Bouncing back from pandemic depression with fight song

Sarah Reeves

The effects of the pandemic on our mental well-being have yet to be fully explored and quantified, but it’s safe to say that all of us were affected by the lockdowns and our inability to connect with the people we love.

For American singer Sarah Reeves who has spent more than half her life singing and writing songs, the pandemic led to depression, and her eventual decision to take a break from the industry.

Reeves, who is now in her mid-30s, had always wanted to make music her career. At 15, she became a worship leader at her church in Alabama in the United States. She wrote her first song that same year after the sudden death of one of her best friends from a brain aneurysm. She jotted down “Fly with Jesus” on a piece of paper in less than 30 minutes. When the song did well in a competition she joined, she knew that songwriting was a gift God had given her.

In an interview with Inquirer Entertainment, she said she now relies on her iPhone, where she writes down possible song titles, phrases that catch her attention and melodies that she records as voice memos.

“I’m always humming or singing. When I hear people say certain things that interest me, I note them down. When I write, I often start with their titles first, although that’s not always entirely the case,” Reeves said.

Aside from writing or cowriting her songs, she has written songs for other artists for TV and film. Her music has appeared on Disney Plus and in National Geographic’s six-part original series “Welcome to Earth,” starring Will Smith; the international trailer for Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon”; promos for “American Idol” and UFC; and on television series across major networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Hallmark and Netflix. Reeves has also been featured on tracks by high-profile DJs, including Gattüso, Laidback Luke, R3HAB and Armin van Buuren.

All that came to a halt when she chose to take a breather to focus on her mental health after close to two decades in the industry. After taking time off and on the suggestion of her record label, she began posting clips on her Instagram account (@sarahreevesmusic) about how she was able to come up with her latest song, “Get Back Your Fight.”

Reminder for fans

Although she had initially only come up with the first stanza and a refrain by March 1, the clip was liked and positively commented on by her followers, many of whom had missed her. Reeves went on to post more clips detailing how she finished writing the song as well as how she eventually produced it herself, adding the different layers—piano, crescendo violins, plucked stings, bass—to make a fully realized track. “Producing the track by myself felt like such an accomplishment.”

It’s an anthem for those undergoing challenges and one she obviously wrote from her heart: Walk in a public place, putting on my happy face/ How are you? I’m doing fine/ But underneath, I’m slowly dying.

But then she sings, “Sun’s gonna shine, future is bright. Promise one day, you’re gon’ get back your fight.”

It’s a reminder for her fans, as well as for herself. Most of the comments on her social media posts have been positive, with people telling her how her songs have helped them cope with whatever issues they’re undergoing.

Still, she’s not immune to online haters. Reeves would rather the trolls didn’t comment on her posts, but is now more sanguine about it, perhaps a positive effect of her self-imposed hiatus.

“I used to be bothered by them, but I realize now that they probably lack friends and love,” Reeves said. Instead, she focuses on the positives, the blessings in her life.

“I’ve done a lot of digging deep and healing this year, but sometimes I surprise myself when something comes up that triggers me or takes me back a few steps. It’s discouraging, but at the same time, I never want to be afraid to confront those issues that are deeply rooted in my heart,” she said in a statement.

“Let’s keep growing, keep healing, and don’t be too hard on yourself when you mess up. No hurt is ever wasted. We’re all in this together. Be kind to one another.”

Christmas album

Reeves is back making music with a new album to be launched in September and a couple of holiday tracks to add to her independently produced Christmas album, first released in 2021.

“I’ve always wanted to put out a Christmas album, but I wanted it to sound like the ones I used to listen to when I was younger—Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby. I wanted that full, jazzy sound. We recorded that in the middle of the year, so we were celebrating Christmas in July,” she quipped.

There are no firmed-up plans for a tour yet, but she said she’d love to come to the Philippines. “It turns out I have a lot of followers in the country and would love to meet and perform for them.”

“Get Back Your Fight” is the third in a series of new releases from Reeves this year, following nostalgia-laced offering “Jealousy” and romantic, first dance-worthy “Wanna Be Here,” which was featured in Hallmark Channel’s original movie, “A Winning Team,” this spring. INQ