Sarah Black gets candid about her journey, loss and Tharunangal

Some artistes have their calling written in the stars, while others stumble upon it in the most unexpected ways.
For singer-songwriter Sarah Black, music wasn’t her first love—it was dance. But when she was forced to choose between the two, she found herself embracing melodies over movement. Her latest single, Tharunangal, released under Think Indie Music, is a testament to her evolving melodies—layered, poetic, and deeply personal.

But while Tharunangal is making waves, Sarah has a lot more on her mind. In an exclusive chat, she opens up about her musical evolution, the artistes who have inspired her, and what’s next in her sonic evolution.
Excerpts:

When did you first realise music was your calling?
I’ve always wanted to be something other than focusing just on education. When I was around 13, I had a defining moment. My school told me I couldn’t dance and sing at the same time. So I learned how to write songs because I didn’t want anyone else singing my songs. But I took about seven to eight years of practice before I actually found my sound.

Who were your influences?
I listened to a lot of One Direction. I remember hearing What Makes You Beautiful and wanting to learn it. I picked up the guitar chords and kept going from there. I also listened to a lot of Ariana Grande and John Bellion. John Bellion taught me to rethink my own songs, to rearrange them in different ways. And, of course, AR Rahman, Shakthisree Gopalan, and Anirudh Ravichander.

Your music has a strong emotional pull. Do you write with the intention of making listeners feel catharsis?
Not really. I just write how I feel. My first song was written during a panic attack—I wrote what I needed to hear, so others could hear it too.

Your new single Tharunangal—what’s the story behind it?
Tharunangal is about fleeting moments—those small, beautiful instants that stay with you long after they’ve passed. It’s a deeply personal song, and I wanted it to capture a feeling of nostalgia and longing. I received the lyrics from Arunkumar Sankaran and rearranged them, then wrote the melody on my guitar. Initially, it was a piano track before evolving into a house-pop sound. The entire song is layered with my vocals, even the parts that might sound like instruments.

This is your first song in Tamil. You’ve mentioned you were hesitant to sing in Tamil before. Why was that?
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to sing in Tamil—I just wanted to establish myself in English first. But now I’m doing music in multiple languages, and I’m okay with that.

What changes would you like to see in the music industry?
I just feel like the indie scene right now has no standard for what ‘good music’ is. I’d like the standard for good music to be higher. A lot of meaningless songs are going viral, while well-made ones get overshadowed by social media trends. A song should have a purpose. Any art should. Even if it’s made for fun, that in itself is a purpose. We need to learn to differentiate between good music and not-so-good music. Just because something is catchy doesn’t mean it’s good.

What kind of music are you excited about exploring next?
I’ve started rapping now! I didn’t know I could do that before, but I’ve learned from artistes like Doechii, Kendrick Lamar, and Mac Miller. Their styles are different—Kendrick’s flow is intense and aggressive, while Mac Miller’s is more low-key and lyrical. I’m finding my own sound somewhere in the middle, and I’ve already written a couple of rap songs.

Tell us about your experience when it comes to acting.

I’ve done a series for Zee5 called Thalaimai Seyalagam. That was my first series ever. I was working for a pink slip, which means you get paid per day. It was intense because I didn’t know anyone on set, and I was working under Vasanth Bal, the guy who made Angadi Theru. The biggest challenge? They never told me my full arc. They’d just say, “Maya is upset. Action.” So when I finally watched the show, I understood why I did certain things. Acting teaches you that you don’t have to know everything—just give your best.

Do you see your music career and acting career merging at some point?
I hope to keep them apart but also grow them simultaneously.

Tell us about the projects you are working on now.
I’ve collaborated with Paal Dabba for a song called Money, it will be out soon. I also worked on a series called Nadu Center, which is like a mix of Sex Education and Euphoria.