Accessibility links
Sara Watkins Sara Watkins artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music

Sara Watkins

Sara Watkins Reimagines Childhood Music On Beautiful New Album

Sara Watkins Jacob Boll/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Jacob Boll/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Sara Watkins Reimagines Childhood Music On Beautiful New Album

The singer and fiddler shares the stories and inspiration behind her sweetly affecting record, Under The Pepper Tree in this conversation with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

Sara Watkins Reimagines Childhood Music On Beautiful New Album

Listen · 33:43
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/981619149/981663713" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Bluegrass Sibling Duo Sean And Sara Watkins Returns As Watkins Family Hour

Siblings Sean and Sara Watkins are the Watkins Family Hour. Jacob Boll/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Jacob Boll/Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe Words and Music Podcast

Bluegrass Sibling Duo Sean And Sara Watkins Returns As Watkins Family Hour

XPN

The Watkins Family Hour's latest album, Brother Sister, is the first album that the siblings have written as a duo in their 30-plus year career.

Watkins Family Hour On World Cafe

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/894614301/894625182" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
The Year Folk Broke: How Nickel Creek Made Americana The New Indie Rock

Left to right: Sean Watkins, Sara Watkins and Chris Thile chat with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show in June 2001. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

NPR Music's 20|20

The Year Folk Broke: How Nickel Creek Made Americana The New Indie Rock

Roots music has always had rule-breakers, but its shift this century toward genre-twisting innovation owes a lot to a 2000 album by three kids barely old enough to vote.

On Her Own For Once, Sara Watkins Finds New Footing

Sara Watkins' latest solo album is Young in All The Wrong Ways. Maarten de Boer/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Maarten de Boer/Courtesy of the artist

Music News

On Her Own For Once, Sara Watkins Finds New Footing

For the fiddle player of Nickel Creek fame, asserting herself as a songwriter hasn't always come naturally — but on her third solo release, she leaned into the process.

On Her Own For Once, Sara Watkins Finds New Footing

Listen · 6:14
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/484360156/484474053" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Watkins Family Hour On World Cafe

Watkins Family Hour. Roman Cho/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Roman Cho/Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe

Watkins Family Hour On World Cafe

XPN

Nickel Creek's Sean and Sara Watkins stop by with some of their friends for today's session.

Watkins Family Hour On World Cafe

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/454294103/454299315" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
First Listen: Sara Watkins, 'Sun Midnight Sun'

Sara Watkins' new album, Sun Midnight Sun, comes out May 8. Aaron Redfield/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Aaron Redfield/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Sara Watkins, 'Sun Midnight Sun'

As accessible and comfortably sweet-voiced as Watkins' music is, the former Nickel Creek member is smart enough to spike it with surprises — the swooping strings in "The Ward Accord" or the churning, slow-burning electric-guitar grind in "When It Pleases You."

Hear 'Sun Midnight Sun' In Its Entirety

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/151226896/151247517" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Sara And Sean Watkins: Folk In The Family

Sara and Sean Watkins perform a live set on Folk Alley. Joe Gunderman hide caption

toggle caption
Joe Gunderman

Favorite Sessions

Sara And Sean Watkins: Folk In The Family

Folk Alley

The Watkins siblings got their start in the popular bluegrass band Nickel Creek, which went on indefinite hiatus in 2007. Now, Sara is flourishing as a solo artist, while Sean is working with a number of acts. Together, they join Folk Alley's Jim Blum for a conversation and studio session.

Sara And Sean Watkins: Folk In The Family

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/132409602/132416584" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Sara Watkins On Mountain Stage

Sara Watkins. Brian Blauser hide caption

toggle caption
Brian Blauser

Mountain Stage

Sara Watkins On Mountain Stage

Watkins is a master of the fiddle, as well as the ukulele, the guitar and the human voice. She performs a generous set in this Mountain Stage appearance, accompanied by her brother, Sean Watkins.

Listen Now: Sara Watkins In Concert

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/106846777/106802308" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Music Interviews

Summer Road Trip: Songs For Speed And Spirit

Critic Tom Moon assembles a playlist for summertime driving that makes the miles whiz by, with some intense songs for staying alert during the day and chill-out tunes to renew the spirit in the evening, when you still have hours more to go.

Summer Road Trip: Songs For Speed And Spirit

Listen · 5:20
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/106210518/106318384" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

World Cafe

Beyond Nickel Creek: Sara Watkins Goes Solo

XPN

After nearly two decades with the Grammy-winning bluegrass group Nickel Creek, it was only a matter of time before singer-songwriter and fiddle player Sara Watkins released material of her own. In a session from WXPN, she demonstrates her instrumental breadth with the sweet voice her fans love.

Web-Only Outtake: Sara Watkins Performs 'Where You Will Be'

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/104566005/104612425" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Review

Song Of The Day

Sara Watkins: Summertime Blues

In "Long Hot Summer Days," a cover of a tune by the late John Hartford, former Nickel Creek member Sara Watkins is supported by bass, drums, electric guitar, Dobro and harmony vocals. But her fiddling mastery and perfectly pitched voice are the real stars.

'Long Hot Summer Days' by Sara Watkins

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/103125587/103123376" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Browse archive or search npr.org