The magic of Sarah Darling's artistry lies in the power and passion of her voice, the cool believability of her approach and the grace and assurance of her stage presence. The New York Times notes her as "a sophisticated songwriter" with a "crisp, powerful voice." Just listen to her songs, including hit Something to Do With Your Hands and her rendition of The Beatles classic Blackbird, to find yourself caught up in the magic!
That magic and her accomplishments, including #1 CMT.com video Something to Do With Your Hands, performances at both Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry and having the video for Blackbird, her contribution to the Linda McCartney tribute/breast cancer fundraiser "Let Us In," take off across country TV and featured on Sirius XM, have become the launching pad for her emergence into real country stardom.
"There's a time when everything aligns and falls into place," she says, "and this is that time. I've been writing and performing a lot over the past year and I'm surrounded by a great team at Black River Entertainment. They're giving me the kind of creative freedom every artist wants and I can't wait for the world to hear the music that's coming out of that".
After a lifelong love of music that had seen Sarah perform at the Iowa State Fair at 13 and her teen years playing fairs, festivals, clubs, casinos, charity events—"just anything I could possibly do. All through my teens, while people were going to football games, I was doing shows on the weekends." As her friends looked at colleges, she took a job in an Italian restaurant and saved money for the move to Nashville she knew was inevitable.
"I told my parents that's what I wanted to do," she says, "and they were very supportive." By the time a top music executive from Nashville told her she had potential, she had already saved $5,000. She headed to Nashville, got work as a waitress and began the learning process. Her manager set her up with some writers, and "I started getting my feet wet with songwriting."
She polished her craft as a songwriter, working with longtime Glen Campbell guitarist Jeff Dayton, among others. She auditioned for executives of Black River Entertainment, whom were immediately on board. "It was pretty much a Cinderella signing," she says. She wrote and recorded Something To Do With Your Hands, involved on both sides of the camera for the video.
Another Cinderella moment came in February 2011 when she was introduced by Vince Gill for her Grand Ole Opry debut. Gill's introduction made the debut that much more special due to his guest vocals on her release, Angels & Devils. "What was neat about [the Opry]," she says, "is that my grandfather was there. He had traveled very little in his life but he always said that if I played the Opry, he'd come to Nashville and he did!"
No matter where her artistry takes her, Sarah always goes back to the same place. "For me, being on stage is home. I'm supposed to sing. You have these gifts that God gives us. When you're using those gifts and you're on a beautiful stage and people are enjoying it, I don't think there's anything better. I'm doing something I feel like I'm supposed to be doing in my life and it's amazing."
Sarah is pouring all of the passion she brings both to the stage and her songwriting into the CD she is recording with superstar producer Dann Huff (Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts). "After our first meeting, he said, 'I'd like to work with you. You've got something to say that's different and I want to be a part of that.' My thought was, 'Yes! Of course I want to work with the best producer in town.'"
It is her work with Huff on her new album that promises the kind of breakthrough her fans have long anticipated. Their first work together produced Blackbird, which has been the kind of calling card most young artists would envy. "This album is going to be a slide show of my life," she says. "It's going to have a little bit of everything. I'm an open book when I write and this CD is a documentation of what's been going on in my life. The fact that I'm always growing, always searching, means it holds a wide representation of my personality." As such, it reflects a journey that mirrors and builds on the gifts she first recognized growing up in Iowa.
"The biggest thing for me," she says, "is just being exactly who you are. I'm the same girl I used to be playing the fairs and festivals around Iowa. I know the challenges I'm up against and I'm ready to take them on." It's a challenge her fans are eager for her tackle.
Tickets for Sarah Darling are $29.00 for Premium seating, $24.00 for the Orchestra and $19.00 for the Balcony. Tickets for this performance will go on sale on Friday, June 21st at 11:00 am. Purchase tickets by visiting www.thenewtontheatre.com or contact the Box Office at 973-383-3700.
The historic Newton Theatre, located at 234 Spring Street in Newton, NJ, was founded in 1924. Revitalized and fully renovated, Sussex County's premier entertainment venue reopened in 2011 as a 605 seat capacity live performing arts center. With it's rich history and diverse programming The Newton Theatre is essential to the buoyancy of New Jersey's Skylands region. More information about The Newton Theatre may be found by calling 973-383-3700 or by visiting its website at www.TheNewtonTheatre.com.
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