Meet Sarah Stallman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Stallman.

Sarah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in the very small, one-stoplight town of Granger, Iowa. It was a pretty rural upbringing. My dad restored John Deere tractors, we lived on an acreage and had dogs, cats, rabbits, and horses. My mom enrolled me in piano lessons when I was in first grade, which was my first introduction to music. I liked singing when I was a kid, but I went to a very small K-8 school (only 100 kids in all grades combined) that didn’t have any sort of opportunities to sing in a choir or musical, so I didn’t think much of it and focused on piano. I joined the choir when I went to high school in the city and instantly fell in love with singing. By the time I graduated high school I was in five choirs and had done three musicals. I went on to college where I changed my studies from pre-veterinary equine science to a degree in vocal music and theatre. A couple of years after college (and after many auditions) I finally booked my first professional music gig as a lead singer for mainstage shows on Holland America Cruise Line. That job was the start of my professional career as a singer.

Another part of my life has been involved in fitness. Shortly before working on ships, I began taking my health more seriously. I wanted to challenge myself and decided to work towards entering my first physique competition. I went on to compete in four different shows in the US and Singapore, then had to take a break after developing obsessive tendencies over it. I still wanted to continue to be fit and active outside of the gym, so a couple of years ago I auditioned for Women of Wrestling and became part of the company. I love it because not only do I get to learn new skills and challenge myself physically, but I get to create my character and bring to life my childhood dream of being a cowgirl.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have been plenty of ebbs and flows throughout the years. After booking my first cruise ship job, I was fortunate to continue with steady work for a few years. At the end of a contract, I would immediately reapply to my current job as well as send auditions to other companies, just to cover my bases. After ten months with Holland America, I was offered a singer/dancer role at Universal Studios Singapore. After 13 months of living and working there, our show closed and I was offered a role with Carnival Cruise Lines, and I went on to do two contracts with them. I considered staying with the cruise ship work; it was steady, well-paying, and I loved the shows we did. But I knew ship life wouldn’t work for me long-term. I had been steadily saving a good portion of my income and decided to establish something more long-lasting (and on solid land) that would continue my singing career down a different path.

That was when I decided to move to Los Angeles, where I could pursue session singing (singing for TV/film) and still find other singing and acting work as well. As with any life change, particularly in an expensive city, there are many ups and downs. Some months I have a few good singing gigs that keep me from having to do my part-time/freelance day job, and other months there are little to no gigs, so I depend primarily on my day job to pay the bills.

But I have met amazing people here that I would never have otherwise known, and have been fortunate to work with a variety of bands and groups that have expanded my repertoire and skillsets. I often find myself in places and groups that inspire me, and if I lose inspiration, I seek out something new (workshops, classes, shows, etc) or revisit something I haven’t experienced in a while to help me stay motivated and learning. Even when work is slow, I am reminded of the reasons I’m here and the things I *have* accomplished, which gives me the strength and confidence to continue moving towards my goals. I’ve found that an attitude of gratitude is the best and purest fuel to keep the fire lit under me.

On the health front, I developed unhealthy obsessions over food and working out while I was competing in physique competitions. I stayed under 16% body fat for over a year, dipping down close to single digits around competition time (less than 14% is generally considered extremely low/unhealthy for females). I was convinced I was living a healthy lifestyle, even though deep down if I was being truly honest with myself, I knew that I probably wasn’t. But I had a need to prove how ‘dedicated’ I was and had put the onus on myself to be a ‘role model.’ It wasn’t until being forced off my regimen on a vacation with close friends that I realized how deep my habits and dysmorphia had become engrained in me.

It opened my eyes, and I began to try to move away from my strict habits and embrace a more holistically healthy approach to my diet and exercise. I’m happy to say that I am now in a much better place physically and mentally when it comes to my health and body image. My focus now lies in my overall health & strength and less on my leanness & “look” (which, in a strange twist, has made me happier with how I look). I still strive to eat a balanced diet and find ways to push myself physically, which I’m able to do with my wrestling training.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I specialize as a singer-for-hire. This means that I cover a variety of musical styles, and sing both lead and backup vocals. Most of the work I’ve done in LA has been 80s, rock, country, and jazz/standards. The skills that help me most in this niche of the industry are the ability to learn both by ear and by sheet music/sightreading. My background as a pianist and my degree in music have been a great help when it comes to learning music in written form, which is useful for session work, choral music, and small groups.

Working in LA the past few years has also greatly improved my ability to learn by ear, which was less common for me before since I came from a technical music background. I can now learn and memorize lead parts by ear, as well was pick apart or come up with my own harmonies off of listening to original recordings to arrange and direct for background vocals. I believe both of these elements are extremely important for working singers, especially singers-for-hire. The ability to learn quickly and adapt the voice to fit the sound of the song or genre I’m hired for has been paramount for the type of work I do, and gives me the greatest satisfaction as a singer.

I currently work with a variety of groups, including The Swing Tones (standards tribute group), Gypsy Dreams: Tribute to Fleetwood Mac (performing on keys & vocals as Christine McVie), Tino Productions (wedding/event big band), Jukebox Productions (weddings/events – San Diego), Rubix Kube LA (80s tribute band), Mercury: The Ultimate Freddie Mercury Tribute, and The Swing Dolls (Andrews Sisters tribute group). You can also find me performing background vocals at the Whisky A Go-Go on Monday nights with Sunset 80’s and Tuesday nights with Ultimate Jam Night.

In addition to my work as a singer, I also work as a voice actor. I’ve studied at The Voicecaster and Soundbox: LA, as well with notable guest directors. My primary focus is commercial VO, although I’ve begun studying more animation as well since that’s the area that first got me interested in voice acting through my singing background.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My main intention is continuing to expand my work in session singing, which I’ve been studying with great pro session singers and directors in the industry, such as Tim Davis and Windy Wagner. I’m always working on my sight-singing, developing a strong musical ear, and becoming more comfortable in recording settings to help continue towards that goal.

I’m working on a project called The Singer Sidekick, which is designed to help singers with all the “other stuff” that comes with being a professional singer. The goal is to alleviate some of the preparatory stress facing singers by providing various online services, such as creating video performance highlight reels, lyric sheets, arranging background vocals, and many others. It’s still a work in progress, but I’ve helped a few clients so far and am looking forward to expanding the service.

I continue to train and work with Women of Wrestling. I’m very excited to see where the company goes now that we’ve had two seasons on AXS TV with the third season in post and set to air in early 2020.

I will also be starting my training in motion capture this year, which requires a combination of physical agility and awareness combined with vocal and acting ability. I’m very excited to explore this form of performance! Finding ways to incorporate new skills and interests such as this while still pursuing my main goals are part of what make living in LA so fulfilling for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahstallman.com
• Instagram: @thesingersarah
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesingersarah
• Twitter: @thesingersarah
• Other: www.soundcloud.com/thesingersarah

Image Credit:
Joanna Degeneres, Martz Graphics, Colleen Callahan.

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