LISTEN: Sarah Lee Langford & Will Stewart, “Staring at the Sun”

Artist: Sarah Lee Langford & Will Stewart
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Song: “Staring at the Sun”
Album: Bad Luck and Love
Release Date: November 18, 2022
Label: Cornelius Chapel Records

In Their Words: “‘Staring at the Sun’ is one of those songs that began on the late-night, slow-tempo songwriting couch, and the band turned it into something fit for the public. With these lyrics, I’m telling everyone to remind me not to go down that same road again when I know damn well I’ll do it anyway. These songs make me look at my life over and over, as I work them out with the band, try them out on stage, and record take after take in the studio. Then perform them fully fledged, sometimes right in front of the people who inspired them. It’s like each time the experience loses some of its charge, as I embody how I got there in the first place. People tell me these songs are relatable, so they’re not selfishly just for me, which makes them worth writing.” — Sarah Lee Langford


Photo Credit: Lisa Cordes

LISTEN: Sarah Lee Langford, “Growing Up”

Artist: Sarah Lee Langford
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Song: “Growing Up”
Album: Two Hearted Rounder
Album Release Date: November 8, 2019
Label: Cornelius Chapel Records

In Their Words: “‘Growing Up’ is borne not only out of huge changes in my life, but also of some friends grieving the loss of a child. It speaks of how people frequently don’t know how to relate to others when they’re in pain, and how we have to carry on and learn to thrive again in the face of adversity. Put those lyrics on top of minor chords, guitar twang, pedal steel from outer space, and a shuffle beat and you’ve got ‘Growing Up.’ Growing up ain’t for the weak, but it beats the alternative.” — Sarah Lee Langford


Photo credit: Brandon Brown