Interview with talented LA-based artist Sadie Cannon

Hi Sadie, please tell us a little about you?

I am originally from Florida. I grew up in a small town called Ocala, right outside of Orlando. I went to the University of Florida for two years out of high school, then made writing trips to Nashville over the summer. This led to me eventually moving there alongside attending Belmont University. After enhancing my songwriting skills in Nashville, I decided to move out to Los Angeles to grow more in the Urban Pop space.

Describe yourself in 3 words?

Driven, Outgoing, Passionate.

Who has made the biggest impact on your life so far, and why?

I played volleyball growing up, and I had this one coach for the majority of my life. He pushed us beyond our limits and pretty much made volleyball a full-time job. Even though, as a teen, this was a major commitment and exhausting, in school, we won two state championships, and in club volleyball, we went to the Junior Olympics and won many championships. On top of this, he trained me for weightlifting, and I ranked in the state. He had a no-excuses mindset and showed me that success takes full-on dedication and sacrifice. That’s the approach that I take with my music career. If you want something, you really have to put in the time commitment and effort that no one else is willing to.

How did you get started in the business?

My first taste of the business came from a relative of Dolly Parton. She worked at the same hospital as my dad. When I said I wanted to pursue music, my dad gave me her number. I played some songs on my guitar for her and her husband, then the next thing I knew, I was making writing trips to Nashville.

Did you go to music school?

I grew up taking lessons for piano and guitar, then played bass guitar in the school band. When I went to college, I first went to the University of Florida for Public Relations, then transferred to Belmont University in Nashville. Here I majored in Music Business and minored in Audio Engineering.

Describe your sound in 3 words?

Urban, Pop, Electronic

Who influenced you, and why did you choose to make music?

Growing up, I was very much a Disney kid. I listen to the Jonas Brother and Miley Cyrus like nobody’s business. I was also huge on Taylor Swift. Since they wrote their songs, I was like “yeah I’m going do that too.” Overall though, I feel like I take a little bit from a lot of various artists. Like I loved the colorful craziness of LMFAO growing up, and I love how “bad girl” Rihanna is. I feel like I take a little bit of influence from a lot of people to make a unique “me.” I know that sounds cheesy.

Why I chose music seems so obvious and so unclear all at the same time. I performed for my family and friends growing up dancing and singing. Then I did theatre too. I was always the person who did not like to talk about when things upset me, so I just chose to put all of that into expression. So I made songs in my room to put the negative energy into making art.

Do you ever get nervous?

Of course! I feel like it means you actually care about something. Whenever I put out a song or perform, the success of those things is so important to me. So being nervous is almost crucial. Managing the nerves is vital, too, but if I was not anxious, nervous, and stressed, it is almost like I would not be putting the pressure on myself to improve my craft.

What is your next goal as a musician?

Ultimately, I want to help people and as many people as I can. As a kid, I would listen to music and feel like someone else understood what I was going through. All the songs I have out right now mostly are about something bad that has occurred and retraining your mindset into believing you are better off. If someone is feeling bad or going through a breakup, my goal is for them to be like “screw being sad, let’s bump some Sadie Cannon and move on from this tragedy.”

Career-wise, I want to be fully funded by music. I want to create every day and entertain. I want people to feel something and be motivated by my music, my shows, and all the content that I create.

Do you have a Tour coming up or where we can see you performing?

As of right now, I am focused on writing. I think it is time that I settle into doing a project. I also want to make sure that when I have a show, I make my performance something that will grab people’s attention. So probably after an official project drop, I will turn to craft a show that will make people feel something.