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Sara Watkins records comfortable music, fashioning the kind of plaintive tunes that breed familiarity.

Sara Watkins

A young veteran, the twenty-something prodigy has already earned her stripes as one-third of the platinum newgrass band Nickel Creek, but it is Watkins' personal interpretations—featured on her self-titled solo debut releasing this week—that earn her comparisons to folk matriarchs Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. The Grammy award-winning songstress spoke with Christian Music Today about her faith, life after Nickel Creek, and how yet another Led Zeppelin alum invests his credits in folk music.

Given the record business' tendency to focus on bottom lines rather than creative expression, how do you keep music the focus during recording?

Sara Watkins: I've never been good at guessing what other people want. My big fear is that I would be wrong. I had strong opinions and musical understanding [while recording]; I didn't have a reason to go out on a limb and pretend I was something else. A lot of people don't have that luxury. If you're doing it because you feel like you should, it's always disappointing.

Robert Plant paired up with Alison Krauss, and now John Paul Jones produces your record. What is it with these ex-Zeppelins?

Watkins: Sean [Watkins], Chris [Thiele] and I [the three members of Nickel Creek] had made a record with Glen Phillips [of Toad the Wet Sprocket] years before [called The Mutual Admiration Society]. We decided to tour it a couple weeks and John played bass, which was a huge surprise and a really good time. 

A few years later he saw Nickel Creek play and talked to me about producing my record. I was surprised and stoked—and a little doubtful it would actually happen. A few months down the line we were still talking about it and realized we were both really into the idea.

With John Paul Jones in the studio

What was the dynamic like between the two of you?

Watkins: Fistfights and lots of nunchucks. [Laughs] He's very good at encouraging. I didn't feel like I was making a record based on a style that he had preset. It felt very natural. 

You recently got married. How has that played into your career?

Watkins: He's my biggest teammate on the solo thing. I'm very grateful for that. Touring when you're in a relationship always sucks. Your personal life, your home life, is always suffering when you're not there. It's hard to live both at home and on the road over the phone. After a couple of weeks you start to detach a little bit mentally. So you just have to figure out how to do it. And we're still doing that. 

How did you come to know Christ?

Watkins: I grew up in a Christian home. At different stages I remember realizing different levels of what [being a Christian] means. You ask God in your heart when you're four. Then you do it again when you're eight because somebody tells you, "You better be sure or else you're going to hell." As you learn more about life, I think you learn more about your reliance on God. I feel like every four years or so I come to a place where it's so impressed on me, a bigger realization kind of hits me. 

Did you know this record is being sold in Christian retail?

Watkins: It's funny to me that Christian bookstores would want it. I'm totally comfortable with it. I was just surprised. I never thought that was an option for me. I like it.

What role does faith play in your music?

Watkins: My musical life is just part of my life, so it plays the same role as it does in every other part. I try to stay as aware of my faith when I'm touring as when I'm at home.  At home it's more consistent and you can figure things out a bit easier. You try being aware of your faith at all times.

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