Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Dooley
Hi Sarah , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I saw a video of Fiona Apple singing “Parting Gift” when I was in high school and kinda went, “Wait, I’m also horny and emotional!!! Maybe I could start singing about it!” That’s how I started writing music.
I remember I would record my songs in this weird little trailer in with a guy named Doug and then give out burned cds around my high school, and not to brag but I DID win Battle of the Bands…Then I went to college in New York City at Barnard and kept writing and playing music and basically wanted to be Regina Spektor. Oh, and Michael Cera–I wrote a web series and starred in it–it was called “And Sarah” and it was about a first-year in college who was SOOOO awkward. And I was very method for the role.
After college, I recorded my first album Stupid Things (which was featured on NPR and THAT was the coolest thing ever) and started writing movies and doing stand-up. My problem (superpower?) is that I always want to do everything. I want to write and sing and do comedy AND eat cake for breakfast!!!
During the pandemic, I released my second album Is This Heartbreak? And I’m super proud of it. Now I’m working on re-writing a movie that I want to make and act in, as well as producing an album’s worth of new music. Watch this space, as some people (who??) say!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not a bit! I’ve had all kinds of “survival jobs” while I pursue my art–my favorite was when I was a sports coach for babies. They couldn’t walk yet so I just had to like, drag them by their arms to put a little ball in a basket. It rocked.
I’d say the biggest struggles were internal, ugh, vomit. Sometimes it can be hard to believe that I’m “doing the right thing” by pursuing what I love. It’s a huge risk and it’s financially unstable and it also just looks very different from a lot of the lives of people around me. I love my life and I would never want to do anything else, but sometimes–usually when I think about what it looks like from the outside, I can have moments of doubt. Like, I don’t own a house or have savings. But, other than financial success, I’m actively living my dream. I’m making exactly what I want to make and expressing myself. So…again…that rocks.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’d say my music and writing share a mixture of humor and wild, maybe excessive vulnerability.
I’m the girl who is maybe sharing too many innermost thoughts and feelings with the audience but also making it funny? I don’t really play anything close to the chest. I have a song called “Eat Cake and Masturbate” (wow I’ve mentioned cake twice in this interview…my muse). I have another song about a time I had a dream about my crush but then in the dream they turned into Alex Trebek. So…whatever that brand is…?
As for the movies and pilots I’ve written, they usually center on women and often involve music. I wrote a pilot about a couple who has an indie band together and they get a record deal the same day they break up. Another is about the people who work at the Guitar Center on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
Basically, I like writing about real life, but zeroing in on the absurdity and beauty of it in ways that maybe get overlooked at times. And also, horny. I guess I’m just, like, horny for life? Jotting that down for my memoir title…
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Interesting question. I’m not sure where I stand on luck. I think I’ve had some really amazing opportunities in my life that were afforded by privilege, to be honest. To be able to go to college in New York City and study PLAYWRITING is probably the working definition of ‘privilege’ in the dictionary. Also to feel that I could take the risk of pursuing art while supporting with survival jobs instead of having to go into a more traditional, immediately lucrative line of work in order to support my family or help out is ALSO a huge privilege. So in that sense, I try to recognize and feel grateful for everything I’ve been given. I DO have a funny story about bad luck that has to do with a fateful Livejournal post…your readers can feel free to DM me about that, lol.
Pricing:
- You can buy my albums on Bandcamp for a suggested $10–that’s the only site that actually gives most of the money to the artist!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/sarahdooley?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabbD3XCB5p4ijkE6RO25Q6GqvQfJy2N_rSTKaVdTeqPJqy4ElDspNU6_B0_aem_BBxsGg8cbdqkERBjy9JQjA
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsarahdooley/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamsarahdooley
- Twitter: https://x.com/iamsarahdooley
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwoxne79xEVePz7PCKwc_Kg?view_as=subscriber
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/iamsarahdooley
- Other: https://sarahdooley.bandcamp.com/album/is-this-heartbreak
Image Credits
Jon Hess
Becca Roth
Rebekah Boyer
Jess Uhler
