Sarah Krueger is a veteran of the Duluth music scene. In 2021, she rebranded her artistic side as Lanue, releasing a dreamy self-titled album. She’s one of the seven Minnesota-based artists First Avenue has honored with a slot at Best New Bands of 2021, which is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 7 (update: Best New Bands has been rescheduled for Friday, March 4). Ahead of the concert, The Local Show host Diane called her up to talk about fashion, 2022 plans, and great collaborators.

Diane: You've been around the scene for years. Tell me about your journey as a songwriter growing up on the North Shore.

Lanue: I've always been a singer and always loved music, but I didn't start writing songs until after I graduated college. And I immediately started playing them. As I got more comfortable playing my own music, I would connect with other players and other songwriters … and [accumulated] a band over the years. I would play around Duluth and made my way to the Twin Cities as often as I could.

Tell me about what inspired your name switch and how to create a new identity as a musician.

It had been so long, I think six or seven years, since I last put out a record. And in that time, there was so much different stuff going on my life that didn't have to do with music. When I recorded the record, after listening through and hearing the mixes and deciding — as the pandemic hit — what I was gonna do with these songs, it really felt like I was in a new place artistically. And I wanted a detachment from my previous releases. I wanted a new creative backdrop and some fresh creative ground to release this batch of songs under, and it just felt right to have a fresh start.

One thing from woman to woman, I love your style. So glamorous, and very North Shore-like, too. Tell me about what inspires your fashion.

Thank you. Actually, I curate and sell vintage clothing and have a little shop. I really love dressing as a creative expression. It's another outlet for me. And I'm really inspired by vintage pieces and older pieces of clothing that you can kind of weave with modern pieces, as well. I like to wear things that I feel like I can walk in a room and no one else is gonna have on. So I spend a lot of time picking through thrift stores and vintage shops and finding pieces that feel precious and creative.

You collaborate with some of the best Americana musicians in Minnesota. Tell me about working with some of these fine artists like JT Bates, Erik Koskinen, [and] Sean Carey.

Yeah, I feel really blessed to have crossed paths with so many of these artists that I've been working with and built friendships with. I actually grew up in Eau Claire and then moved to Duluth in 2005, so I have a lot of connections to the Eau Claire creative scene. Erik, I recorded my first couple records with [him] when I was just starting out as a songwriter, and he kind of gave me a chance, like, 'Yeah, come into the studio, I think we got something.' I learned so much from him, just about what makes a song good and what makes a song sound good when you're recording it. And then, yeah, Sean lives in Eau Claire. I first met him through that Eau Claire scene, and he has such a wonderful presence when it comes to playing and singing and being in a studio, and so much experience with making songs sound beautiful, and I think he really influenced this last record a lot in the studio. And then of course, JT, he's such a great player, and so easy to be around. I was so grateful when he said he would play drums on the record, because I feel like his sound is so solid, but also easygoing. You hear JT Bates playing drums, you're like, 'That's JT.' He's so good at what he does, and humble.

That's important for a songwriter, because a lot of times, songwriters totally get drowned out by drums.

You're right. I really did want to be mindful, like, I'm not a multi-instrumentalist. I didn't grow up playing music; I don't know music theory. I'm a songwriter, and I'm a singer. So when it comes to who you're going to choose to back you — in the studio or live — I want people that will set me up and not feel overbearing and just be this beautiful casing for a song. And I think those guys really do a nice job with that.

Absolutely. You are appearing in the Best New Bands showcase at First Avenue, if it's still going on. How does that feel?

Oh, it feels great. Over the years, I have been to so many shows at First Ave, and I've sang on the stage, but I've never played my own songs. So it feels really exciting to be asked to play that show. I'm really looking forward to meeting the other bands, too. Being in Duluth, it feels, sometimes, a little disconnected. This is a great opportunity to meet other bands that are there on the scene in the Twin Cities.

What's in store for your 2022?

I'm looking forward to this next year. I really love being in the studio, and I love writing songs. So I want to be really mindful about keeping releases on the radar. I've been working on an EP, up in Duluth here, that Al Sparhawk has been producing. And we're kind of wrapping up, so that's on the horizon for a release sometime this winter. It sounds really different than the first record, and I think that's cool. I want to be able to use Lanue as a catalyst to explore different sounds, different ways of making songs. Because to me, that feels like the most sincere thing that I want to do as an artist: to keep trying new things and learning and exploring and building connections in the community.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.