With the inspiring words, “Be You, Be Different, who cares about the rest,” Sarah Barrios begins her performance of “Don’t Look Back”, a beautiful original song about a young girl who conquers the fear of being judged by others and learns to be true to herself.  Such is the spirit behind this 19 year old musical artist from northwest Connecticut.  With songs in her repertoire both sweet and fierce, Barrios brings a powerful vocal range to her music.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOiElUkmR3g

Comfortable singing acapella or with an accompanying guitar, Sarah Barrios performs regularly at Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk, Connecticut and throughout the New England region. She has been nominated for the New England Music Awards in the Best New Act category. http://www.nemusicawards.com/nominees

In 2014, Barrios is planning her first EP and is actively fundraising for that effort. The EP will be produced by New England music legend Tracy Walton.  (see  http://www.rockethub.com/projects/34595-help-fund-sarah-barrios-s-first-ep  for more information). Sarah has worked with Tracy Walton previously on a cover of Lorde’s “Royals”, a popular video with over 2500 views and with comments that confirm her version improves on the original work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvFVfla_9rU

Sarah took the time to share her thoughts and experiences here.

What are your creative plans for 2014, what do you wish to see happen for your music career?

I wish to get my name and my music out to more people.  Playing music is something that helps me, when I write a song, it helps me get feelings or a story off of my chest. But it’s more than that. I write songs for myself but also so people can relate to them.  If my music can help someone else who has gone through the same thing, I have achieved my goal. So I want to spread my music to more people this year and really make my mark in the music scene. I hope to see my music career blossom and play more exciting gigs throughout the year!

How has Torrington/Connecticut informed or inspired your music?

I was in the band at Torrington High School for all four years of my time there and I can honestly say that has had a huge impact on me.  The band is under the direction of Wayne Splettstoeszer, who is 95% of what makes being in that band so special. I played the flute, though I was never very good at it, I found significance in what Mr. S was teaching. He taught me that if you want it, you have to go for it. If you want something you do to be amazing, you have to work at it. And I’ve taken that thought process and used that in the way I work with my music and when I write. Sometimes I’ll be stuck with writers block in the middle of a song an it’s absolutely frustrating, but I just remember what he taught me, everything takes time, if you want it to be great, you have to make it great, and then I will dive back into writing. Band was what broke me out of my shell and helped me to make friends in high school and I honestly would not be the same without it.

Is there a particular song of yours (written or performed) that best represents you or your style?

I don’t know how to pick just one! They all are slightly different from each other, where some are more pop styled and some have a blues type of feel. I quite like them all! One that best represents me as a person I think is my original, “Don’t Look Back” which is about being yourself and not worrying about what other people think of you. I have a motto that I live by and created and that is,”be you, be different, who cares about the rest” and this song is about a girl who takes on that motto and realizes she can be herself.

What should fans expect when they go to a Sarah Barrios show?

A lot of fun! I like to interact with the audience, whether it’s having them clap along or telling them a funny story about the song, I try to have as much fun with audience as possible. I’m myself up on stage and that is where I feel the most confident, so when people come to a show, they get 100% Sarah Barrios.

When did you start performing music and did you take lessons professionally or are you self taught?

I’ve been singing ever since I was little, I started playing guitar and writing songs when I was about 13 years old. My dad plays guitar so I had asked him to show me a few chords and that’s when it all started! I am self taught guitar and singing. I’ve never had lessons for either! I didn’t get serious about playing music until now because I honestly didn’t think there was any possible way I could do this for a living, but music is the only thing that has been a constant love of mine through my life so I decided to give it a try and it’s gone pretty well so far!:)

Call to Action: To support Sarah Barrios in her creative journey in 2014, please visit

http://www.nemusicawards.com/nominees and vote for her in the Best New Act Category

and visit this link to support her new EP project.

http://www.rockethub.com/projects/34595-help-fund-sarah-barrios-s-first-ep

There is no question Sarah Barrios will become a household name as her star continues to rise, and with the community’s help, Sarah will reach great heights in her career and inspire another generation of young singers who aspire to share their talents with the world.