The Los Angeles-based Pop/Rock Artist, Musician, and Singer/Songwriter Sarah Keyser sing highly relatable lyricism with her soulful single, "Girl in the Mirror."
After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2019, Sarah Keyser has been incredibly busy as she continues to fine-tune her music for listeners to feel something inside. Trained in guitar, vocals, bass, and drums, it would be a shame to turn a blind eye towards such a talented and hard-working artist like Sarah Keyser.
With her latest single, "Girl in the Mirror," Sarah Keyser takes listeners on more of a Pop/Rock journey with a touch of Blues. While singing emotional lyricism of not completely loving what she sees in the mirror, Sarah Keyser is supported by blissful instrumentals through a broad string section, bluesy guitar, and a down-tempo drum beat.
Opening her single "Girl in the Mirror" with short acoustic guitar strums and Sarah Keyser's self-deprecating lyricism, we can't help but feel this relatable sense towards her lyricism while she sings of trying her best during these grueling days. As the song's instrumentals begin to increase through warm percussion patterns and soft strings, we love the soulful atmosphere that Sarah Keyser placed into this piece.
Listening more to Sarah Keyser's in-depth lyricism, she sings of her past and present self while gearing up to endure the future and attempting to figure out what's to come. The song's instrumentals continue to escalate until the very last beat, as the broad string section sends this song into a cinematic escape with help from Sarah Keyser's chilling background vocals.
Ending the song off with Sarah Keyser's warm vocals once again, she truly offers listeners this sense of relatability through each reflective lyric she sings. "Girl in the Mirror" allows listeners to sink deeper into introspection with help from the talented likes of Sarah Keyser.
What inspired you to write such a deep and reflective piece with "Girl in the Mirror"?
I think at the time I wrote "Girl in the Mirror" I was in need of some self-reflection and I used the song to do that. I use my songwriting as a way to make sense of my own emotional battles. I think it is my healthiest coping mechanism and continues to be a positive outlet for me.
The instrumentals within your single "Girl in the Mirror" offer this emotional and soulful tone. What did your creative process look like when creating the sonic atmosphere?
I worked with a good friend of mine, Amanda Marsh, who helped come up with the arrangement. The musicians we used are also friends of ours from college. The instrumentation includes cello, piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, and drums. This marriage of sounds really made the song come together into what it is now.
We can hear slight Blues tones through the instrumentals within "Girl in the Mirror." How did you create your instrumentals while blending genres like Pop, Rock, and Blues?
I've studied an array of musical genres throughout my life and have adapted those techniques into my own sound. "Girl in the Mirror" is a little bit of a departure from my other work, which includes pop/rock songs like "Broken Record Fool". I have always been a fan of jazz/blues and decided to merge pop and blues together in this ballad.
With "Girl in the Mirror" offering such a heavy lyrical message, what did you personally want listeners to take away from this piece?
I want listeners to take from the song the idea that working on yourself is something that is very important and is a lifetime commitment. This is a concept that I've learned over the years through my good and bad experiences. Mental health is one of the topics I write about most in my music because I find that being honest with oneself is the best way to be able to grow.
Do you have a personal favorite lyric?
My favorite lyric line in the song is "still broken and removed, I need to face her, it's time I do..." This line is the last line of the song and basically means that working on yourself never stops and that there is always time for reflecting and healing.