Sahara Smith (born September 26, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter who released her debut album in 2010.

Early life

Sahara (her father hiccuped while suggesting "Sara," and both parties liked the mistake) Smith was born in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

and spent her youth in

Wimberley, Texas Wimberley is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. It is still predominantly a ranching area. The population was 2,839 at the 2020 census. History Wimberley started as a trading post settlement near Cypress Creek in 1848, the year Ha ...

. She began writing poetry at age 3, with a poem published in the "Anthology of Poetry for Young Americans" while in the second grade, music at age twelve and at age fifteen took second place in

A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' was a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...

's 'Talent from 12-20' contest on May 8, 2004, performing "It Don't Rain Much" and "Twilight Red".(August 27, 2010
Sahara Smith; Oliver Twist in Atlanta
Wall Street Journal, Retrieved Feb 27 2012 A studio recording of "Twilight Red" would be included on her debut album.

Career

Producer

T-Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. Burnett has won several Grammy Awards for his work on film sou ...

noticed Smith and took her into the studio to record her debut album, ''Myth of the Heart'', which was released in 2010 and described as a "hybrid of folk, Americana, country and bluegrass". Smith appeared on the

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

in November 2010. Smith says her musical influences include

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

and

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

. In 2006 an ''

Austin Chronicle Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

'' music reporter said: "Her musical sophistication and the uncanny maturity of her lyrics astonished me" and she is "the most gifted young performer I've seen in 26 years." A Seventeen article described her as a "striking, lanky redhead hoexudes confidence and grace" and described her vocals as "a mixture of the soulful folk melodies of Jewel with the soothing vocals of Norah Jones”. A

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

music reviewer said "Smith creates Cinemascope-like wide-screen portraits of romantic passion, loneliness and unrequited love in her richly impressive, intensely soulful debut album." Other reviewers mention her "smoky voice, bluesy folk sound" that "invokes lazy summer nights and sweaty slow dancing". In June 2013 she rebranded herself as "Girl Pilot" and is working on a new 10-song album. "The name Girl Pilot comes from a book of comics from the 1940s called "Smilin' Jack and the Daredevil Girl Pilot" that I've had since I was 13. I've carried that name around with me for years, and because my new album is so different from the last, and so indicative of who I am now, this feels like the perfect moment to use it. I've never been so excited to do what I do, or felt so eager to take control of my life and my career. Girl Pilot feels somehow correct."

Discography

Studio albums

Music videos

References

External links

''LA Times'' album review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Sahara 1988 births Musicians from Texas Living people People from Wimberley, Texas