Following the release of her latest single 'Nightrunner', we caught up with US folk-pop artist SARIKA to find out more about what influences her eclectic sound. If you enjoy SARIKA's picks be sure to check out 'Nightrunner' at the end of the article.
1. King of Anything - Sara Bareilles
"I think this song perfectly exemplifies Sara Bareilles’ skilled lyricism and melody-crafting—she builds really interesting stories and imagery in her songs while making it sound effortless and memorable, never clunky or overly cliché. I draw a lot of inspiration from her in my writing (and my recent single “Nightrunner” has been compared to her by a few listeners, which is an honor)."
2. Flowerball - The Wombats
"This is one of those songs that makes me feel like I’m in a coming of age movie. I love the way the different sections of this song contrast and complement each other, it makes for a really compelling musical journey that makes you want to listen on repeat."
3. Girl Like Me - Slayyyter
"Although my recent single is more country/folk, I’m a pop girlie at heart—Slayyyter is one of my favorites and a big inspiration for my poppier songs, like “California King." I swear she put drugs in this song. It’s a perfect pop song and definitely one of my favorites off her new album—I feel like it perfectly encapsulates the feeling of having a crush that you’re super excited about, being a little tipsy and wanting to take things to the next level with them."
4. Sideways - Carly Rae Jepsen
"Another song that I think perfectly conveys the experience of falling in love with someone or being in a honeymoon phase. I love the lyrics “I’m that annoying type who don’t care if there’s traffic cause I've got plans tonight”—it’s such a cute and relatable way to describe that feeling! The production (especially the backing vocals) is so satisfying to me and I love this sound for Carly Rae, who I’ve also been a fan of for a while."
5. Lucky Me - The Knocks, Great Good Fine Ok
"I love songs that are super dance-y and electronic but also have an emotional element and really well crafted lyrics, and The Knocks always ~knock~ that out of the park. The lines “I like that there’s no guarantee” and "I bet on you, lucky me” are simple but so effective. This song makes me want to dance the night away but also hug my best friends and tell them how much I love them."
Listen to SARIKA 'Nightrunner'
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