Hey all of you Tonemillers, we hope you had a good weekend! Let’s start off this week on a good note by introducing you to someone who might eventually become your favorite artist! Sarah Manzo is a shooting star from New York City who’s been belting out songs in the kitchen from the age of three and is currently studying musical performance in college.

In April of this year, Sarah released her first single from her upcoming debut EP “Running Away”. The premiere of what we’re sure is going to be a long discography is called “No Plans”. And what an explosive way to launch herself onto our listening platforms –  the sparse drums, the heavy bass-line, and what sounds like a Bob Marley sample in the keys gets you hooked from the first moment. When we hear Sarah’s vocals, her voice is filtered just enough to get that cool, slightly distanced sound without drowning her beautiful voice in a sea of effects. The melody is gorgeous, intriguing yet feels totally effortless. It moves in perfect harmony with the strings and backup singers. 

Manzo lists some of her influences as Esperanza Spalding, Lianne La Havas, Emily King, and Amy Winehouse. These are artists who all manage to somehow really groove, yet let the melody and upper register of the arrangements float freely and loosely. It’s easy to hear that Sarah has picked up a thing or two from these greats (and is about to inspire her own generation of upcoming artists). 

We cannot wait to hear the rest of this EP –  in the meantime all we can do is listen to “No Plans” on repeat and congratulate Sarah on a very successful first release! 

Best enjoyed: While you’re getting dressed before meeting up with a special someone and you need a little inspo to awaken your own sensuality!

Listen for this moment: When the guitar solo comes in at just the right time with just the right amount of passion. (Wow, guitars are finally back people!)

Check out Sarah here