700,000 people listen to Sarah Kinsley each month, but only 575 had the opportunity to watch her perform in Nashville on September 29th. When I first heard Kinsley was performing at the Basement East, I had to do some research. Having seen her perform at Lollapalooza in 2023, coupled with being hooked on some of her most popular singles (“Oh No, Darling,” “The King,” and “Karma”), I was thrilled to find out she would be performing at a more intimate venue where I’d have the privilege to watch her up close. And what a show it was. From inside the Basement East, Sarah Kinsley invited an eager audience to escape with her into the enchanting realms of her debut album, Escaper.
Set design and special effects were relatively minimal — the focus stayed on the music, the sound and feeling of it. Indeed, Kinsley spent much of her performance dancing and swaying to the beat. Having studied music theory at Columbia University, Kinsley produces her own songs — and it shows. The girl is in the groove. She opened with “Lovegod,” one of her biggest hits from her EP, Ascension. The song has a particularly phantasmic sound to it, beginning with an electric synth-like riff that is quickly picked up by an uplifting piano arrangement. Paired with neon pink, blue, and purple lights, Kinsley cultivated an almost magical feeling that reverberated through the floors and up into your bones (at least, that’s how it felt to me when I could feel the beat of the music quite literally in my own body; three cheers for small venues). After “Lovegod,” Kinsley dove into Escaper, starting with “Realms.” The song was a very fitting opening to the album, given that Escaper is about exploring different fantasies, delusions, and realities.
The show itself was a dramatic, theatrical experience. Kinsley’s sound is characterized by dreamy, airy vocals amid loud, atmospheric drum beats, bass lines, and guitar riffs. She leaned into the music, throwing her head back with each rhythmic “boom.”
Impressively, she also managed to do so sick. Kinsley let out a few coughs at the start of the show and drank water throughout. In the beginning, I thought she might have come down with something, but I quickly decided that couldn’t be the case once she started singing. Her vocals were too good. Kinsley’s music is widely understood to be vocally demanding. She seamlessly moves in and out of challenging runs and falsettos. I thought, no way could she hit all those notes sick. Then, mid-song, she pulled away from the mic, turned her back to the audience, and tucked her head into her elbow. The drums and bass and synth covered the sound of her coughs. “Sorry,” she said, coming back, “I’m sick.”
Kinsley’s performance on September 29th spoke enormously to her strength, talent, and character. I, myself, am a big proponent of the celebrities-not-superheroes club. I imagine it must be difficult to wake up with a sore throat, get on stage, and belt to an audience of hundreds. I like to give artists a bit of mercy. No need to expect their best when they quite literally do not feel it. But Kinsley exceeded my expectations. Despite her sickness, she sang beautifully and hit a very impressive range of notes.
Last but not least, I couldn’t possibly wrap up a review of Kinsley’s show without talking about her contact microphone. She whipped out the small gadget early in the night, expressing enthusiasm that she remembered to bring it. The tool detects audio vibrations directly from a solid surface, as opposed to from the air, and converts those vibrations into electrical signals. This is known as the piezoelectric effect, thus earning the microphones the name “piezo microphones.” They help amplify acoustic sounds, as well as avoid any obstructions from soundwaves traveling through the air. Kinsley used her contact mic for songs with transcendent harmonics, like my personal favorite from the album, “Sublime.”
I look forward to seeing which musical tools and techniques Kinsley whips out at her next show. From the contact mic to her dynamic vocals, Kinsley is clearly an impressive artist with a lot to share. And if you find yourself interested in this dramatic, heartfelt, painstakingly talented artist, consider checking out “Oh No, Darling,” or “My Name Is Dancing.” They’re both fantastic in a car or on a walk.
Listen to Sarah Kinsley here: