Recent College graduate and singer/songwriter Sarah Barr built a strong following at NYU with her soulful blend of contemporary rock and pop. “There’s clearly a very electric pop/rock element in my songs,” Barr tells TicketNews, “both musically and lyrically. The instrumentation and tone of my voice tend to be more rock though. My favorite music is hip-hop and R&B, so it’s also really important to me to have a strong beat within my music”

In 2005 Barr independently released an EP, “Back to Tomorrow” In December 2006, she was selected by MTVu as the Artist of the Week, where she was spotlighted on their website and music show, “The Freshman.”

“Being selected for Artist of the Week was a big surprise,” she says. “I got a phone call from MTV while I was sitting in my creative writing class and they left a message asking if I was interested. It was a great experience. Any association with MTV is amazing but MTVu was really great because it helped spread my music to a more targeted peer group of college kids. It definitely gave me a lot of exposure and also helped to solidify a relationship with MTV. The whole experience really helped get my face out there and for about month afterward, people were coming up to me around campus and actually throughout the city saying they saw me and liked my music.”

While Barr has been limited to two to three shows during the academic school year, saving schools breaks for rehearsing and recording, she is now ready to get out and play more often and will make her Knitting Factory debut in New York on July 24.

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“The past six years as a solo artist have definitely been a roller coaster,” says Barr. “I began writing music with my producer, Gordon Grody, at the age of 16, and the whole writing process in itself has really evolved. I always wanted to create music that was different, but over the years I’ve definitely gained the courage to really push boundaries. However, the biggest change has been in terms of my live performance. I approached my first gigs really unsure and scared. Now I feel much more at ease on stage, and while I still do get nervous, it’s counteracted by my excitement. I used to be hesitant on stage, and now I jump in headfirst.”

When asked if as an artist, she has faced any ticket-related challenges,” she replied: “I’ve actually had some issues with tickets. Pre-selling tickets is crucial, and a lot of the venues in New York don’t encourage that. The venues prefer to have people pay at the door which is frustrating. Pre-selling tickets may not necessarily ensure full attendance, but you do make a larger profit. I often ask venues to sell tickets before the day of the show, but they rarely agree.”