Rachael Sage is an American singer-songwriter, producer, visual artist, and record label founder. Sage has shared stages with A Great Big World, Semi Precious Weapons, Sarah McLachlan, Judy Collins, Marc Cohn, The Animals, Jamie Cullum, and Ani DiFranco. Sage was named one of the Top 100 Independent Artists of the Past 15 Years by Performing Songwriter magazine. Her performances combine music with between-song banter; The New York Times describes Sage as "alternately channeling her inner Fanny Brice and Jewish Norah Jones..." She has released fourteen full-length solo albums, as of May 2018, on her own label, MPress Records. She regularly tours in North America and Europe.
Biography
Early years
Sage was born in Port Chester, New York. Sage studied drama and ballet before switching to music. A self-taught pianist, influenced by her parents' doo-wop and Beatles records, as well as Broadway cast albums, she created demos on a four-track recording system she received as a bat mitzvah present. During junior high school, Sage gained admission to the School of American Ballet. Sage graduated from Stanford University with a degree in drama. She was in the Actors Studio MFA program. Her performance in their New York talent search won Sage a place on the Village Stage of the 1999 Lilith Fair.
Professional work
Sage's sound has been described as theatrical. Pop producer Phil Ramone said of working with Sage that he was reminded of collaborating with Bob Dylan, and that "She has a very unusual way of treating a pop song. I admire her editorial and musical ability when it comes to crafting a tune." In 2005, she won Best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song for "Sacrifice" at the 4th Annual Independent Music Awards. Sage's "Brave Mistake" was nominated for Best Story Song at The 10th Annual Independent Music Awards, and Sage herself took home OUTstanding Producer for her song "Hope's Outpost" at The 7th Annual OUTMusic Awards. Sage wrote an editorial about homeless youth in New York City for The Morton Report. In her editorial, she mentioned a collaboration of artists, unveiling an album, New Arrivals Vol. 4: Artists Against Youth Homelessness, with proceeds going to the National Network for Youth. Sage's paintings and collage have been shown in small galleries in Lower Manhattan, and she has also contributed original artwork to her own CD package designs. Sage appears on "Both Sides Now: the Very Best of Judy Collins," performing a duet with Collins on the Neil Young song, "Helpless." Sage's 12th full-length album, Choreographic, was released by MPress Records on May 20, 2016, featuring some of the songs that she wrote to accompany dance competition routines for Maddie Ziegler.
