New Orleans singer-songwriter Sarah Quintana discusses her forthcoming album 'Baby Don't'

When stepping into the role of producer and bandleader for her third full-length album, New Orleans-based singer-songwriter Sarah Quintana drew from her wildly varied musical experiences to create a “Louisiana” record her way.

Having worked previously with Cajun legends, French musicians, New Orleans roots-rock bands, and storytelling folk artists, Quintana thought long and hard about what it means to make music in New Orleans but settled on the idea that it never has to fit into any one box.

“I really set out to be myself on this record. And to make Louisiana music my own,” she says.

“What happened was an exercise in trusting my own voice.”

The fruit of her labor is a brand new album, Baby Don't, due on March 28, 2025.

SWOMP caught up with Quintana for an interview to discuss the album.

Her forthcoming album was recorded at the iconic Dockside Studios in Lafayette, Marigny Studios in New Orleans, and shotgun-house living rooms across town.

It features an all-star lineup that includes some of Quintana’s longtime friends and collaborators—Rex Gregory on saxophone, Louis Michot of the Grammy-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers, multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla (Carolina Chocolate Drops), and Grammy-nominated Corey Ledet.

Forging her own sound while paying homage to classic Louisiana artists like Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Shirley & Lee, Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, Bobby Charles and anything recorded at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in the 50’s, the result is soulful and timeless -–- a swamp-pop version of Shirley and Lee’s “Let the Good Times Roll,” old-timey tunes like “Be My Love,” complete with a traditional jazz tailgate, a cajun two-step (“Bump in the Road”), French blues (“Tout Mon Coeur and Rolling and Tumbling”) and several, highly-addictive, upbeat originals (“Just Because” and “Baby, Don’t”).

Throughout a notable career as a New Orleans singer, songwriter, and performer, Sarah Quintana has been firmly rooted in her hometown’s rich music tradition—but eager to playfully explore its boundaries and possibilities.

Her two self-released full-length studio albums, live concert release, and EPs brim with a blend of jazz, folk, and rhythm & blues, and her new LP Baby Don't brings together an all-star lineup for an album inspired by Louisiana’s music and culture of the 50s and 60s. Sarah has partnered along the way with acclaimed Louisiana-based musicians, including Grammy winners Michael Doucet, Kevin Clark (The Nightcrawlers), and Leyla McCalla. She has received recognition from the Grammy Foundation Recording Academy, The Voice Foundation, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Foundation, and Big Easy Awards among others.

When she’s not writing, performing, or touring internationally, Sarah works as a music educator and a vocal coach specializing in gender-affirming care, to help others find power in their own voice.

Quintana is also a fellowship-trained voice pathologist and a faculty member and singing-voice specialist at LSU Health Sciences Center, where her research highlights the importance of creating vocal-health care pathways for Louisiana’s culture bearers and oral traditions.

Follow Sarah at https://www.sarahquintana.com/.

Photo credit: Adrienne Battistella