Having an older sibling can sometimes be a pain, but at the same time, we often take so much from them without even realizing it. My older brother gifted me a love of ‘80s movies, while Sarah Chirita found solace in a lot of ‘90s music due to her older siblings, including her sister. That wasn’t the only thing her sister helped influence in her life, and that is where we started this back and forth…from there, we got into the heartstrings her music pulls on and more, including her latest single, “Alphabet Soup.” 

Kendra: Texas roots played a big role in your style, but what initially kickstarted your interest in making music?

Sarah Chirita: Texas definitely played a big part, but I always knew I wanted to make music. I grew up singing in a Romanian church; Romanian was actually my first language! So even the folk influences I have in my music stem from that, for sure. As for what really, truly, got me into my music, it’s more of a “who” than a “what.” It was my sister. She used to sing country music to me and with me. I always say that she’s really the one who discovered I could sing and helped push me to share my singing, and from then on, I went to singing in church, then writing music, and then releasing it! 

Kendra: I want to talk about your latest, but I couldn’t ignore “The One Who Knows Me” because it took me back to being around nine years old and falling in love with Sheryl Crow via Vh1. Did you ever look up to those Lilith Fair-esque artists from the ‘90s who helped push female songwriters of that time to the mainstream?

Sarah Chirita: Haha, oh my goodness! “The One Who Knows Me” was my first release that broke me out of my previous genre, which was more pop-influenced. I definitely have a special love for the ‘90s. I love Sheryl Crow, too. I looked up to those ladies for sure!  

I’m a 2000s baby and am the youngest of my family, all of whom were ‘90s babies, so I always joke around and say I’m more of a millennial than I am a Gen Z, haha. 

As for music influences, I definitely grew up listening to a TON of Shania Twain, Martina McBride, and a deep love for Tracy Chapman and Fiona Apple! I would like to bring some of those ‘90s influences back in, especially into country/indie music! Kind of like fashion; the same goes for music; everything goes full circle. So that ‘90s sound will come back soon, and I cannot WAIT! 

Kendra: But yes, “Alphabet Soup” pulled at every heartstring I have and then some because I’ve spent most of my existence on the struggle bus from being raised by a single parent who never made enough to being an adult with a college degree and zero no sense of direction. Of course, my mom always said it’s those struggles that make you stronger, but at the same time, it is exhausting. All of that said, do you think that the struggles you’ve experienced have helped you build a suit of armor to take on life?

Sarah Chirita: Awe, I’m sad that you can relate, but also glad that my music could be a place where you felt like someone understood you and your feelings! It is definitely exhausting, but as Randy Pausch said, “It’s not about the cards you’re dealt, but how you play the hand.” And your momma sounds like a wise woman! 

You know, I really love this question. A lot of times, we ask ourselves, “If I could go back and change my past, would I?” And I used to think the answer was an immediate “yes!” But truth be told, now, after having gone through even more and growing, I realize that I wouldn’t change a single thing. Pain controlled me for so long it became my identity. Then I said, “Hold on, pain isn’t me. I am not my pain and my struggles. I am how I overcame them.” And without the struggles, I wouldn’t be able to write the music that I do and relate to people the way that I do. 

So yes, to sum it up, these things definitely built a suit of armor for me that prepared me for the real world.  

Kendra: If you were to look down at a bowl of alphabet soup right now, what three words would you hope to see in regards to what you’re hoping the rest of 2023 looks like for you musically?

Sarah Chirita: I am LOVING these questions!

Three words I would hope to see would have to be: Consistency, vulnerability, and, honestly, just fun! I’m so hyper-critical, too much for my own good, and never allow myself to just enjoy my own music. 

Kendra: Time for a side note – this month, we’re asking everyone to pick a song for our ‘ZO Summer 2023’ playlist. So what summer anthem would you add, and why? 

Sarah Chirita: Again, with a great question! So I’ve been on a binge of listening to all of my favorite songs from 2016, haha I just feel like the summer of 2016 was a good one. 

I’ve been listening to “Dive” by Salvatore Gannaci. I absolutely love this song, especially on hot summer nights (yes, that was a Lana Del Rey reference, haha), with the windows rolled down and just blasting this after a day out in the sun. I especially love that Gannaci sampled Enya’s “Boadicea.” This is also one of my favorite songs, and it’s sampled in so many songs! My brothers would always listen to that while playing video games, haha, so anytime it’s sampled in a song, or I listen to it, it just brings me back to my childhood, hanging out with my brothers and playing ‘Halo’ haha. 

Kendra: As of right now, the songs we’ve talked about are what you’ve released so far, but I feel they highlight a lot of what you’re about in regards to songwriting and perspective. However, you’ve made me want even more. So with those out now, what else is on the horizon for you at the moment? 

Sarah Chirita: So I actually do have another single coming out pretty soon. It’s called “Prodigal Daughter.” This one is going to be my most personal and vulnerable song to date. It’s heavy on the country influence, and I sing a lot about what we talked about earlier, about going through these struggles that everyone goes through at some point in their life and also how heavy life and loss can feel. It’s mainly about the loss of myself, my innocence, my youth. Wow, that turned dark fast, haha. 

On a brighter note, I am also going to be playing some more shows and festivals! Hopefully, touring soon. I’m looking to start putting together a mini album, so we’ll see!