TECH-SAVVY SONGSTRESS: Baan Baa singer-songwriter Sarah Leete (photo: supplied)
A ONE-HOUR live performance distributed on social media by a Narrabri Shire-based singer-songwriter has added to the array of artists reaching out to new audiences as part of an initiative funded by Arts North West.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Baan Baa musician Sarah Leete toured her special blend of country music locally and interstate, but like so many other recording artists, she was faced with the sudden closure of performing arts venues in March.
“I have now been forced to take it solely online,” the singer told Arts North West this week.
While online performances might seem an easy task, as Sarah explained they’re no mean feat considering the expectation of high quality sound and lighting in online arts offerings, and working with limited or no access to technical support.
“I received a micro grant so I could perform on a high-quality live stream broadcast to my fans on social media,” Sarah said. “The grant helped me to purchase the equipment to use my DSLR camera to stream the project, as well as lighting and sound gear to make it look and sound professional.”
According to Sarah the project is going well, with her first video (assisted ably by family members) attracting close to 1000 views across the country and a huge response from fans on social media, many of whom generously donated to the singer’s PayPal account in exchange for her gutsy performance.
“The learning experience has been very steep though, and I have found it quite challenging,” she said.
“I would consider myself to be somewhat tech-savvy, but this project required a lot more time, effort, learning and understanding than I anticipated.
“Ultimately the live broadcast of my performance went off without a hitch, but there will be things I can improve on for next time.”
Unexpected obstacle
Performing a blend of originals and cover songs, Sarah spent the hour-long broadcast taking requests and delivering shout-outs to her fans, but she also dealt with unexpected phone calls, had to moderate comments while on air, and as she told Arts North West, an unexpected obstacle nearly threw the whole idea on its head.
“The main surprises in this project were technical,” she said, “but I also struggled to purchase the equipment necessary to complete the task, as a lot of musicians around the world are trying to do the same thing!”
Follow Sarah’s journey and live streams on her Facebook page www.facebook.com/sarahleetemusic and Instagram www.instagram.com/sarahleetemusic