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Biography
Sarah Jarosz (/dʒəˈroʊz/ jə-ROHZ; born May 23, 1991) is an American singer-songwriter from Wimberley, Texas. Her first album, Song Up in Her Head, was released in 2009 and the tune "Mansinneedof" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Country Instrumental Performance. Her second album, Follow Me Down, released in 2011, received a Song of the Year nomination from the Americana Music Associations 2012 Honors and Awards. Her third album, Build Me Up from Bones, was released on September 24, 2013 through Sugar Hill Records.Build Me Up from Bones was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, and its title track was nominated for Best American Roots Song. In 2016 Jarosz released her fourth album, Undercurrent. The album won two Grammy awards (Best Folk Album and Best American Roots Performance for the song "House of Mercy").
In 2020 she announced a new album entitled World on the Ground, which would become her first solo album in four years. It is set for release on June 5th.
Early life and education
Jarosz was born in Austin, Texas, and raised in Wimberley, Texas. Her parents were teachers. Her last name is Polish. She began learning the mandolin at age 10 and later began learning to play the guitar, clawhammer banjo, and octave mandolin. During her senior year of high school, Jarosz signed a recording contract with Sugar Hill Records and released her debut album Song Up in Her Head in June 2009; it was produced by Jarosz and Gary Paczosa. Guest musicians on the album included Chris Thile, Darrell Scott, Stuart Duncan, and Jerry Douglas. Jarosz enrolled in the New England Conservatory of Music in 2009, and graduated with honors in 2013 with a degree in Contemporary Improvisation.
Career
In 2010 Jarosz recorded the album Follow Me Down and again shared production duties with Gary Paczosa.The album was recorded in Nashville and features guest musicians Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Viktor Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Shawn Colvin, Darrell Scott, and bandmates Alex Hargreaves and Nathaniel Smith. A session with the Punch Brothers in New York produced a cover of the Radiohead song"The Tourist". An American Songwriter reviewer wrote that "Jarosz invites us along with her into a growing sonic space of collaboration and artistry at this the second step in what will surely be a long and productive musical journey." In 2011 Jarosz performed at Jerry Douglas' the Transatlantic Sessions in Scotland. She performed Bob Dylan's "Ring Them Bells."
In 2012, Jarosz appeared on Kate Rusby's album 20, collaborating with Rusby on the song "Planets".
In 2015, Jarosz toured extensively with Sara Watkins (a founding member of Nickel Creek) and Aoife O'Donovan (of Crooked Still fame) as well as going on tour with Garrison Keillor on The America the Beautiful Tour – A Prairie Home Companion.
Together with Watkins and O'Donovan, Jarosz became a founding member of the progressive-folk trio I'm With Her. They released their debut album, See You Around, in 2018.
Her fourth studio album, Undercurrent, was released on June 17, 2016. It won the Grammy for Best Folk Album along with the song "House of Mercy" winning the Grammy for Best American Roots Performance at the 2017 Grammy Awards.
In 2020 she announced her fifth studio album World on the Ground.
Reception
Jarosz has been called "a songwriter of uncommon wisdom" by the Austin Chronicle. Jarosz has been interviewed by NPR and Rolling Stone and described as a contemporary-bluegrass prodigy. A New York Times reviewer wrote that Jarosz is "widely regarded as one of acoustic music's most promising young talents: a singer-songwriter and mandolin and banjo prodigy with the taste and poise to strike that rare balance of commercial and critical success."Her 2013 release, Build Me Up from Bones has already been dubbed by Stereo Subversion as an "organic masterwork...a warm, nuanced collection that wraps and enchants the listener", as well as "her boldest work yet" by WNYC Soundcheck.
Discography[16]
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Grass | US | USHeat | US Indie | USFolk | US Rock | ||
| Song Up in Her Head |
| 1 | 158 | 3 | 21 | – | – |
| Follow Me Down |
| 2 | 98 | – | 16 | 4 | 26 |
| Build Me Up from Bones |
| – | 101 | – | – | 6 | 30 |
| Undercurrent |
| 1 | 117 | – | – | 6 | 14 |
| World on the Ground |
| – | – | – | – | – | – |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Live at the Troubadour |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Annabelle Lee" | Follow Me Down |
| 2013 | "Over the Edge" | Build Me Up from Bones |
| 2020 | "Johnny" | World on the Ground |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Run Away" | Adam Hall |
| "Broussard's Lament" | Bruce Keen | |
| 2013 | "Over the Edge" | Bill Filipiak |
| 2014 | "Build Me Up from Bones" | |
| 2016 | "House of Mercy" | Sasha Arutyunova/Jacob Blumberg |
| 2017 | "Green Lights" |
Awards and nominations
Americana Music Honors & Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Sarah Jarosz | Emerging Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2011 | Sarah Jarosz | Instrumentalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2012 | "Come Around" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| 2014 | Build Me Up from Bones | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2018 | I'm With Her | Duo/Group of the Year | Won |
Grammy Awards[27]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Mansinneedof" | Best Country Instrumental Performance | Nominated |
| 2014 | Build Me Up from Bones | Best Folk Album | Nominated |
| "Build Me Up from Bones" | Best American Roots Song | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Undercurrent | Best Folk Album | Won |
| House Of Mercy | Best American Roots Performance | Won | |
| 2019 | "Call My Name" (I'm With Her) | Best American Roots Song | Won |
