Wisconsin-based Americana artist Sarah Pray said she has been going by the stage name Carrellee because it combines her mom’s name and her grandmother’s name, Carrel and Lee. Carrellee’s new album is released on Friday, Nov. 20.
How long have you been writing and performing? For about 10 years. Mostly around Minnesota and Wisconsin, but I’ve done some touring in most parts of the US too, and 2 European tours. I’ve toured mostly with fellow songwriter Thomas Kivi, and we have a name for our duo “Kivi & Pray” too.
When did you first become interested in music? Music was a pretty big part of daily life growing up for me and my brother. We learned piano from my dad, and sang in choirs, and saxophone in high school (the sax makes its debut appearance on this album actually). But I didn’t write songs until I picked up a guitar as a camp counselor singing for the kids, and started trying out some songs on them. Now I write songs on the piano too, but I think the guitar brings out that songwriting side of people, maybe for the sole reason that its portable, and you can play it around a campfire.
Who are your influences? I listen to all sorts of styles from current indie artists, to old jazz singers, and classic country tunes from people like Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. I think this latest batch of songs is inspired by a range of folks like Elliot Smith, John Prine, a lesser known folk songwriter from the 70s Sibylle Baier, and current female songwriters like Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten. I have a “minimalist lady singers” playlist on Spotify if you’re interested in checking it out.
When did you know that you wanted to be an artist and a songwriter? It was in my final year of college. I was majoring in fine arts and Spanish, but I couldn’t figure out what to do with that. I thought about graphic design but then I thought I rather put my energy into something that makes almost no money. Songwriting was the one thing that I really felt strongly about for whatever reason and still do. Through the years I went back to school for art therapy, which also feeds my soul in a different way. As long as there are a handful of people interested in my music, I’ll keep writing.
Other than your musical influences, who has most influenced your decision to become a singer? My parents and also my grandma Carrel, who was a choir director and was so passionate about music. When you come from a family that really values self-expression above almost anything else, it was not hard for me to sacrifice money, or stability for this kind of life.
How does your early music differ from your most recent music? Early days songwriting I was influenced heavily by Fiona Apple, at least for songs I wrote on the piano. But also Jewel was big for me as a child of the 90s. Over the years I definitely got more into country and folk because I really didn’t care for it growing up.
Tell me about your current project? This current album is the least album-like album I’ve done because its really a compilation of recordings captured over the years in interesting places, from a grain silo to a northern Wisconsin cabin, to a cafe in Spain from when I was touring there back in 2010, to a basement recording in Minneapolis from 2009. But I think the songs come together because they are all very raw and minimal, and a bit spooky with the amount of reverb in these spaces. You can hear the birds flapping in the silo on some of the tracks, which freaked me out a little but I kept playing through it!
Was it difficult for you to pick a single to release? I didn’t really have single. The whole thing comes out 11/20, and there is a music video for the song “Channel Surfer” coming out that day too.
What do you hope listeners take away from listening to the single? I think “Channel Surfer” combined with the video, speaks to a certain loneliness during this pandemic that many people can relate to, and the video is meant to reflect that but also share a little hope and togetherness that we are not alone in this.
What is your favorite song on the album? Why? My personal favorite is probably Guilt, because I just can’t shake that guilty feeling sometimes, no matter how much I remind myself I’m doing ok, and am doing the best I can. The song is meant to remind myself that guilt is a man-made, self-imposed feeling that does not serve any purpose. I think the inner-child is just trying to seek acceptance and feel secure. So in the lyrics I wanted to metaphorically shoot down that guilt feeling, as an adult that does not need anyone’s approval anymore.
Does this album reflect where you are in your life right now? Why or why not? I think the more recent songs like Guilt, Strong All the Time, Channel Surfer, and In the Woods do speak to parts of me, and feelings I cycle through still. Some of the older songs on the record like Stay and Hans are interesting to me because I was in such a different place when I wrote them. I was coming out of a not so healthy relationship, a relationship I had much trouble letting go of, but I finally did.
Do you prefer to release full albums or release albums a single at a time? Why? I prefer full albums just because I enjoy the ability to express a larger concept complete with album art, and an overall mood. But I’m not opposed to singles by any means. That seems to be more popular these days and I’ll probably do some singles next year or single collaborations.
What did you do during the pandemic when you weren’t able to be doing shows? During the summer it was nice to have quite a few outdoor shows around Wisconsin. But now with the cooler temps, I’ve been focusing more on writing. One fortunate event during this pandemic is I got a request to help put someone’s lyrics to music, which has not only been satisfying creatively, but also has helped pay the bills. I think I’d like to offer that as some sort of service to any writers or aspiring writers out there if I could only get the word out about that kind of thing.
Have you been able to do any shows yet? I’ll be doing a live-stream album release show on the 18th from my facebook page. Beyond that I don’t have any indoor shows, with Wisconsin being like the epicenter of the pandemic right now. But I hope for the sake of so many people, venues, business, and just everybody, that we can safely get through the winter, and start to resume our normal social lives.
What will it look like when you get back to your typical performing and touring schedule? I think so many musicians will be itching to get out there once it’s safe again. I’d love to do a Midwest tour, or who knows, even another European tour!
Anything else you want to share? Thank you very much for listening! I hope you get a chance to check out the new album on your streaming platform of choice, and if you feel like it, I’d love for you to add a song to your own playlist or share the music in some way. That kind of thing goes a long way with underground artists like myself. Be well.