From releasing spectacular songs to dancing her way into the hearts of a countless amount of fans while appearing on NBC’s World of Dance, the wonderful Saree McIntosh is an incredible multi-threat and a name you will definitely be hearing a lot more of! The marvelous McIntosh truly is a star that is shining oh, so bright in the entertainment industry. She is mesmerizing fans worldwide with her phenomenal music and has released many catchy and excellent songs including “Karma Baby,” “Money on Your Deathbed,” “Color Outside The Lines,” and “If You Fall In Love With Me,” to name a few. The singer / songwriter’s exuberant and fun-loving energy is exhibited in all of her awesome songs and music videos. Needless to say, Saree McIntosh’s terrific songs will instantly be stuck in your head and you’ll find yourself singing along to the artist’s tuneful tracks all day long.
Showcasing her versatility as a musician, McIntosh has also recorded several songs in Korean! Having a great admiration for the Korean culture, McIntosh has been hard at work learning the language and trying her hand at writing and recording music in Korean. Fans will just have to stay tuned to hear these magical music pieces and we know we are going to be absolutely HOOKED on these songs Saree McIntosh has in store.
The vivacious Saree McIntosh definitely defines what it’s like to be multi-talented. Aside from being a fabulous singer, she’s also a dancing queen. She shared the stage with her breakdancing crew, Break Ninjaz and made jaws drop with their exceptional performance on NBC’s World of Dance. On top of that, McIntosh has also won several breakdancing battles. And, she doesn’t stop there! The rising star has also showed her outstanding, acting chops in fan-favorite projects including FOX’s The Gifted and in short films such as Cached, How We Live, and Pappy’s Vaudeville.
At only 15-years-old, Saree McIntosh has made a name for herself as a stellar, young lady who can’t be beat! Her amazing and bubbly personality is infectious and her talent in all realms of the entertainment world is just captivating. The sky is the limit for the remarkable McIntosh and she’s making her mark in such an unforgettable way.
Alexisjoyvipaccess had a fantastic time interviewing the sensational Saree McIntosh all about her upcoming song, “Trust Me Baby,” what her favorite song is that she has released thus far, what the creative process is like for her recording songs in Korean and so much more only in our VIPAccessEXCLUSIVE interview. McIntosh even talked about what it was like for her to work with the iconic guitarist, Richie Sambora on her exceptional song, “Money on Your Deathbed” – see what she had to say in our VIPAccessEXCLUSIVE interview below.
Read my VIPAccessEXCLUSIVE interview with the beautiful Saree McIntosh below and be sure to follow her on Instagram: @SareeMcIntosh to stay updated on all of her great projects!
Alexisjoyvipaccess: Congratulations on all of your brilliant successes – we have a lot of exciting projects of yours to talk about! First off, let’s discuss your music. How did you get your start with your music career?
Saree McIntosh: Growing up, I would write little songs for fun when I was bored or write songs for my friends and family and give them as a gift. Looking back, I’ve always had a passion for music, but at the time, I didn’t think of it as a serious thing. I just found it enjoyable. My mom was the one who put me in piano lessons, and my dad is a musician, so I would practice singing with him. My life has always been filled with music, and when I was 12, I decided that I wanted to pursue it as a career. My brother and I had been writing songs and showing them to our family, and one day, my dad decided we should start recording them professionally. We met our incredibly talented producer Tommy Marolda, and it took off from there!
Alexisjoyvipaccess: You have a terrific single coming out this summer titled, “Trust Me Baby.” Can you tell us a little bit more about the song and the inspiration behind it?
Saree McIntosh: Yes! “Trust Me Baby” is a song that I wrote with my dad and it is about a guy who is all talk and no action. He will say things like “you can trust me,” but proves himself to be untrustworthy. It’s from the girl’s POV as she realizes that he isn’t a good guy to be in a relationship with. It all started one night when I was bored and decided to write a song. I grabbed my guitar and started messing around with some chords/melodies. I wasn’t sure what type of song I wanted to write, but then I remembered something my parents talked about earlier that day. Without spilling too much tea, they were saying how in their past relationships, their significant other would say that they would change and be better to them. In the end, they never actually followed through.
I wrote the first verse and decided that the song would sound better on the piano. I was playing it and my dad asked me what I was writing. Originally the title of the song was, “Actions Speak Louder Than Words,” but then, he read the lyrics and said, “You should call it Trust Me Baby!” I thought that it sounded like a great title, so we went with it. He sat down with me and we finished writing the song in like an hour. We were so excited that we made my mom and my brother Taylor listen! I do love this song and I am so excited for it to be released!
Alexisjoyvipaccess: You’ve released several amazing songs including “Money on Your Deathbed,” “Karma Baby,” “If You Fall in Love with Me,” and many others. What’s your favorite song you have brought out to the world thus far and why?
Saree McIntosh: That’s a tricky question! I would say my favorite song that I’ve created and released is “Money on Your Deathbed.” I not only got to work with my brother Taylor on this song, but also the fantastic Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi! The writing and recording process was a lot of fun. It was the first time that I’ve written with my brother and I was surprised how well we work together. Then, having the chance to work with Richie was incredible. The guitar he added just made the song magical. I like the meaning behind the music and how we have the two opposing forces singing together. When I hear this song, it brings up great memories, so that’s why it’s my favorite.
