Interview with Manny and Sarah from Pevan and Sarah

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Image courtesy of Lion Hearts Publicity

I sat down with the cute duo to talk about their act, and why they love creating music that entertains kids and parents!

TAT: Hi guys, where are you from? Melbourne?

Manny and Sarah: Yes, we live in Eltham.

TAT: When did you form as a duo?

Sarah: In early 2014, we started writing music specifically for my classroom. Being musically trained, we started writing songs on the weekend. By the end of the year we had a collection. Then we put the album out, came up with the concept, and have been doing it ever since.

TAT: How did you form as a duo?

Sarah: We are married, met 11 years ago when we were studying at Victorian College of the Arts. We’ve been married for four years now.

TAT: Where do you perform?

Manny: Mostly festivals, St Kilda Festival, SIDS for Kids at Luna Park, Geelong Royal Show. Things that we apply for. There is usually a Kids Zone at festivals for adults.

TAT: How do you spend your time?

Sarah: We are both primary school teachers, started off as Music teachers. Manny teaches classroom Music, I teach Prep.

TAT: What inspires you creatively?

Sarah: I think its both a musical thing and about the kids, it marries those two passions together. When we come home from work, we will write songs about how the day went, other times it’s just jamming in the studio.

Manny:  Definitely the same for me. Children’s music can sometimes be underplayed or cast as being ‘just for babies’. I work with 5 year olds and they love The Wiggles, but also Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. That inspires us, it’s really rewarding work. We try and make every song different. Pop music, country songs, there’s a rhumba song, rap song, disco song, swing song. It’s kind of an educational process to expose children to as many genres as possible in a less obvious way.

Sarah: In one of my first years of teaching, a girl in my grade would hardly talk. I introduced a Cuddle Buddy to inspire a bit more confidence. I brought in a Pillow Pet Tiger and asked the kids what they wanted to call it. She put her hand up and said, “I think we should call it Pevan Stripey.” I had barely heard her talk, so when we were searching for characters I suggested Pevan.

TAT: (To Manny) How would you describe Sarah in three words?

Manny: Infectious, bubbly, exciting.

TAT: (How would you describe Manny in three words?)

Sarah: Hilarious, kind, talented.

TAT: Tell us about your last album, what’s your favourite song?

Sarah: Hands. It’s one of our first and Manny has a great Rastafarian accent. I like the way the kids react to it, it has simple actions but is really engaging.

Manny: It’s the fastest one we wrote as well. It was easy, just kind of happened… Other songs we’ve had to workshop and tease them out.

TAT: What do you want parents to know about your music?

Sarah: The biggest compliment we’ve ever had is that parents can listen to songs on repeat without wanting to chuck the CD out the window. Our music is sophisticated. Parents can enjoy our music with their kids, or with a glass of red wine.

TAT: What about a great performance moment?

Sarah: There was a little girl that made her parents drive for an hour to see a 10-minute show. She was beside herself with excitement. She knew every word to every song. She was crying she was so overwhelmed.

TAT: So you’ve got a new album coming out.

Manny: Yes, we’re very excited to be launching our new album The Tiger Tail on October 9th,, 11:00am at Eltham High School Theatre.

 

You can stay in touch with ‘Pevan and Sarah’ via:

Website: https://www.pevanandsarah.com/

Instagram: pevanandsarah

Twitter: @PevanAndSarah

Youtube: Pevan & Sarah Music