Sarah Kinsley: “The King” of Ethereal Pop

Photo Credit: Julia Khoroshilov/RANGE

When I saw Sarah Kinsley at a music festival this summer, I was blown away by the cinematic experience: wind rippled through her royal blue dress as she danced around the stage, ethereal background vocals and guitar riffs reverberating, and a thick layer of fog surrounding the musicians. Her music is no less grander.

Sarah Kinsley has turned heads with her innovative approach to indie pop. Her music combines melodramatic classical elements with indie pop and rock to create an orchestra of harmonies that produce a magical, almost otherworldly sound. “The King,” Kinsley’s song based on letters from the past she wrote to herself, went viral in 2021. Her EP that year was also featured on New Musical Express’s list of top debut projects.

Kinsley, a classically trained musician and Columbia University grad who produces all of her own music, demonstrates the breadth and depth of her musical background in her most recent album Escaper (2024).

What really makes Kinsley stand out, however, is her ability to emote—especially when performing live. During the last few lines of Kinsley’s “The Giver,” she repeats the lines “are you hungry for me baby, are you hungry?” During the show, I was entranced as she went beyond her performance on the album during the song—hitting higher notes and harmonies, echoing the pain the song encapsulates, while nearly bringing herself to tears. I, and the rest of the crowd, were taken aback by this performance and stood in awe watching Kinsley exist within her music.

All in all, Kinsley’s angelic yet powerfully raw voice compliments the celestial quality of her music perfectly to do exactly what I imagine an album titled Escaper intends to do: take you out of this world.

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Saisha Kumar is a freshman in the College studying biophysics.