Sarah Darling is a country singer and songwriter from Des Moines, Iowa. Born in 1982, she grows up near Mitchellville and begins performing in her teens, including a set at the Iowa State Fair at 13. She also plays fairs, festivals, clubs, casinos, hospitals and charity events while saving money for a move to Nashville.

Career beginnings

After a Nashville music executive hears praise for her voice in Des Moines, she is asked to send a recording to Nashville and later moves there to pursue music. She works as a waitress while learning the songwriting side of the business and develops her craft with writers and musicians including Jeff Dayton, who has long played guitar for Glen Campbell.

In 2003, she reaches the final three on the E! reality series The Entertainer, hosted by Wayne Newton. The experience helps establish her as a performer and leads her to focus more seriously on her own material.

Recordings and releases

Darling signs with Black River Entertainment after an acoustic audition. Her first outside cut is Guy Penrod’s recording of “Knowing What I Know About Heaven.” She then records and releases her debut album, Every Monday Morning, which appears in 2009. The album includes “Jack of Hearts,” a single that reaches Country Music Television’s Top 20 countdown.

Her second album, Angels & Devils, follows in 2011. It features the lead single “Something to Do With Your Hands” and a digital cover of U2’s “With or Without You.” The video for “Something to Do With Your Hands” reaches number one on CMT.com and also appears on GAC and CMT’s Top 20. Her contribution to the Linda McCartney tribute and breast cancer fundraiser Let Us In, “Blackbird,” also receives broad country television play and appears on Sirius XM.

Performances and recognition

Darling performs at Carnegie Hall and at the Grand Ole Opry, where she is introduced by Vince Gill. She has guest vocals from Gill on Angels & Devils. Her Grand Ole Opry debut is especially meaningful to her because her grandfather attends after saying he wants to be present if she ever plays there.

Her work receives praise from The New York Times, which describes her as a sophisticated songwriter with a crisp, powerful voice. She also records with producer Dann Huff, known for work with Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts. At the time described in the biography, she is writing and recording in Nashville and refers to her evolving style as “Sarah Darling 2.0.”

Other activities

Darling describes herself as an avid cook and becomes the first Crock-Star for Crock-Pot, fronting a campaign for a new slow cooker line. Her public image and career combine country performance, songwriting and a strong involvement in the visual side of her releases.