Alexisjoyvipaccess: As you mentioned, you got to collaborate with your brother Taylor and the iconic Richie Sambora on your song, “Money on Your Deathbed.” What was it like for you having the legendary guitarist be featured on your song?
Saree McIntosh: It was a dream come true! I would have never thought in a million years that I would get to work with Richie Sambora. I mean, when I was little, I used to jam out to Bon Jovi. It’s insane to think that I have the same guitarist that played on “Livin’ On A Prayer,” and so many other legendary songs, play on one of mine. When my brother and I found out that Richie agreed to play on the song, we were jumping up and down from excitement for like five minutes straight. The guitar that Richie added to “Money on Your Deathbed” took the piece to a whole new level, and I’m so grateful that I got to work with such a talented person.
Alexisjoyvipaccess: If you could collaborate with any other musician, who would it be?
Saree McIntosh: I would want to collaborate with Ruel! I’m a huge fan of him, his style, and his music. I think we could write a cool song together.
Alexisjoyvipaccess: You also recorded some songs in Korean, which we’re super excited for you to release and we can’t wait to hear! What was the creative process like working on those songs?
Saree McIntosh: First of all, I love almost everything Korean. They are creating some of the best music, music videos, movies, etc. My dad was famous in Korea in 1984-85, so we have talked a lot about Korea my whole life. One day, he came to me and asked what I thought about singing some of his old Korean songs. I loved the idea and immediately started studying Korean and singing in Korean. I also started taking private Korean language lessons. Since I’m writing in a new language, the process is slightly different from my English songs. Of course, it all starts with an idea. Sometimes, I base the song on an English word. Other times, I’ll find a Korean phrase that I like. I’ve been doing a lot of research about Korean slang and some cool phrases that they say to help make my songs more authentic. Since I’m not fluent in Korean yet, I’ll write the lyrics in English and have my dad help me translate them as we go. Syllables are one of the most complex parts when writing in another language. The lyric might sound good in English, but it’s either too long or too short for the melody once we translate it. But, we’ve figured it out somehow! Once we have all the lyrics done now, it’s time to practice, practice, and practice my pronunciation. When I first started singing in Korean, I couldn’t read Hangul (the Korean Alphabet), so my dad would have to Romanize all the lyrics for me. That was tough, but luckily, I can read Hangul now! That has helped me a ton with my pronunciation too. When we feel like the song is ready to be recorded, we head on over to my producer’s house and start recording! He doesn’t speak Korean, and sometimes I’ll ask to re-sing a specific lyric, but I’ll accidentally say it in Korean, and I’ll finally realize that he doesn’t understand what I’m talking about! We honestly think some of my best songs are my Korean tracks. I can hardly wait for people to hear them.
Alexisjoyvipaccess: Now, let’s talk about your dance career! You got the chance to perform on NBC’s World of Dance with your breakdancing crew, Break Ninjaz. What was the experience like for you being able to perform in front of Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough, and Ne-Yo?
Saree McIntosh: It was a super fun, but stressful, experience. The preparation and practice period before appearing on the show was intense. I had eight-hour dance practices almost every day for two months straight. My crew and I had already undergone about three auditions before we had a spot on the TV audition. So, the whole process of making it onto the show took us about six months. We also lost our dance studio halfway through the process, so after that, we had to bounce back and forth between random studios to train. We did it somehow, though! We flew out to LA to film the show, but the sad part is our head coach couldn’t come with us. He had to go to South Korea to perform with Super Cr3w. Luckily, we pulled through with the help of our other coach and my mom! The coach that came with us didn’t know our dance routines that well, so my mom was there to help him out. She danced professionally for seven years and having her there helped us a lot.
The filming day finally came and we didn’t even know if the judges would be there. The crew on set just told us it would be the producers and Nappytabs, but I had a feeling that the real judges would be there. Guess what, I was right! We walked out and saw the panel of judges. It was crazy seeing them in real life! They were far away from the stage, and when they asked us questions, I could barely hear them. We got set up and did our routine. In the end, I thought we did pretty well. Then, it was time to listen to what they thought. Derek and Ne-Yo were friendly when giving their critiques, J.Lo was very honest. They didn’t air all of what J.Lo said to us, but it was kind of harsh. It hurt a little bit at the time, but looking back, she was giving us the tough truth. There were many ups and downs through the experience and overall I had a lot of fun and made a lot of great memories!
Alexisjoyvipaccess: You are also a great actress. What would be your dream role to portray?
Saree McIntosh: There are so many. I’ll give you two. First, I would want to play a role where I get to sing and dance, like Emma Stone in La La Land, Lady Gaga in A Star is Born, or Keira Knightley in Begin Again. Having all three of my passions in one project would be incredible. The second is a role where I get to learn how to ride a horse – either it’s a role set back in the day or a new-age film. I want to know what it feels like to run with a horse. Catch me on a project one day where I’m singing and dancing while riding a horse!
Alexisjoyvipaccess: Lastly, if you could bring out one message to all of your fans, what message would that be?
Saree McIntosh: I would tell them THANK YOU and how grateful I am to have their support. It’s crazy to think that I have people who I haven’t even met supporting and believing in me. The only reason that I’m able to do what I love is because of them, and in return for all of their love and support, I’ll continue working hard every day to make it all worthwhile.