Sandra May:Shining Austrian Star on Schlager Horizon

Sandra May: Making a
lovely, soulful folk/pop sound

In astronomical terms a nova is a dim, almost indiscernible star that suddenly flashes up brightly and assumes its proper place in the heavens.

If there is a nova looming in the schlager constellation, poised to burst forth, it is Austria's Sandra May.

She was born and still resides in the little town of Leibnitz in the rural southeastern Styrian corner of Austria. From there Sandra May has emerged from seemingly out of nowhere to make some of the most lovely, soulful folk/pop schlager music that we have heard.

The daughter of a small town cop and a nurse, she was a musical child prodigy. At age 11 she won an Austrian national championship in her age group playing the flute.

But a freak accident (she broke her elbow) laid her up at a critical time in her musical development. So thereafter her music (with flute, piano and voice) became a private matter. But classical music's loss may have become schlager's gain.

A child prodigy with the flute, a freak accident
derailed May's classical music aspirations

This year, while working as an optician at Pearle Vision (the Savannah, Georgia-born company is now a multinational concern owned by a Dutch firm) a friend became aware of her musical talents and  got her in contact with Austrian musical producer Arno Ganzer.

Recognizing a diamond in the rough, Ganzer signed her and wrote several songs for her. She has recorded 3 singles so far and the first fully tracked Sandra May CD is in the works.

An unknown at this time last year, she has now begun making sporadic public performances at community fairs and festivals in her native Styria.

Her sound is folkish in character but leans into mainstream ballad/pop. Think Joan Baez or Joni Mitchell with a touch of Linda Ronstadt -- delivered with a powerful voice in a hauntingly expressive lower key.

She really seems to have internalized the messages of her contemplative, introspective songs -- it shows.

Our friends in Austria tell us that her delivery in the Styrian dialect of German is delightful. But it remains to be seen if that will be well received in the rest of the German-speaking world.

We really hope it will be.

Here is Sandra May singing the very soulful Gedanken (Thoughts):



And here Sandra May sings a very nice paean to her Styrian heimat, Weil I A Steirer Bin (I Am A Styrian):