Sue Young
// singer-songwriterSUE YOUNG is an artist, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and storyteller from Austin, Texas. “Canta Conmigo: Spanish Language Songs For Play And Learning” (1990), “El Gusanito – The Little Worm: Spanish Language Songs For Play And Learning [Cassette]” (1991), and “Sue Young: Live At The Outpost [Cassette]” (1992) were all available from Pájaro Libre Music, “From The Mother: Songs Of The Sacred Feminine” (1997), “River Of Life” (2003), and “The Legend Of The Quetzal: Tales And Tunes Of Latin America” (2007) are all available from Motherlotus Records. Sue Young’s music is contemporary folk and folk-rock with songs to heal, inspire, and uplift. Sue has opened shows for Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Lyle Lovett, Kenny Rankin, and Jesse Winchester. She also continues to perform and sing in churches throughout Texas, and in recent years Sue’s music has been inspired by the spiritual influences in her life.
Website: www.sueyoungmusic.com
Photo: Sue Young / SueYoungMusic.com
Interview:
I read once that Africans believe that music is the bridge between the physical world and the world of the spirits. This resonates with my experience of music since I have been a child – that it opens me to a feeling of connection with something larger than my normal experience of my self. I sing in churches but I don’t think that what is traditionally thought of as “church music” is the only spiritual music. I believe that making music is a sacred profession – a ministry – whether done in a church, a club, or a concert setting. The musician is like a minister, priest, or shaman who helps people explore other worlds and dimensions inside their selves and beyond their selves. That said, I have been exploring the world of spirituality for a couple of decades and songwriting and music have been a way for me to ground what I am learning along the way. So many of my songs deal with spiritual topics. I am inspired by the mystical poets and saints, such as Rumi, Hafiz, Saint John of The Cross, and Rabia of Basra. Sometimes their poems will begin to sing to me and I end up writing music for them. I aspire to create music that will help the listener to expand their mind and heart to experience the Mystery in the midst of everyday life.
“The musician is like a minister, priest, or shaman who helps people explore other worlds and dimensions inside their selves and beyond their selves.”
– Sue Young, singer-songwriter
