008: Sarah Michelle Lee

 Written and Edited by Eve Mikkelson, host of Brooklyn Buzz on WPIR
 Photography by Edward Hernandez
 Interview on 11/9/2024

Back in the fall, Brooklyn Buzz interviewed Brooklyn-based singer and songwriter Sarah Michelle Lee, who recently launched her solo project. Sarah shares her inspirations, the journey behind her music and music videos, and the influence that NYC’s vibrant music scene has had on her. With a focus on love and vulnerability, her songs evoke a unique, cozy atmosphere perfect for those reflective moments. As Sarah teases upcoming projects and releases, she gives us a glimpse into the exciting future ahead for both her solo work and her band monarch.'s next steps. 


First of all, would you like to introduce yourself?

Hi!! I’m Sarah Michelle Lee. I’m a singer/songwriter based in Brooklyn. I also sing in a band called “monarch.” Sarah Michelle Lee is my solo project. I just started it this year!

That’s so exciting. How would you describe your music for those who may not have heard it yet?

I would say it’s like pining love music. Pining, sad, comfy vibes. Something you can look out the window to on a nice fall day. I just sent one of my friends a song and they replied “I’m listening and all the trees are perfectly yellow.” That is exactly how I want my songs to be listened to.

Aww. That's funny because my next question was going to be about how all of your songs explore themes of love. What drives that lyrical direction for you? In parentheses in my notes I also wrote “Makes it easy to get in my feels.”

*laughs* For sure. Well all of the music I love is like that. For people who aren’t obsessed with music I don’t know what they do all the time.

*laughs* I agree!

Like “what do you think about??” So for me, writing is following my expression and it makes me feel better. Singing soothes me. Whenever I’m anxious, going through something, or sad, or happy I just write. It’s always about what I’m feeling and I guess that’s just part of being in your 20s. You feel deeply about love. That’s a big theme because it’s a big part of my life, or even the point of life in my opinion. That drives what I already listen to and what inspires me.

Being based in Brooklyn, do you think the city influences you at all?

Yeah! I’m from upstate and I moved here in May.

Just this past May? Woah!

Yeah, I had been in the scene with my band since 2021 though. I had lived here by staying on my brother's couch for like two years straight. I finally got my own place and I think hearing what everyone else is doing, getting inspiration, and being energized by everyone else’s drive is great. Being in a city, you can meet so many people and get to do so many things in such a short amount of time, I think it influences me in that way a lot.

Totally. Also with meeting so many people and obviously the music scene is so vast, is there anyone who would be your dream to collaborate with right now?

So many people! With my band we just played a show with this girl, Honey Marmalade (who you should check out, you would love). Her voice is insane and I think it would be really cool to do a song together because we have similar vibes with the band. My friend’s in Sweetbreads, and I would love to collaborate with Melody. I think that would be really cool specifically for my solo project. Same kind of lust, youthful vibes. I would love to collaborate with Shallow Alcove too, they are the cutest people ever.

Kind of in the same realm, who would you say are some of your musical inspirations?

Fiona Apple, Alice Phoebe Lou, Mazzy Star… Somebody came up to us at our show at Sofar recently and said we were giving Mazzy Star vibes. I was like “I have three posters in my room, how did you know that??” Lana Del Rey for sure is always a big comparison. I’ll always have her in my playlists as inspo. Blondshell. Basically just female vocalists, I don’t really listen to a lot of male vocalists anymore.

You released a cover of “Bless the Telephone” a little bit ago, so I was wondering if Labi Siffre was an inspiration?

Huge. He is a recent discovery for me. I found that song on TikTok and I got obsessed with him. It was all I listened to throughout the summer so scratch my male vocalist comment I guess. I listen to old male vocalists. *laughs* But his style is amazing. I have a playlist of what I want my music to sound like and he is on there for sure.

Did you have a connection with that song specifically?

I was singing it to myself all the time. Every time I do a cover it’s usually me singing and going “Oh wait I like that.” With “Superstar” too I just thought it could be really cool. I would voice over a youtube instrumental just to see if it sounded good enough.

Like “oooo wait a second!” *laughs*

Yeah! It’s like the “when you find out you can sing” posts. *laughs* So then I went to this show where I met this guy, Nathan, and he was playing beautiful guitar. I said we would have to do the cover together and he ended up producing it for me.

That’s so great! Love connections.

That’s exactly why I moved here too. Sometimes I get really tired and I don’t wanna socialize, don’t want to go to shows, just want to lay in my comfy bed and watch Gilmore Girls. But I didn’t move here to do the same thing I was doing at home; I moved here to meet people, make music, spend all my money making music, and that’s how it is. Sometimes you have to remind yourself why you are somewhere.



Your most recently released song is “The Whole Sea” which has a really cool music video too. So unique and stylized. As someone who is always thinking about visuals, I was wondering what your favorite part of the music video making process is?

Music videos are literally so much work. But, this one was awesome because I got to work with my friend, Sydney Tate, who is a local photographer and videographer. If you follow Big Girl, Partygirl, or a bunch of other local artists, they all have videos by Sydney as well. Working with someone I’m very close with – we have been friends for a few years – was great. We stayed at an airbnb and made a trip out of it. We are both busy people so we finally got to hangout. *laughs* It was also really cool because I’ve always wanted to incorporate dance in a video. Oh, Faye Webster is also an inspiration and her music videos were an inspo for the dance element. So Sydney has a friend, Sydni, who is a dancer and was so great in the video. We did it on a beach in Rhode Island because one of the lyrics in the song is “let’s get rich off our love, buy a house out in Rhode Island.” You want to be so full of love you don’t need anything else. You’re so rich in love you can buy a house with all the love you have for someone. That’s what the song is sort of about. It would have to be so much love too because it is so expensive to do anything in Rhode Island.

