What's it like to be a pop artist in the 2020s? Sarah Kinsley is working on it.
" I think, being an artist in the digital era, you just never feel like you have enough time. I think algorithms are directly opposed to humanity or art-making in ways, because we just need time to process," she says.
The 25-year-old singer-songwriter grew up studying classical music. While attending Columbia University, she'd make her own bedroom recordings. In 2021, her song "The King" went viral, putting her in the spotlight, and she went on to release her debut album, Escaper.
In a world where feeding the algorithm is expected, Kinsley took her time following up Escaper.
Today, she joins us to talk about leaning into a more direct and vulnerable approach in her songwriting on her new EP, Fleeting. She talks about finding the balance between perfection and rawness; about the Luca Guadagnino film that inspired one of her songs; and she issues an official correction for her quickly expanding Wikipedia page.
This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.
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