The singer-songwriter from Texas has been on a roll lately, from dropping her album ‘The Body Wins’ to performing on Jimmy Kimmel to touring, and she doesn’t plan on stopping there. Read the interview below to get an idea on how she started out as well as how her providing vocals for a Pixar short came to be.

Melisa Baykent: Could you give us a brief history on how you got into music?

Sarah Jaffe: I was raised in a family that had a deep appreciation for music in general. My mom was always singing. I used to watch her slay vocal solos in her church choir. But I just started asking for musical instruments when I was three. So when I expressed an intense interest my parents did nothing but encourage and support that.

MB: What was your first performance/show like? What was the environment and energy like?

SJ: When I was in high school I used to send out demo packages with a CD of some home recordings, and a picture of me, to as many clubs in Dallas as possible. I think the first “official” show was in Dallas at a place called Club Dada. It was actually an open mic night. My parents came because I couldnt get in the club without them. The entire time I played the next band set up behind me. But that was a pivotal night for me. I was overjoyed to be playing anywhere. And I remember that was the start…Small clubs and coffee shops started booking me in Dallas.

MB: We hear that you’ll be providing vocals for the Disney Pixar short “The Blue Umbrella”, which will precede ‘Monsters University’. So how did that come about?

SJ: I met Saschka, the creator of the short “The Blue Umbrella” at a show I played in San Francisco about 3 or 4 years ago. He was an incredibly nice person and I remember we talked for a bit after my set. I remember he told me he worked at Pixar. I, for the most part, have a horribly selective memory but I always remembered him. This past Summer I got invited to visit the Pixar headquarters in San Francisco when I was out for another small tour. I met up with Saschka when “The Blue Umbrella” was in the works. Couple months later they flew me out to L.A. to record some vocals for it with Jon Brion. The entire experience was a huge honor and just a great experience to work with such talented folks.

MB: Does the music you listen to have an impact on the type of music you make, if so how? Do you listen to certain artists to draw inspiration from them?

SJ:  Sure. I think whether I’m conscious of the impact or not, I think it does. That being said I really love a lot of different types of music. A lot of the music I love couldn’t be more opposite of what I may sound like sonically… But that doesn’t take away from the fact that it inspired me or had some effect on me.

MB: Lastly, is there anything you’d like to say to your fans?

SJ: Thank you so much to the folks that come out to my shows. Whether I’m playing to a crowd of 5 or a theatre of 2000..It’s all apart of the bigger picture for me. So wanna thank those folks for their support.