Rising Music Star Sparxsea On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry
An Interview With Eden Gold
Save your lyrics and compositions somewhere other than your phone. I’m sure everyone agrees on the importance of this, but until your phone slips out of your pocket and off a sailboat into the ocean, you think you’ll be the one that it won’t ever happen to. But it did.
As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing soulful singer-songwriter Sparxsea.
Her gentle new indie folk-pop album On the Sea begins with her leaving home to set sail on her “Little Wooden Boat.” Each subsequent song is a part of her own hero’s journey, but there’s no returning home. The album ends with her sinking into the “Deep.” It isn’t death that she finds there, but a whole new world to explore. There’s hope in Sparxsea’s pain. She’s a sister in trauma reminding us that we’re not alone, and although this world can be shallow and cold, we can find the warmth and love to carry on and thrive given time, friendship and compassion.
On the Sea features Dana Colley & Jerome Deupree of Morphine, Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), Nikki Glaspie (Beyoncé, Dumpstaphunk, Nth Power), Rebecca Kingsley (Wyclef Jean), Nate Edgar (Nth Power, John Brown’s Body), Devon Colella (QUAD), and David Yearwood (Forét Endôrmie). It was produced by Will Bradford (SeepeopleS, theWorst) and Will Holland (Pixies, Dead Can Dance) at Chillhouse Studios in Boston.
Sparxsea was featured in the L.L. Bean x Bull Moose Music summer concert series, opened multiple sold-out theater shows for Tim Reynolds, shared the stage with SeepeopleS, Clarisse Karasira, grammy-winner Dave Gutter of The Rustic Overtones, and performed at the ARME Boot Camp 2 Festival and Maine Folk Festival. Her debut single, “Alive” (2016), was featured in the 2022 indie film Dole Mates (DBC Productions), and her haunting pop ballad “Don’t Let The Fire Die,” was composed for the 2019 Damnationland soundtrack and film festival.
Sparxsea was supposed to take a weeklong vacation for her birthday in March of 2020, but the pandemic changed the state of the world. Instead, She hunkered down with producer Bradford to record the songs that would become On the Sea, beginning then with “Little Wooden Boat” and recording “Deep” this year.
They took their time with each song — between dealing with life and Bradford’s frequent touring schedule with SeepeopleS and theWorst. Sparxsea built a home recording studio, including a vocal booth made of materials from Home Depot. When COVID let up, they’d travel down to Boston to record at Chillhouse. Musicians would come to her house to record. It was a process of allowing songs to marinade and make thoughtful decisions with instrumentation, performance and mixing.
The oceans connect all the lands of the Earth, and Sparxsea was finding her tribe through the joy of making music. The album’s title On the Sea is a metaphor for Sparxsea’s escape from Northern Maine to the cultural hub of Portland, Maine. It’s an album of exploration and self-discovery, internally and externally. It’s about finding hidden treasures that were right there all along. Sparxsea pushes herself to the edge of her comfort zone by conquering her fears and opening her shattered and patched-back-together heart to the world.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story.” Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in a small town in northern Maine, and spent a lot of time outdoors and creating art. My parents were musicians and met when my dad became the new guitar player for my mom’s band in the ’70s. They performed five nights a week in her family restaurant until I was born in 1986. Over time, they fell victim to alcoholism, quitting the band and my dad began a career with the U.S. Postal Service, while my mom stayed home to care for my sister and I. While the days were stable, peaceful and even beautiful, nights were unpredictable (often scary and sleepless) with yelling, fighting, fleeing, hiding, and police intervention into our college years. We lived in a cycle persistently fueled by the pain of their own traumatic pasts. My father was a Vietnam veteran Purple Heart recipient, and my mother survived a disabling motorcycle accident the night after being named Miss Fort Kent in 1975. On the precious peaceful nights, my family watched movies and I retreated to my room to make music and art.
During high school, my family held an intervention for my mom, which resulted in years of sobriety for both parents and the release of my mom’s Christian album that our family and band toured to packed churches across the state. Those were very vibrant and happy years. Unfortunately, while my sister and I were away at college, our mom relapsed after a back surgery, this time combining opiates with alcohol, leading to her fatal overdose on December 2, 2011. This fractured our family, as she was a beacon of light for us and our entire community despite her pain. It felt impossible to carry on, but my sister and I became first-generation college graduates, myself a dentist and she is a nurse practitioner and a new mother herself. I kept my music going through years of depression to release my EP SHINE in 2018, and my first full-length On the Sea comes out this September.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did your journey begin?
I was always drawn to it. I loved hearing my parents jam classic rock and folk tunes by The Eagles, CCR, John Denver, James Taylor, Patsy Cline, The Charlie Daniels Band, and many others when I was young. When they didn’t play music anymore, I had a few CDs in my room that I listened to countless times, like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Boyz II Men, Kenny G, and Celine Dion.
