About That Song: The Nunnery
About That Song #66
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
For our 66th edition, I was overjoyed to connect with Sarah Elstran who, performing as The Nunnery, uses vocal loops to create gorgeous soundscapes. We talked about influential songs and moments in her creative journey and the story behind her new single.
The Nunnery (Sarah Elstran). Photo credit: Erik Elstran.
Sarah: Hi Sarah Elstran, aka The Nunnery! I first heard you perform in May of 2020 at an online music festival. It was a time when I needed to remember that I could be moved by music, and watching your performance at the Valkyrie Music Festival did that for me, so let’s just start this episode out by saying THANK YOU!
You’ve just released a new single, which feels like a perfect opportunity to dive in and learn about the songs that have been part of your writing journey. Do you remember the song you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
The Nunnery: Oh, this is really a hard question. I’ve been writing music since I was really little so it’s hard to think of the “aha” moment. But I can remember dinking around on the piano and attempting to figure out Regina Spektor’s song “Samson.” I must have been about 11 at the time and was really getting into voices and what I liked in a voice. I still absolutely love that song.
Sarah: Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it - was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment? Tell us about that song.
The Nunnery: No, I for sure didn’t feel like a songwriter. I was writing songs and finishing them and playing them occasionally at home or to a friend. I was pretty shy and didn’t really have a close example of what it looked like to make music into a career or pursue it more intentionally. It was something that I grew into a bit. Friends would convince me to try a talent contest here and there and once I started playing my songs with friends (who eventually became my first band) I think it hit me that I’m a songwriter. Like a moment of “oh yeah, I wrote these songs!”
Sarah: An “oh yeah” moment, more than an “aha”! I love that. I didn’t grow up with close examples of what it looked like to make music into a career either. It felt like the choices on offer were to teach music, or to be on MTV. I’m not sure if nowadays there are truly more diverse paths to a music career, or if it’s just more visible because of social media.
Back in January of 2022, you released your album Floating Gardens. I listened to it on repeat during cold Midwestern morning runs and was so grateful for the transportive quality of your music, especially the song “Floating Garden.” In the dead of winter, it felt like a vacation for my ears. The line that always gets me is “I’ve been living true.” Can you tell us about that song?
The Nunnery: Thank you so much for listening. I’m honored! I wrote that album while pregnant with my first kid and finished up the album after having him. It was a long process of recording at home, mixing, more recording, more mixing. I think when you do it yourself it's really difficult to decipher sometimes when to say it’s done. But that song, “Floating Garden” was made pretty quickly and felt like an appreciation of motherhood. It’s absolutely a love song. But I wanted to make it a transient love. Newborns I think do this to your brain where you fall in love with this new human and time feels like it's standing still. I’ve felt that in romantic love but it’s a whole new level with a baby.
The Nunnery (Sarah Elstran). Photo credit: Wolfskull Creative.
Sarah: Ah, yeah, it is… I love hearing stories of how early motherhood can show up in also birthing artistic work. It took me personally a long time to marry the two, but the idea of that falling-in-love spilling out into new music feels true.
In the new single, “Garden Of Your Heart,” I especially was taken with the playful and conversational spirit of the lyric “But I’ll keep real I don’t wanna play games today, well maybe just one, okay, and that’s the deal.” This track hits me both as a love song to another, and also to oneself.
The Nunnery: It’s for sure both. To me, the base of the song is about a crush. Like the moment you realize you like this person so much that you just want what’s best for them…even if it’s not you. I’ve for sure gone through this and have known myself enough to wait or let it go when the time’s not right. But valuing your own time and investment is equally as important. I feel like I’m just brushing the surface of this conversation but I’ll leave it at that.
Sarah: Songs can do such an elegant job of holding the both/and of all the feelings. Do you have any upcoming Midwest shows this fall where we might hear you sing that song?
The Nunnery: I’ll be playing The Hook and Ladder Theater in Minneapolis on 12/12.
Sarah: 12/12/24! I was already excited for that day for the sheer math of it, but you just put it over the top! Thank you so much, Sarah, for stopping by to talk with me About That Song. Wishing you a wonderful rest of your year.
Be sure to check out The Nunnery at the Hook and Ladder’s Mission Room on Thursday, December 12! Doors are at 7:30pm and the music starts at 8. Orange Goodness will also be playing. Tickets and more info are available here.
Listen to “Garden Of Your Heart”
“Garden Of Your Heart” Single Credits
Recorded/written By: Sarah Elstran
Mixed By: Ward Snauwaert
Mastered By: Jonas of Tonebox Music
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
