() The days surrounding the release of a debut album should be a celebratory time for an independent artist. For the Americana singer-songwriter Sarah King, it was a bittersweet moment. Her first LP, When It All Goes Down, was released on March 29, 2024, to praise from everyone from American Songwriter to Brooklyn Vegan, The Bluegrass Situation, Glide Magazine, and many more.
Just three days later, on April 1, 2024, King received a preliminary diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer. After several weeks of testing, that diagnosis has now been confirmed. After being told she'd need multiple surgeries beginning in July, she made the decision to schedule the first following the Grand Point North Festival, so she could give her fans a proper "temporary farewell," with her only full band show of the year.
Before her hiatus from performing, King, who is based in Vermont, will appear at a handful of festivals, including the Wildflower Festival in Richardson, TX, on May 18 - 19. These will be her first performances since receiving the news.
"While I'm heartbroken not to have the year I'd hoped with this album, the songs will still be there for me when my voice and my body are healthy enough to take to the stage again," says King, pointing out that while any cancer diagnosis is extremely frightening, having surgery so close to her vocal nerves causes additional anxiety for a singer. Fortunately, she has an excellent medical team and vocal coach ready to guide her through recovery and rehab, so she can return to live performance - the thing she loves most in the world - as soon as possible.
The title track of When It All Goes Down was inspired by doctors not listening to women, and it's not lost on King that it seems like she wrote the song to her future self, somehow knowing that she'd need to "stand up to the devil," fighting first for her ailments to be taken seriously, and now fighting against cancer itself. Watch a live performance of "When It All Goes Down" HERE.
The album is a testament to King's strength, reflecting on a period in her life when she lost her mother, first husband, and dog in quick succession. Songs like the slow-burning "Stronger Than You'll Ever Know" (featuring pedal steel guitar by Nova Scotia-born, Nashville-based musician Asa Brosius) find King deftly navigating the hidden spaces between darkness and the light.
Produced, engineered, and arranged by David Baron (The Lumineers, Noah Kahan, Meghan Trainor), When It All Goes Down, captures an acutely authentic artist exploring her spirit and songcraft in an effort to reach a place that's both true and transcendent, not only in herself, but in all those who also call upon the power of music in their time of need.
"My stories are folk stories," says Sarah King. "Of the people, for the people, by the people (I'm a person). These are songs for folks who've lived through some sh*t and want some music that doesn't shy away from that."
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
May 18 - 19
Wildflower Festival
Richardson, TX
May 31
Ladybug Music Festival
Wilmington, DE
July 27
Grand Point North Festival w/ Grace Potter
Burlington, VT (full band show)
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