She's A Lover

ART & CULTURE

She’s a Lover

An interview with ‘The Voice” and “AGT” singer, Sarah Potenza.

BY SEBASTIAN FORTINO PHOTOS BY JEREMY RYAN

Since her season eight appearance on NBC’s “The Voice,” where she won a vote from all four judges, Sarah Potenza has been making strides as an out bisexual performer. The Rhode Island native, singer, and fashionista now makes her home in Nashville.

Sarah caught up with Embrace while she was at her makeup table somewhere in California prepping for a show. Her warmth was expressed by many responses beginning or ending with “I love that.”

Sebastian Fortino: I read you’re based in Nashville, and you identify as a loud-mouthed, proud Italian American. That’s quite a combination or do you think it’s a contrast?

Sarah Potenza: It’s so different there. It’s the south. I remember when I rst went out there I remembered seeing Italian food in the ethnic aisle. There’s not a lot of food options for Italian food. After being in Chicago for 10 years I was very used to the food being like re. In Nashville, Italian food isn’t great. I mean, if you want fried chicken or barbecue, you’re in a great spot, but…

SF: You also identify as bisexual.

SP: I do!

SF: What are you working on right now? Are you writing music right now, working on an album?

SP: I am! I’m working with the producer named David Aude. He worked with Bruno Mars, and he lives in Nashville too. And we are working on some new music, originals as well as some covers. They’re really fun and familiar but totally reimagined.

SF: I love the fact that you write your own music, and you do covers.

SP: I love that too; I think there’s room for both.

SF: I saw the video of “Their Loss” which you did with Melody Walker. When did you shoot that? That was really wonderful! Was this something you wrote alone or with someone?

SP: Thanks. We shot that summer of 2023. My friend Melody and I just got together and wrote songs, we just had a really good time writing together. It turned into a fun project so we shot that video together for it. Also, I was on America’s

Got Talent and for whatever reason they cut me from the show. So, I had my pity party, then we wrote the song.

SF: Is she music and are you lyrics type of thing? Or…

SP: Both. We just work together on everything. We sit around and shoot the shit and have ideas together. It’s really like the best idea wins and we just get together. We have fun and work on stuff. That’s how it goes down.

SF: That’s great. I didn’t accomplish much during the pandemic. The only thing I learned was that I can’t knit. I tried. They make it look so easy!

SP: You were like, “I don’t know how to do it! Those crafty bitches!”

SF: Ha! From what I can tell from that track is that it furthers and continues to empower other performers, and especially women. So, this empowerment in your songs has that always been at the core.

SP: No, no. It hasn’t always been at the core. It started with my Monster album. I started to think about body positivity. It was always my original idea to go for what I considered to be empowered. It’s become really different for me since I came out. I have a girlfriend now, and it’s a very different lifestyle than living, even as a bisexual woman you’re still living a hetero-style lifestyle if you’re with a man. A lot of mental health stuff. I am in a program for the adult children of alcoholics and dysfunctional families [for more information visit AdultChildren.org]. That’s really helped me a lot. It’s an anonymous program but I am outing myself. It’s been really transformative for me.

SF: When you do covers--does body positivity, empowerment--do these themes influence your choices in covers? Or when you cover songs is that a separate reality?

SP: It used to really come into play big time for me. Although lately for me music is about what other people experience. Whereas before, I might not sing a love song…I might pick something more empowering, now, for me, everything is empowering. It’s just empowering to be a 43-year-old woman and a size 18 in the music business and to be able to sing. To be a woman in the music business is empowering. To tell people about yourself in general. Just to be an entertainer is empowering.

SF: So, you just sing for fun sometimes?

SP: Yeah, sometimes, just for fun. This is a really great song. And I wanna sing it.

SF: How do you feel about your early-on comparison to Amy Winehouse and Adele. Was this an honor or a burden, given their place in music history?

SP: I feel so honored by it. I like a challenge. But I love that. I don’t think it was a burden or a complication. I worked with it.

SF: How is Nashville, a typically Country-Western town, but for the past few years we’re seeing more diversity coming outta there. I mean, Dolly Parton has always embraced diversity.

SP: Love her too!

SF: And now we have Little Nas X who is a great example of empowerment who had a hit country song.

SP: I think my music has always been that way, understanding. Bringing enthusiasm. People really like when a songwriter has something to say. So, it’s been pretty cool. I mean, I don’t dabble in that Country scene at all. I am excited to see with this next project with this new producer Dave Aude. I am excited now to make music that’s fun, that people wanna dance too.

For 2024 Sarah says she is touring throughout the year. Head to SarahPotenza.net to keep up with tour dates, releases, and lots of amazing photos celebrating her signature style.

SEBASTIAN FORTINO has been a contributor to LGBTQ+ publications and online publications such as Philadelphia Gay News, ProudTimes. com, Metrosource. com, ProudQueer. com, SFGN.com (South Florida Gay New), Edgemedianetwork.com, and The Daily Buzz in New York City.