CREDIT: ALL PHOTOS BELOW PROVIDED BY SARINA HAGGARTY


London native, Sarina Haggarty, is no stranger to the City's music scene and is a staple you can find performing at as many shows as she can, wherever she can.

Haggarty, 19, is now booking a new gig by attending Fanshawe's Music Industry Arts (MIA) program for the next two years.

Voted as the top music school in the country for the second year in a row, MIA is a top notch place to be for those who have dreams of pursuing a career in the music industry.

Through word of mouth, Haggarty learned about the prestigious program and took an interest in it, even after touring another school and considering other post-secondary institutions.

After getting a tour and finding out she had friends and people in her circle who completed the program and spoke highly of it, Haggarty realized this was the next path for her to take in her musical career.

Haggarty's producer Ryner Stoetzer was also in the MIA program and MIA program co-ordinator, Dan Brodbeck mastered her second EP, Compass.

Haggarty had positives to share about her time at the College so far.

“I'm really enjoying it. Two years, is a short time [for a program] compared to universities, but I think it's going to be fun,” Haggarty said. “So far [classes] have been good. Theory, is something that I grew up with so I really like that class because we're learning what I learned when I was six or seven and then production and being a producer is not really my aim goal at the moment, so some things I understand, but can't do it (yet). So it's not my strength, but I feel like just being the second week, I feel like I'm going to learn a lot.”

According to Haggarty, the program is “cool” in the sense that it involves a number of students who might have different musical career goals such as singing, playing a specific instrument or producing and mastering music, but they're bound to have something in common with one another.

Haggarty said she finds the program is also a good networking opportunity, where you can meet a number of people in the industry, whether it be fellow students, professors or guests speakers.

“You don't know where these people are going to be in 20 years, even in 10 years so you just got to be nice to everyone,” Haggarty said.

Though Haggarty is in an intensive program, making friends is one of the many things she hopes to achieve over the next two years.

“I find that people say I'm talented, but I hope I can improve [on] that and learn from others, maybe learn from some mistakes, whether it comes from writing a horrible production song or kind of anything. [I] plan to learn and I hope it impacts who I am and my abilities,” Haggarty said.

Though Haggarty is in the first year of her program, she already has a number of achievements and experience under her belt.

No stranger to the London music scene, Haggarty is a fixture when it comes to music coming out of the Forest city and has been singing since she was little.

According to Haggarty, she was born into a musical and social family (her mom is currently her “momager”) and you may have confused her and her cousin (fellow musician Julia Haggarty) as being sisters.

While making up songs on the spot when she was younger, Haggarty said she taught herself guitar and piano, took cello lessons and plays the ukulele.

Haggarty said she also took voice lessons when she was growing up.

“I didn't really let the vocal teachers change my voice, but I feel like they really impacted it for what it sounds like now,” Haggarty said. “I find that I got influenced by vocal teachers as well as my mom who is very musical and so I just continued singing and being into music and everything.”

One thing that Haggarty said sets her apart is that she doesn't get shy when performing on stage.

This can be justified by the fact that in August 2017, she got up on stage at a Shawn Mendes concert in Cleveland and sang an original song called “Distracted”, off on her first EP Missing Pieces, in front of over 22,000 people.

Haggarty's performance was part of her wish as a recipient of the Make-A-Wish Foundation months before. Her wish was to perform on a large stage, perhaps one used by a well-known artist like Adele, Ed Sheeran or Shawn Mendes.

This was all a secret she had to keep from everyone except her parents.

“I felt really evil, because I didn't [even] tell my producer anything, like that's pretty big and I asked him questions, like ‘what do you think if I got to randomly open for a big artist',” Haggarty said. “He just went on for like 20 minutes about all things about it and I just wanted to tell him on the spot, I wanted to share the news, but I survived keeping it a secret.”

According to Haggarty, she was able to meet Shawn and chat with him before the show, was introduced by him to come on stage (which was in the middle of the venue giving her a full view of the fans) and played her song.

“[Again], I wasn't nervous, it was cool,” Haggarty said. “I kind of stole the stage and [Shawn] just walked off and I sang my original song and I did good. I didn't mess up and then I walked off and people cheered. I feel like it was very nice of [Shawn] to do that it's definitely something I would do in the future. It was a really cool experience and I think it just inspired me to keep working hard and maybe be on another big stage like that whether I steal the stage or have my own stage.”

Haggarty's wish came true by being accepted as a Wish kid recipient and ambassador, which came about due the fact that she underwent a two-step brain surgery process in 2016, to help cope with the seizures she faced at a young age which lead her to be diagnosed with epilepsy.

Through the surgery, Haggarty came up with the hashtag #brainsugeryischill and is still part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation by singing at their events and fundraisers both in Canada and the United States.

“Make-A- Wish [Foundation] has been a huge part of my life,” Haggarty said.

According to Haggarty, though surgery was a success, it “wasn't what [she] was expecting it to be”, and therefore another surgery may take place sometime in the future.

Her medical story also shaped some of her first EP (released in 2016) and according to Haggarty, its title Missing Pieces came from the fact that pieces of her brain were taken out from surgery.

Her second EP, was released earlier this year and both works of art included release parties, one at Aeolian Hall and the second at the London Music Hall. Both were big accomplishments for Haggarty.

In terms of her music, Haggarty said she doesn't necessarily have a specific style or genre, but plays a wide range of songs that tend to be country, pop, country-pop and indie- folk sounding.

“It really depends on the audience and the fans, I want to make them satisfied for what they hear and also when it comes to airplay,” Haggarty said. “I'm still deciding where to go in the music scene, but I think you need to keep your own vibe, you need to follow your heart and if you want to [try] a genre, but [then] you don't enjoy it, you should switch. Go for what you love. I think I'm just all over the place,” Haggarty said. According to Haggarty, song ideas come from different stories and ideas, but she enjoys having a co-writer by her side.

“I find that having a co-writer is very helpful because you can take a good song and turn it into something great. So I really enjoy writing and having a co-writer,” Haggarty said.

Overall, music is a passion for Haggarty and something she said she hopes to continue to pursue in the future.

“I think [music is] something that really makes everyone happy, but it makes me happy as well. I really just [need to] kept working hard and I need to keep working harder, but I find music is just a good way to look at the world from a musical perspective and how it takes creativity.” Haggarty said. “I find [music is] something that's a part of me. It's a cool thing.”

If there's one thing Haggarty is sure of it's what she hopes the audience can get out of her shows.

“I just want people to have a good time from my music, especially when it's an upbeat song, just to jam to it or sing along if they know the words,” Haggarty said. “I find that going to any show whether it's mine or anyone's, I want my music and other's music to kind of be like a distraction fromlife, except from when it's a good day, [I want them to ]like it even more.”To find an exclusive online video interview with Haggarty, visit fsu.ca/interrobang.

You can follow Haggarty's musical journey at sarinahaggarty.com. Click on the thumbnails below to view a larger version of each image.