On Oct. 3rd, Sir Elton John posted a quote and a photo of himself standing between two artists. His Instagram account praised,

“Last night in Atlanta I saw one of the best concerts I have ever seen.”

What Elton John learned (and Pensacola, Florida already knew) is that Sarah Jarosz and Parker Millsap are superstars.  A few days before the music legend saw them, Sarah and Parker played Vinyl Music Hall.

HERE ARE FIVE BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR SARAH JAROSZ

1. SHE WILL WIN HER FIRST GRAMMY IN 2017 (And it won’t be her last). Sarah has been nominated before, but she hasn’t won one yet. She held a Grammy when she gave the Best New Age album award to Laura Sullivan in 2014, but “Undercurrent” is the album that will put a Grammy in her talented hands for her first win.
2. SARAH JAROSZ WILL BE A CROSSOVER SMASH. But unlike Taylor Swift, who went from country to pop, Sarah will stay true to her roots and have pop (and the rest of the music world) running to her. Producers from various genres will beat down her door for unique collaborations using her amazing voice and multi-instrumental virtuosity.
3. SHE BECOMES A MEMBER OF ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BANDS OF THIS MILLENIUM. Sarah will join a band outside of the folk genre that will create a new sound that will inspire the next generation of musicians. Think Sex Pistols level pioneers with way greater musical chops.
4. SHE WILL BE INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME. But before that, Sarah will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Jarosz will become eligible for RRHOF induction in 2034. She will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
5. SHE WILL BE ON THE COVER OF ROLLING STONE AND VOGUE IN THE SAME YEAR. Her songwriting and musicianship are that good. We’re looking at a career that will parallel Emmylou Harris in music and style.

JUST THE FACTS: Unpublished answers from my Pensacola News Journal interview with Sarah Jarosz…

“I do. I was about 9 years old, almost 10 and a friend in Wimberly Texas, where I grew up, had loaned me her mandolin. I just became immediately attached to the instrument and didn’t want to put it down. My parents wound up buying me that mandolin for Christmas right before I turned 10. I had been singing all my life.”
“The sound of the mandolin is very unique. It always poke out from other sounds and I was curious about that and the size of it was very appealing to me as a little girl. I could easily get my hands around it and also I saw a music video of Nickel Creek on TV when I was 9 and I remember seeing Chris Thile and saying this is so cool, I want to do that.
“My real hope would be that I can continue to get to do a lot of the stuff that I have been doing and keep playing music for people as long as I can. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true.”

-Michael Hulin-Smith