Sabrina Soares uses her sweet voice and mad acoustic guitar skills to woo her audiences. She’s making her mark in venues and studios around Sydney and is just getting geared up to take on Emergenza Festival Australia with her original tunes. She’s set to hit the stage at The Lair next Thursday, May 29th, but before she goes on, she takes a moment to answer some of our questions.

WHERE DID YOU PICK UP YOUR GUITAR SKILLS?
I started playing guitar to make up for a lie. A music assessment was given out to write a song due the following day. I told my friends I could play the guitar when in fact I couldn’t. I needed proof. So cutting the story short, I learned how to play the guitar in one day! Turned out I got so hooked on the instrument that I continued playing. That was also the day I wrote my first song.

WHAT KEEPS YOU INSPIRED TO WRITE ORIGINAL MUSIC?
Writing songs allows me to express myself. It gives me a voice. A lot of my songs are about things I can never have the courage to say face-to-face to someone so in that sense, for me, writing songs is powerful. Additionally, I think the greatest part of writing songs is to see how they connect to people. When I receive comments like “That song sums up exactly what I’m feeling right now”, means they understand where I’m coming from, and knowing that makes me more than happy to provide songs for those who need it.

IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN THREE WORDS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
Honest. Diverse. Fun.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR MAJOR MUSICAL INFLUENCES?
Artists like John Mayer, Colbie Caillat, Ed Sheeran, James Taylor, and Sheppard.

WHO WOULD YOU LOVE TO WORK WITH ONE DAY?
Any of the above, but I would really love to work with Brisbane band Sheppard. I love their music, so writing songs with them would be incredible!

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT YOUR SHOW AT THE ESPY?
Being able to engage with the crowd, create an amazing synergy between us, and have a fun night!

WITH OTHER BATTLE OF THE BANDS COMPETITIONS AROUND, WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE EMERGENZA?
The fact that Emergenza is a global band competition that brings such a diverse range of bands in different genres together on the same stage. It also gives bands the opportunity to come out of their anonymity. I feel glad to be a part of this global community and would be thrilled to represent Australia in Germany.

For more details on the show at The Lair @ The Metro Theatre in Sydney on May 29th, click here.