Sarah Brendel Jesusfreakhideout.com Interview

Sarah Brendel may be an established name in the music scene in Germany, but she's a fresh new face and voice in America's Christian music market. Her self-titled national debut has already turned quite a few heads and our own Lauren Summerford recently got a moment to quiz the young artist on her new album and experiences in this foreign land...
This interview took place on: August, 2005

Jesus freak Hideout: What made you want to pursue music?

Sarah Brendel: I love music! I think it is the deepest language that everybody can understand because it is a godly language. It speaks to hearts and it can make people free.

JFH: Do you play any instruments? If so, what?

Sarah: The guitar, the piano, a little bit of drums, and the harmonica like [Bob] Dylan.

JFH: Where did you first perform?

Sarah: I went to a Catholic school and every week the students had to visit the school church - a very serious place. There I was, singing for the first time in front of my class, the nuns, and my teachers!

JFH: How did you get hooked up with Inpop Records?

Sarah: Last year, my manager came to the GMA week and gave my album to some record labels. A few months later, some labels invited us to come to Nashville and I played showcases for them. Inpop Records really liked my music, and I really liked Inpop Records.

JFH: What is your favorite track from your new self-titled record?

Sarah: "King I Love" is one of my favorites. It's the story of my hero... how He lived on earth, how He died, then rose again - about His love that set me free.

JFH: What's the story behind "Commodity?"

Sarah: It says that Love is not for sale. Sometimes the music industry forgets that and they treat artists like a commodity - like a product. [They're] only thinking of their profit. I went through that a few years ago.

JFH: Did anything inspire "Fire," particularly the lyrics, "More of You/ Less of me"?

Sarah: Jesus is pure and He is true... and nothing in this life makes sense without Him. Many times I am tired about me, I struggle and I fail day by day. I want to be transformed into the image of Jesus. That is my biggest goal.

JFH: Who are your musical influences?

Sarah: Larry Norman influenced me a lot when I started making music, the early U2 records, a woman named Chi Coltrane and Bob Dylan.

JFH: What's one song you didn't write that you wish you had?

Sarah: One of my most favorite songwriters is Larry Norman. "I Wish We´d All Been Ready" is a hit. I´m sure that people will listen to that song even in heaven.

JFH: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

Sarah: I would love to make a record with Daniel Lanois - an awesome producer who worked with Emmylou Harris, U2 and Bob Dylan.

JFH: Do you have any upcoming tour plans?

Sarah: Yes,I will join Petra on their Farwell Tour through Amerika and Canada in September and October and in August (today!). I will go back to Germany for a few weeks to play some concerts there. One of the highlights will probably be the World Youth Day in Koeln. More than one million people will join that event. Maybe I could shake hands with the Pope?

JFH: Can you suggest something to do or a place to visit for any first-time visitors to Germany?

Sarah: In the south of Germany, there are a lot of beautiful little cities with very old houses built in the Middle Ages - castles in the hills. In the north, where I come from, is the ocean with its nice fisher villages. Hamburg is a really cool city to go to with lots of nice shops, art museums, and great restaurants (if you like fish).

JFH: What is your favorite German food?

Sarah: Fresh vegetables (you can buy it directly from the farmers) and salads. And I love German chocolate. For sure you have heard about the Bratwurst and Schnitzel. It´s not my favorite food, but it is also really good!

JFH: How is this music industry different in the US than in Germany?

Sarah: This industry is much bigger than the music industry in Germany. Many more artists.

JFH: What adjustments have you had to make with your move to the US?

Sarah: A lot of my friends and my family live in Germany. I first thought that I could not make it without them, being that they're so far away, but as we live in the modern age, we mail a lot and talk for hours on the phone.

JFH: What are your most and least favorite things about living in the US?

Sarah: The people and the countyside are my favorite things here. The last 5 weeks I had the opportunity to travel a lot. Every week in another state at another festival. And I am overwhelmed by the beauty of this country and also very pleased by the all the cool and friendly people that I met. The traffic over here is a bit too much for me, though. In Germany, I used to ride my bike a lot from one city to the other.

JFH: Who are your role models? Who inspires you?

Sarah: My parents who always stood beside me and teached me a lot about music and faith. King David inspires me in his love to God.

JFH: What has God been teaching you lately?

Sarah: That his mercy is his present to me.

JFH: What is your favorite Scripture? Why?

Sarah: Jesus, when He prayed to his father: "Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth. As you sent me into the world. I am sending them. And I give my myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours." John 18, 17-19. Because it shows the heart of Jesus, how much he loves us, and how me he cares about us. It`s his call to us that we should act like him.

JFH: Any last comments?

Sarah: Yeah, Thanks a lot for letting me speak about my life! LOVE to everybody from JESUSfreakHIDEOUT.com and everyone who is reading this interview. Let your light shine!