I started playing flute at ten years old in the school concert and marching bands, and in the church choir every Sunday, before I’d sneak away to play the piano in the basement. For years, my sister and I were also in a dance group, ‘Pazapa’, performing dances from all around the world, with our moms making our costumes and running around backstage during shows. I got into electronic music in high school, when we’d go dancing at nightclubs in Canada across the bridge. When I moved to college, I bought my first acoustic guitar so I could bring songs to open mics, beaches, and campfires.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
While in Charlottesville, Virginia, filming a music video for a charity song collaboration called, “Guardian Angels,” by Tim Reynolds and Nikki Glaspie, we were prepared to film a few scenes of Tim playing guitar in his own hometown. What happened next was — a woman ran into the coffeeshop we were in, exclaiming, “they’re taking the statues down now! Run if you wanna see it!,” referring to the confederate statues Andrew Jackson and Robert E. Lee. We got there for the entire removal of Robert E. Lee, which became a major fabric of the video, helping us raise over $1000 for P.H.A.R. C-Ville, a public housing association of residents in Charlottesville.
It’s been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I forgot my flute for a band trip, so don’t do that. Haha. Also, when first starting to perform, it can feel scary, but this is a beautiful vulnerability that the world needs more of. We end up hiding so much because of our own inner critic. Let go and be free.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that? What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Without a doubt, meeting Will Bradford in 2019 was a very influential event in my life, as I gained a partner, forever love, and music ally with over 25 years of experience touring in his own band SeepeopleS, while building friendships around the world. We began producing my upcoming album, On the Sea, at the start of the 2020 pandemic. We’ve released five singles since, with the last one, “Daylight”, out Aug 15. It’s a charity song to raise money for a wild horse farm, ‘Ever After Mustang Rescue’, who rehabilitates and rehomes abused, neglected, and unwanted mustangs while integrating them into the community through education and events.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Growing up in northern Maine, we didn’t have much diversity beyond our French-Canadian and Acadian culture, so I was lucky to be in a dance group, ‘Pazapa’, that performed dances from cultures all around the world. I was exposed to different kinds of music, costumes, and movements from Africa, Ukraine, Lebanon, Ireland, Mexico, Israel, as well as our own country’s cultures through the evolution of song and dance. It allowed me to meet all kinds of people in their most beautiful light. I’d fall in love with the dances, then the music, then the people. If enough of us are able to lead our lives with love, we can heal the world.
As a successful music star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated? How do you overcome obstacles in your career?
I’ve always been called to music in one way or another. For years, I’d sing quietly in my room, recording things I’d come up with. I still do this a lot of the time. I just kept music going through college as I became a dentist, and now I work only a few days per week so I can have time for music. When life gets busy, I stay flexible with how things unfold and go with the flow.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1 . Save your lyrics and compositions somewhere other than your phone. I’m sure everyone agrees on the importance of this, but until your phone slips out of your pocket and off a sailboat into the ocean, you think you’ll be the one that it won’t ever happen to. But it did.
2 . It’s about energy more than anything. At shows and in everyday life, we want to see someone express themselves and have a good time doing it. Vibrance, passion, presence, authenticity, humanity, emotions that fit a particular storyline and message…these empower the audience to feel and express too.
3 . Keep a tour journal. On the road, each day is full of new people, places, opportunities, fun moments, milestones, and memories we’d rather not forget. Important contacts and information for next time you’re in town is handy to have and easy to grab as you go.
4 . Stay organized. We all have plenty of files and things to manage as artists.
5 . Open mics are a perfect place to try new songs and make new friends.
Can you share some insights into your creative process? How do you approach songwriting? How do you approach musical collaborations?
One way I like to put it is — I’m a painter with many canvases at once, adding a sparkle here and there, finding old pieces and becoming inspired again, then finishing each one in either an hour or over many years. It seems that every song has its own timeline.
When collaborating, I like to embrace each artist’s creative expression as the piece evolves. Tim Reynolds’ classical guitar on “Forever Love,” Dana Colley’s bass clarinet on “Glow,” Nate Edgar’s electronic bass on “Essence of Me,” Jerome Deupree’s drum beat on “Daylight,” and Nikki Glaspie’s drum beat on “Gold,” were all improvised in the studio. Producing the album with Will Bradford and Will Holland was invigorating, as their electronic production added epic pop-ballad vibes to my organic folk songs.
Your music has resonated with so many fans worldwide. What do you believe sets your music apart? How do you connect with your audience?
Each of us has a story that sets us apart, yet it is our stories that bring us together. To tell our story beautifully and openly as an offering, without expectation, is like being a big, bright flower in bloom. No matter what it looks like and how different it is from the others, it only makes a field of flowers more beautiful. If the flower blooms through concrete, it creates an even greater beauty in unexpected places.
With your busy schedule and demanding performances, how do you prioritize self-care and maintain a balance between your personal life and career in the music industry?
It’s a decision I make every day. From the foods I eat, to the hours I sleep, to the people I surround myself with, to the mindset I have in meeting each moment. We’re the only ones who can prioritize our own wellbeing within the framework of our lives. Everything else will follow.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
A “fresh start movement” where people approach other people with a brand new outlook, as if there has been no history of humankind before today. Then we all get to start a chapter together.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Beyoncé of course. For no particular reason.
How can our readers continue to follow your work online?
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold.
