Rachael Sage Turns Adversity Into Hope on New Album ‘Under My Canopy’
NYC singer-songwriter Rachael Sage discusses resilience, queer identity, grief and the healing power of music ahead of
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NYC singer-songwriter Rachael Sage discusses resilience, queer identity, grief and the healing power of music ahead of Under My Canopy.
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, August 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The NYC-based singer-songwriter, producer, activist and founder of MPress Records has spent her career transforming vulnerability, loss, social injustice and personal uncertainty into music that offers listeners something on the other side: connection, comfort and hope. Now, as she prepares to release Under My Canopy, an intimate acoustic reimagining of her acclaimed 2025 album Canopy, Sage is creating what she describes as an “intimate musical refuge” rooted in resilience, inclusivity and purposeful living.
Set for release on 9th October via MPress/Virgin/Universal, Under My Canopy brings new acoustic arrangements and a diverse cast of collaborating musicians to a collection of songs exploring queer identity, grief, violence, self-acceptance, belonging and the determination to find light in difficult circumstances.
In a new interview with HATC, Sage reflects on the experiences behind the record and the philosophy that has sustained her throughout a career spanning music, dance, theatre and activism. “I don’t think I was a naturally optimistic person,” Sage explains. “My optimism feels largely ‘earned’, or like it evolved from force of will.”
That perspective has been shaped by experiences ranging from intensive ballet training and childhood bullying to cancer, bereavement and the challenges of life as a working artist. Rather than allowing those experiences to define her outlook, Sage says she has continually searched for something redemptive within them.
“Music has been something that helped me do this in a very concrete way,” she says. “Through its creation I’ve derived enormous optimism, because it gathers people together in community in a way nothing else does.” That sense of community sits at the heart of Under My Canopy. Rather than functioning purely as a personal retrospective, Sage describes the album as a curation of songs that feel “needed” at this moment.
“Nexus (Acoustic),” for example, addresses the death of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died after being violently bullied, while “Underneath (Acoustic)” confronts gun violence in America. Elsewhere, “Just Enough” and “Live It Up” explore self-acceptance and joyful connection, while “Belong To You” celebrates human devotion and loyalty.
The album’s emotional breadth is matched by its musical intimacy, moving between Americana, pop, neo-folk, acoustic balladry and more expansive arrangements. Sage and longtime collaborators The Sequins are joined by an exceptional roster of musicians, including Kelly Halloran, Andy Mac, Trina Hamlin, Dave Eggar, Ward Williams, Christie Lenée, Ben Butler, James Mastro, Jack Petruzzelli, Doug Yowell, Rob Curto and David Krakauer, among others.
Sage’s long-awaited interpretation of Buddy Holly’s “Everyday”, it represents both romantic love and something larger: a call to remain present and “awake to love” every day. The song has held a special place in Sage’s life since childhood, after her father introduced her to Holly’s music.
“There’s something about repeating those three syllables, ‘Ev-ry-day’, multiple times and the way the instruments echo that melody, that is so essential and so inevitable-sounding,” she says. Sage will donate proceeds from the accompanying maxi-single to the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation, continuing her longstanding commitment to combining music with charitable causes.
The result is an album that does not deny darkness, but refuses to surrender to it. In Sage’s world, compassion, friendship, love and community are not passive ideas but choices, and music can be one of the ways people make those choices together.
Under My Canopy arrives on 9th October via MPress/Virgin/Universal.
Rachael Sage & The Sequins will also tour the UK in October supporting Emma Stevens, with dates including The Bedford in London, Chapel Arts Centre in Bath, Heartbreakers in Southampton, The Greystones in Sheffield, Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh, The Castle Hotel in Manchester and The Stables in Milton Keynes.
A six-time Independent Music Award-winning musician and producer, Sage has performed thousands of shows worldwide and shared stages with artists including Imelda May, Rufus Wainwright, Jamie Cullum, Howard Jones and Judy Collins. She is also a visual artist, former ballet dancer and philanthropic advocate whose charitable work has supported organisations including The Trevor Project, Foundation For Women’s Cancer, WHY Hunger and Rainbow Mind.
For more information about Rachael Sage and Under My Canopy, visit MPress Records.
Patrick Welsh
Rising Notes
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