘’Call For Refinement’’.

It’s riveting to be able to bring such vulnerable stories like that to a finished state on your own, and it’s a feeling I totally forgot when I got carried away in sessions abroad with other producers.

But my most recent singles, ‘Compliment Strike’ and ‘Nosebleeds’, definitely felt like a highlight, purely because I felt myself coming back to my true self while making them, all because I took on a larger role in the production than prior.

How did you come to get involved with SubSounds?

I first heard of SubSounds when I started teaching guitar lessons at the Des Carty Music School.

I was so fresh to teaching at the time but so open to throwing myself in the deep end, and that’s what happened!

Martin, who runs the Des Carty school, mentioned it in passing, and it just built from there.

I’ve been a mentor in the project since then and have honestly loved every second of it.

Not only are the kids brilliant, but the general atmosphere of the whole thing is so heartwarming (and great craic all the same).

You’ve been invited to headline this year’s festival! Congratulations! How did that come about?

I’m super excited about it!

I and the SubSounds mentor crew were out for dinner one of the nights after a recording session with the kids, and it just came up.

We were talking about the previous year’s lineups, and one of the lads asked who was headlining this year; it was kind of a “you?” “If you’d like?” from Martin to me, and I was chuffed.

Simple and as lovely as that, to be honest. I was up for it from the get-go.

What preparations have you made for this festival? Would it be a similar process to your usual gigs?

Honestly, we’re going for a more traditional route for this one!

I wanted to strip it back slightly to a pretty straightforward 4-piece indie rock band setup.

The last few gigs I’ve been using tracks and synths, etc., but this just felt like the way to go for this particular set.

As much as I love the bigger setup and the oomph it holds, I also love just getting up on stage, plugging in and going for it. It’s the most fun, in my opinion.

What is next for you after this?

A busy summer for sure!

Finishing up my album, the first single will be coming out not long after the festival, which is really exciting.

I’ll be playing a festival called ‘’We’ve Only Just Begun’’ in Whelan’s in August too, which has been a bucket list stage for me for years.

The rest is top secret!

Who would you like to thank for organising this?

There’s such a fantastic team behind this.

Martin Moran and Lara Fleming have been working at it day and night, and I’m in awe of how they’ve managed to plough ahead despite all the moving parts involved.

They’re magicians!

Without them and the Alternative Entertainments/Music Generation teams, we wouldn’t be talking about this festival right now.

Also the musicians that are taking part!

There would be no SubSounds without the kids that turn up every week and make music together. It feels really special to play this festival alongside them.