Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY — November 13, 2023

In a night inarguably liberating, Sarah Kinsley led the Music Hall of Williamsburg to the light. Venue hopping throughout New York City is a dream. I get to catch my favorite musicians whilst cementing the magic of their live performances into the annuls of history. But to photograph a dream, that is something that only singer songwriter Sarah Kinsley can provide a budding concert photog. Smooth yet powerful vocals coupled with a unique songwriter’s perspective are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Kinsley’s craftsmanship. 

Where some artists worry the musical mathematics, Kinsley calculates each moment with whimsy. Newer tracks like the fanciful sensitivity of “Oh No Darling!” and “Lovegod” had the hall sparkling – even the sad heartbeat of “The Giver” left us in a cosmic rotation. Each installment of Kinsley’s ever-growing discography feels like an instant classic. Is it her exaltant celebration in vocalizing our shared spectrum of love, loss, and everything in between? Could it be her tactful delivery of aforementioned experiences through passionate composition? Or maybe her downright mystifying stage presence? Yes, all of the above! But Sarah Kinsley isn’t easy answers. Her music is just as nuanced as her mind, and the three minute (or so) slices that we get still don’t satisfy our appetite for understanding, for liberation. There are a handful of artists universally looked to as pioneers of modern music. Sarah Kinsley, if not already, is on her way there, in my eyes. Her raw vulnerability is enough to put her on the map, but couple that with the wise musicality of an artist far beyond her years, and you get the twenty-three-year-old New York based artist who’s only getting started.

Words & Photography: Victoria Rose Huerta