Despite only honing her craft for a handful of years, Sydney singer-songwriter Sarah Yagki already sees how much progress she's made.
As Sarah's spent more time both figuratively and literally finding her voice, she's allowed her electronically-tinged pop songs to reveal more and more of her innermost feelings – exacerbated by both months in lockdown and a long-awaited return to the stage."My writing became really internal," Yagki says. "I was on my own, just me and my piano, in my room. There were understandably a lot of restraints on it.
"Now, being out and playing a lot more gigs and connecting with a lot more artists, I've been able to not only develop my lyrical abilities but also the type of sound and feel that I want.
"There's a lot more of a live element to these new songs, which is really exciting to me. The songs are building a lot more, and the dynamics are really present in the arrangement. I've never felt more creative."
As an example, Yagki points to 'Sick Of You' – a new single she will release next month as the lead single to her as-yet-untitled second EP, which she will release in early 2023.
Anchored by a strutting drum beat and chiming, palm-muted guitars, the slinking pop-rock number is described by Sarah as "the fastest I've ever created something, out of everything I've done before".
"I had the chorus in my head, so I immediately went to the piano and wrote the whole song," she recalls. "It was completely done maybe two or three months later, ready to go. I just had this urge to pursue it and complete it.
"It's a song about having a relationship where you're blinded by the good, and you keep trying to look for that. You're excluding all the bad that comes with it. There's a line in the song that goes, 'I'm sick of not being sick of you'. That's the whole idea of it – trying to find good within everything bad they do."
The new EP has seen Yagki working with two new producers: Loretta's Nico Scali and Kyoshi's Yianni Adams. She's quick to sing their praises, describing them as "incredible writers and producers" and a key factor in Sarah embracing a brighter, fuller sound.
"Working with them is really great," she enthuses. "I've been able to put a lot more of myself into the songs, and they can really see my vision and help bring that to life with me."
The singer goes on to note that, while initial sessions with new collaborators are inherently "scary", by her own admission, she was encouraged by the energy that developed as work progressed on the songs.
They've had open hearts and open minds," Yagki says. "It's been a really safe and nurturing environment, and where I want the song to be seems to always match up to where they can see it as well."
Sarah attributes her perseverance and determination within her career to the self-sufficiency learnt as a young woman growing up in the housing commissions of Western Sydney. "I left home when I was 16," she explains.
"I wanted to break the cycle of disadvantage, and it was really hard to do at the start. I not only had to prove that I could do this to myself, but to my family. I wanted to be a role model for them. I knew what I wanted, and I knew what I had to do.
"I'm at a point now where I can truly say that I'm proud of how much work I'm putting into my career. When you come from a disadvantaged background, you just want to keep pushing and pushing. I'm able to recognise that importance in myself."
'Sick Of You' is released 4 November.
Sarah Yagki 2022 Tour Dates
Sun 23 Oct - Bar Padres (Illawarra)Sun 30 Oct - Annandale Hotel (Sydney)
Thu 3 Nov - Hamilton Station (Newcastle)
Fri 4 Nov - Towradgi Beach Hotel (Wollongong)
Sun 13 Nov - Birdhouse (Wagga Wagga)
Sun 20 Nov - Annandale Hotel (Sydney)
Fri 25 Nov - Beach Hotel (Byron Bay)
Sat 26 Nov - Flow Bar (Old Bar)
Sun 27 Nov - Dungog (Hunter Valley)
Sun 4 Dec - Bar Padres (Illawarra)
Thu 8 Dec - Hamilton Station (Newcastle)
