There you may know Rachael Sage as a NYC-based folk-pop artist who, since founding her label MPress Records, has steadily released a slew of vibrant, dynamic albums. You can learn that she has toured with an eclectic list of artists, including Rufus Wainwright, Ani DiFranco, Beth Hart, Howard Jones, and Grammy® winners Shawn Colvin and Judy Collins—with whom she also recorded a critically acclaimed duet of Neil Young’s “Helpless.” You will see that, in addition to being a six-time Independent Music Award-winning musician and producer, Sage is also a John Lennon Contest Grand Prize winner who has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, SXSW, and toured globally from Japan to Berlin with her band, The Sequins.
You will discover that Sage is also a visual artist and former ballet dancer who performed with the New York City Ballet and that, as a self-described “cancer thriver,” she is a philanthropic advocate who has raised money for a wide range of causes, including the Foundation For Women’s Cancer, WHY Hunger, American Refugee Committee/Alight, and National Network For Youth (NN4Y). You can hear her recent album Character, which yielded the Billboard-charting single “Blue Sky Days,” and her companion albums, The Other Side and Another Side, which are currently out on MPress/Universal/Virgin. You can also note Sage’s forthcoming title track single, “Canopy,” released May 2025; the full album, Canopy, will follow later this year.
You will find Rachael Sage & The Sequins’ new album, Canopy, is a diverse collection of songs that feel like a refuge, woven from resilience, longing, and the irrepressible determination to find light in the darkest places. You can experience this debut full-band release as Rachael Sage & The Sequins spotlights Sage’s longtime group, continuing her ongoing journey of storytelling, reinvention, and emotional connection. You will notice the record confidently spans the genres of Americana, pop, and neo-folk, and that Sage and her band offer listeners a beautifully crafted, deeply heartfelt collection of songs finding common ground in themes of living a purposeful and joyful life rooted in inclusiveness, equality, and non-violence.
You can begin with the title track “Canopy,” which the record opens with as a much-needed musical reprieve from our current cultural upheaval. You will hear it as equal parts emotional exhale and invitation to a more compassionate future; this inspirational anthem explores radical inclusivity, pacifism, and environmental consciousness and is bolstered by one of the most memorable hooks of Sage’s prolific career. You can also enjoy “Just Enough,” which captures the Americana-pop band at the peak of their musical powers, and the lively piano-pop romp “Live It Up,” whose lyrics playfully divert listeners from news cycle overwhelm toward equality and understanding (“I can be the hope and possibility; you can be the one to help me turn the key; there’s no way to heaven ’til we get there all equal”).
Stream/download “Canopy” here
Stream/download “Just Enough” here
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Sage, along with Grammy®-nominated engineer/bassist Mikhail Pivovarov and Grammy® winner Andy Zulla, produced the impeccably recorded Canopy. You can appreciate the talents of The Sequins—violinist Kelly Halloran, drummer Andy Mac, Trina Hamlin on harmonica, and cellist Ward Williams—alongside special guests including James Mastro, Jack Petruzzelli, Rob Curto, Dave Eggar, David Krakauer, Doug Yowell, Kerry Brooks, and Americana vocal duo Annalyse & Ryan.
What first got you into music?
I’ve been playing piano since I was a toddler and learned on a steady diet of classical music, doo-wap and Broadway show tunes. After I developed the ability to play piano by ear, I started writing lyrics, and some of my first influences included Billy Joel, Carole King, James Taylor, and pretty much anything I heard on Solid Gold or in ballet class as a kid! It was a swift, fast process between when I learned to play by ear and when I was writing my own full-fledged songs with multiple verses and choruses that I hoped people would want to sing along to. At summer camp and in school I was always “the girl who played and sang,” and it was pretty obvious from a young age what I was going to do with my life, in the larger sense.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
I would describe my music as “chamber-folk-pop” or Americana folk-pop. In terms of instrumentation, my band The Sequins is comprised of rock/pop and chamber elements, including harmonica, cello, violin, and Hammond organ, and of course I write on piano as well as guitar. Lyrically a lot of my work is storytelling, but some of it is also more poetic. I’ve often been compared to artists from the 60’s and 70’s like Laura Nyro and Carole King, but I’ve definitely been inspired by contemporary artists including Rufus Wainwright, Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega, Sarah McLachlan, Maria McKee, and Sinéad O’Connor.
Is there a city or venue that holds special significance to you, and can you share a memorable experience from there?
London is one of my very favorite cities, and I always love visiting and performing there! It’s been exciting through the years to perform at venues like The Palladium and The Troubadour, but my very favorite venue is Union Chapel, where I last played with one of my biggest childhood influences, Howard Jones. The acoustics in the space are absolutely incredible, and knowing so many of my heroes like Marc Cohn and Paula Cole have also performed there makes it extra special. At the soundcheck for my show with Howard Jones, there was a photographer there who asked for a photo of both of us at our keyboards, and they were actually plugged in, so we started jamming a bit on my favorite song of his, “No One Is To Blame,” and it was pretty surreal in an absolutely wonderful way!”