I was wondering if you really were in Rhode Island. *laughs*

Yeah, I love Rhode Island because it was our first vacation post-pandemic with my mom and brother. We had such a good time, so we try to return every year. It’s a special place for us. I was driving there in the summer of 2023 with my family and I had that lyric in my head. We got to record the music video on one of my favorite beaches too. It was cold, but it was fun. There is this all-pink motel called the Seashell Motel and we recorded in the parking lot which was so cool. I think this sweet older couple has just owned it for years and the guy gave me a t-shirt for the motel. Dealing with someone like that was so sweet and everything worked out. Music videos can be so exhausting and annoying but not if you do it correctly for sure.

Always lovely to have your pals there. To talk about another song, you mentioned your first cover, “Superstar.” Big deal being your first release, what is your connection to that song?

Years ago, a friend showed me the Sonic Youth version and I was obsessed. It’s another I was just singing to myself before I realized how much I liked it. So I was working with my friend, Eric. We created the instrumental, and I had a friend do pedal steel on it to create cool ambient sounds.

That’s awesome. You’re also in the band monarch. I had the pleasure of seeing you guys about a year ago at Main Drag which was really awesome. I didn’t know you guys very well going into that and you blew me away. I was wondering what the meaning behind the name “monarch.” was?

So, when I first started the band I really wanted something natural and pretty that could have a good visual. Something we could easily make a logo with. I had a list of stuff and it was always on my list but I wasn’t 100% sure. When you start a band, you can’t change your name, you know? So, I was going to this job I literally hated in 2021, still in pandemic times where I didn’t want to be around people really because I was terrified of getting sick. I was still in college working a desk job for this family run company. 6am at a desk, I’m not a morning person, people were not nice, and the night before going in I would be so anxious. It was toward the end of my time there and there was a big storm. It was the end of August when all the monarchs are typically around, even though you sadly don’t really see them anymore. I walked in and there was half of a monarch butterfly sitting by the door, and the next day I saw the other half. I knew then.

Wild! And you have a period (.) in there too.

Yeah, there are a million other monarchs. There is a heavy metal band and stuff so we went all lowercase with a period. We should come up first if you type it in correctly. *laughs*

Got that style in there. I might be wrong, is your brother in the band too?

Yes! He is our bassist.

Exciting! And what was it that made you want to start making stuff solo?

First I wrote “The Whole Sea” and I had a very specific vision of how I wanted it to be and sound. It just wasn’t monarch.’s sound. I tried to write with our guitarist a little but I couldn’t let go of what I really wanted it to be. “The Whole Sea” was my real first solo song and I needed the music video element with it but it was winter and cold when I finalized the song, so I had to build up to it by releasing the covers first.



Do you have any upcoming shows or projects either with monarch. or your solo stuff?

With monarch. we are taking a little break to write. We got a new drummer recently so we are writing over the next few months and hopefully releasing some in Spring. For the solo project, I have a bunch of stuff being written right now so I would love to release an EP in 2025. Hopefully, I could get a band together and do shows and all that fun stuff too.

Oh my gosh, please let me know when that stuff is happening and I’ll spread the word.

Of course! Do you know Wild Pink? They’re a NYC based group and they’re producing a song for me right now which is going to be really cool. They have a song with Julien Baker, which is so cool too.

Woah!

Yeah so I’m like “Wait, you like my music enough to do this with me? Are you sure?” *laughs* He is really really a nice guy and has dealt with a million revisions because I’m so picky with vocals.

I think I saw a TikTok where you were saying you’re a big people-pleaser.

Oh, that was hilarious. I had recorded vocals with my producer, Eric, upstate. Whenever I’m in the vocal booth I try to film videos for promotion but it’s so dark in there with an LED sign behind me. Great, but not for a video. I had been recording with him for years and I had never thought to just ask him to turn the light on. *laughs* He actually eventually asked me and I was like “You can do that here? Are you fucking kidding me?”

*laughs* That’s one thing about moving to the city. I’m not from NY at all, I’m from the cozy, passive-aggressive midwest. I feel like coming to NYC hardens you a little.

Yeah, you need to speak up here. *laughs* The older you get you realize this. I’m 24 and I’m still realizing I can voice what I need without being in anyone’s way. There’s no way I’m harming anybody by saying anything or needing anything. Especially with music and as someone who is just a vocalist, I need to get a million people involved on a project. Speaking for what I want something to sound like is hard. But I realize “I’m paying for this! Why do I care what they think?” *laughs* You need to remind yourself that you need to voice what you want to get what you want. Nobody is going to read your mind. It’s an ongoing lesson.

I totally get it. I was timid asking you and other artists if they would be interested in doing interviews. Like “excuse me, are you interested in a free photoshoot and promotion?” *laughs*

Literally! And everyone loves that shit. I think it is just a work in progress kind of thing. It takes time.

Well, thank you so much for coming in. Is there anything you’d like to promote?

Yeah, I have a lot of songs out now you should give a listen. Follow me on social media because I’m releasing so much in 2025.

<3

More images from the photoshoot with Sarah, shot by Edward Hernandez:


This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.