Under 21 with Guardian

Americana singer-songwriter, Sawyer Fredericks, hailing from his family farm in central New York State, cut his teeth at the age of 13, playing local farmers markets, open mics, and iconic New York Venues like Caffe Lena, the Towne Crier Cafe, and The Bitter End. With his deep, beyond-his-years original lyrics and melodies, raw, soulful vocals, and powerful live performances, Sawyer seemed an unlikely match for reality tv, but having been scouted by casting directors at 15, he quickly won over broad audiences with his genuine delivery and unique arrangements of classic songs, going on to win season 8 of NBC's The Voice.



Fresh from that whirlwind, Fredericks went forward with the release of his major label debut. A Good Storm, with Republic Records, an impressive blend of soulful Folk, blues and rock, entirely written or co-written by Sawyer. Choosing to go independent, for more creative freedom, his 2018 Hide Your Ghost, fully written and produced by Fredericks, sheds the high gloss major label treatment, and stays true to Fredericks's honest and elegantly stripped down style, a self-described "free range folk", incorporating elements of blues, roots rock and jazz with live instrumental arrangements throughout. In writing about his top ten Americana albums of 2018 in No Depression and AXS Magazine, Chris Griffy recommends Hide Your Ghost as "a bluesy folk rocker with a no-frills production that relies on Fredericks' raw voice to carry the emotional weight."



With song premieres in People Magazine, American Songwriter, DittyTV and an album preview in Billboard, on May 1, 2020 Fredericks released his 4th album Flowers For You. "With his second independent album, Flowers For You, Fredericks is expanding his sound even more, moving from bluesy folk into more expansive Americana, rock and tines of jazz," remarks Chris Griffy in Concert Hopper. The album was included in No Depression Readers' 50 Favorite Roots Music Albums of 2020. Two songs from Flowers For You won top awards from the 18th annual Independent Music Awards, "Born" won in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category and "Amen" won the Vox Pop award in the Social Action Song Category. Since the release of the album, "Born" has been in rotation on SiriusXM's Coffee House channel and was covered by Amazon Music's editorial 'Fresh Folk Americana' playlist.



In January 2021 in advance of the inauguration, Sawyer released his rendition of the iconic "What A Wonderful World" with an accompanying animated video.



After a pandemic imposed touring hiatus, Sawyer went back on the road with friends and collaborators, the Accidentals, in fall of 2021 for a 25-show run through the midwest, southeast and northeast, including stops at The Ark in Ann Arbor, multiple City Wineries, and Club Passim. Throughout his career, Sawyer has played many festivals and prestigious venues like the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival with 2019 touring highlights including official showcases at SXSW, AmericanaFest, Folk Alliance International, and BMI's Island Hopper Songwriter Fest. 2022 will find Sawyer back on the road, both locally and nationally, and returning to showcase at Folk Alliance as well.

https://www.sawyerfredericks.com/