Do you have any rituals before you hit the stage? If so, what are they?
Before I go onstage, I always warm up my voice (of course) with a whole wacky-sounding range of exercises that sound to some like an alien language, but they definitely help me not ‘push’ or hurt my vocal instrument. I also do a bit of stretching, whether it be some derivation of yoga or stretches I learned from my ballet studies. Beyond that, I definitely consider my process of doing my hair and makeup to be a kind of ritual and very meditative. From putting on lipstick and glitter eye shadow to placing the flowers in my hair, the act of physical transformation from “everyday” to “show-ready” is very sacred for me, and if I don’t have the opportunity to do it in a calm, focused way, I can feel a bit unfocused, so I always try to find that quiet space (with decent light!) to make that happen! Right before we go onstage, my band and I always have a nice moment of gratitude and tell each other we love each other—it’s pretty damn sweet, and 100% true!
If you could go open a show for any artist, who would it be?
I would be super honored to open a show for Elvis Costello, whether with my band The Sequins or solo. He’s my all-time favorite songwriter, and I also think our music would be an excellent match! It would also be wildly exciting to support any of my other favorite artists, including Glen Hansard/The Swell Season, Passenger, Hozier, MeShell Ndegeocello, Sarah McLachlan, Lisa Loeb, Suzanne Vega, or Rufus Wainwright.
What is your favorite song to perform?
For many years, my favorite song to play live has been “Sistersong” because it’s such a distillation of my sensibility and gives me a chance to celebrate women in the audience and in the world as a whole. More recently, my new single “Live It Up” has begun to rival it, as it’s such a positive, upbeat, and inclusive lyric, and the music is really bouncy, and it’s so fun to play with the band. I’ve been starting my shows with it and can’t wait for the video to come out, which is essentially a faux rehearsal with a bunch of my favorite players, in a vibey Brooklyn loft. The subject of the clip is really the affection between the band and how meaningful coming together to play music in these tumultuous times can ground us and remind us what it means to be human, and in community – however intimate.
Stream/download “Live It Up” here
What actor would play you in a movie about your life?
I think it would be interesting for Regina Spektor or Vanessa Carlton to play me, since I’m compared to them so frequently. Regina and I have the Russian-Jewish-pianist connection, and Vanessa and I both studied at School Of American Ballet and her piano style is very similar to mine, so I think that casting would make sense!
If you had a time machine, would you travel to the future or back to the past?
I would absolutely travel to the past. I’m basically a retro girl most days, style-wise and also musically. I love the music from the 60’s and 70’s. The Beatles have always been my favorite band, and Buddy Holly, The Doors, and pretty much anything from those eras is music I continue to enjoy and be inspired by, production-wise. Having toured with and come to know the extraordinary Judy Collins some years back, I would’ve also been thrilled to have seen her and artists like Leonard Cohen and Cat Stevens when they were first breaking through and socially conscious folk was the mainstream music of the day. I suppose in a way I do have a time machine, and it’s called the recording studio haha. When I play my Wurlitzer and put my electric guitar through a wah pedal, it definitely feels like I’m channeling those eras!
Do you have a cherished childhood teddy bear or other stuffed animal sitting on your bed at home?
I had a pretty strict upbringing, and whenever I let my room get too messy (which was often), my stuffed animals would be unceremoniously taken away and put in the attic until I cleaned up. So you’ve hit a nerve! BUT, although this system never got my ADD self to be “neat,” it did encourage me to have lots of stuffed animals, still, as an adult! My current favorites are a rainbow-colored llama and an adorable little lamb.
If you had to describe yourself as a flavor, what would it be?
I think Vanilla Chai Spice captures me pretty well, even though since my cancer recovery I don’t eat sugar or baked goods anymore. But I love the sweet smell of vanilla—it feels very calm and grounded to me while also being inviting. Chai is a bunch of different flavors combined that give me a little “kick” and always make me feel energized and warmer. I like to think that the art and music I create help to do that for my listeners, even just a little bit!
What’s your least favorite personality trait you like about yourself?
I wish I liked to sleep more and could force myself to go to bed earlier! I’m often exhausted and know that it’s not healthy to only sleep 4 or 5 hours a night from an immunity angle, but no matter how often I try to “reset” to a normal schedule, I just always default to being a complete nightbird. I get so amped up when everyone else is sleeping and do my best writing, musicalizing, and painting in the wee vampire hours…which means I often see the sun rise before I finally crash. I don’t recommend it, but I do suppose I get in another half day or so of creative output while the rest of the world is asleep, so it’s a blessing and a curse.
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