Sarah Blasko

An innate sense of drama is as much a signature of Sarah Blasko’s work as her velvety, vulnerable singing. Born Sarah Blaskow in Sydney, Australia in 1976, she dabbled in a few formative bands before going solo in the early aughts. Her second album, 2006’s What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have, summoned a stirring orchestral lift, complete with Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie playing various keyboard instruments. Somewhat more stripped back, 2009’s As Day Follows Night featured both the David Byrne co-write “Over and Over” and Blasko’s most popular song, the wispy ballad “We Won’t Run.” Always up for a challenge, she tapped a 52-piece symphony orchestra for 2012’s self-produced I Awake after founding the all-star trio Seeker Lover Keeper with Holly Throsby and Sally Seltmann. She has also proven to be a thrilling interpreter of others’ material, thanks to her expressive covers of Bowie, Cold Chisel, and even Outkast.