Mercer got a taste of a home-grown talent this October at Phi Mu’s Bonnamu event.
Sarah Kate Sellers, a Macon native and freshman at Mercer, wowed the crowd with a mix of songs that showcased her southern roots and powerful voice.
“Macon’s the home of southern rock. You got the Allman Brothers and a lot of really cool connections [here],” Sellers said. “I definitely identify with Macon and I think it’d definitely be cool to identify with Macon [in my music].”
“Soulshine” by The Allman Brothers Band, “I Fall Apart” by Post Malone, “Wildest Dreams” by Taylor Swift, and “Riptide” by Vance Joy were some of the songs Sellers performed.
She also included some originals like ‘Good Afternoon’ and ‘Darling I’m Home,” in the setlist. “‘Good Afternoon’ is my favorite [song] I’ve ever wrote,” she said.
The songwriter wrote the lyrics almost two years ago as a high school student at Stratford Academy here in Macon.
Sellers is no stranger to being on stage at events like Bonnamu.
While at Stratford, Sellers was cast in main roles for several shows. She was Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Hope in Anything Goes, and Kate in Kiss Me Kate.
Despite performing in packed venues, Sellers said that she doesn’t experience stage fright.
“[Bonnamu] made me really excited. I don’t really get nervous,” she said. “I get more nervous with classical type things.”
Sellers’s most recent classical performance was Oct. 27, the day after her Bonnamu performance.
“There’s NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Friday in Athens. I have been classically vocally trained for five years, but this is my fourth year at NATS,” she said.
Auditioning at NATS is important to Sellers because of her focus in opera as a Vocal Studies music major. Opera was one of the reasons she applied to Mercer.
In addition to singing, Sellers plays several instruments, too.
“I play some piano, I play the guitar, and I can play the ukulele too,” she said. “I love playing the guitar. I play ‘cause that’s what I love to do.”
Sellers believes music can change and inspire people.
“I hope someone can be able to relate or express something through [music],” she said. “That sounds super cliché, but that’s what music does: it changes people. I would love it if my music could change and inspire others.”
Sellers’s music can be heard on her first EP, “Hold Me,” which is available on iTunes and Spotify. Romance, a common theme in the songwriter’s music, becomes central to the EP.
“I most definitely have been through a few relationships, so for me, when you’re down or hurt, music’s really relieving. It’s a good way to get it off your chest,” she said. “Writing music’s like getting out [what I] can’t really express by just saying how I feel.”
Mercer Artist: Sarah Kate Sellers
