For much of her career, singer-songwriter Rachael Sage wrote from the landscape of her own emotions. Heartbreak, resilience, romance, and introspection have shaped her acclaimed catalog for more than two decades. Lately, however, Sage has found herself looking outward, using her songs to tell stories beyond her own experience and to give voice to people whose stories often go unheard.
That impulse lies at the heart of “Nexus (Acoustic)”, the first single and video from Under My Canopy, the forthcoming acoustic companion to Canopy by Rachael Sage & The Sequins. The acoustic arrangement strips the song to its emotional core, transforming it into a quiet meditation on empathy, remembrance, and the devastating consequences of bullying.
The song was inspired by the death of Nex Benedict, the Oklahoma teenager whose death in 2024 followed a violent altercation at school after months of reported bullying related to their gender identity. Benedict’s death resonated with Sage for reasons beyond the headlines.
“It immediately captured my attention,” Sage says. “Not only because they were nonbinary, and I was able to relate because so many people who I love are also, but because of their age, and because the school had been warned that certain things were going on and had clearly done very little, if anything, to prevent what followed.”
As she learned more, Sage came to believe Benedict’s story represented countless others that never receive widespread attention. “I thought, I bet this happens more than makes the news,” she says. “Sure enough, that proved to be the case.”
Rather than simply lament another heartbreaking loss, Sage chose to respond in the language she knows best. The refrain of “Nexus (Acoustic)” urges listeners toward action rather than resignation: “We can lift each other up with our resolve instead of doing nothing.”
For Rachael Sage, songs can do something few public conversations can. They create common ground before people retreat into fixed positions. “If you don’t know anyone who is different from you,” she says, “you’re probably not going to change your rigid views.” Sage believes artists have an opportunity to bridge those divides by helping audiences recognize a shared humanity beyond labels or assumptions.
That philosophy has shaped more than this single. In recent years Sage has worked with organizations including The Trevor Project and Rainbow Mind, which support the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth. It’s been really gratifying to be part of something that is so proactively positive,” she says of Rainbow Mind. “If prior generations had had resources like this, what a different world it would be.” Her commitment is deeply personal.
Long before she became an established recording artist, Rachael Sage experienced a loss that has quietly informed her work ever since. As a theater student at Stanford University, she befriended Charlie, an exceptionally gifted fiddler with whom she performed throughout Northern California. Charlie eventually confided that he was gay and feared rejection from his deeply religious family if he came out.
Before the next academic term began, Sage learned he had taken his own life. “It was just heartbreaking,” she recalls. “Everyone memorialized him as this beautiful young man.”
The loss never left her. She says violin became one of the defining voices in her recordings partly in tribute to her late friend. “I’ve kept a piece of him with me through all of my musical journeys,” she says. “I always envisioned that somehow he’s involved up there somewhere.”
That memory lends additional emotional weight to “Nexus (Acoustic).” While Benedict’s story prompted the song, Rachael Sage sees both losses as reminders of what can happen when fear, prejudice, and isolation overwhelm compassion. Her answer is neither anger nor despair. “The point for me in doing this song was to kind of reopen this wound in a way that allows it to heal through music,” she says.
The accompanying video reflects that same spirit. Filmed at Brooklyn’s Jalopy Theatre under the direction of Nick Clark, it features a diverse cast of LGBTQ+ artists and allies, including Nashville drag performer and activist Veronika Electronika. Rather than dwelling on suffering, the video emphasizes solidarity, dignity, and quiet resilience.
Sage remembers one participant, Adrienne, who overheard her discussing the production in an upstate New York café the day before filming. After introducing herself, Sage simply invited her to join the cast. “The real tears that were falling—that was really her emotion,” Sage says. “Thinking about inner confidence and being kinder with the language one uses toward oneself.”
That atmosphere of openness extended behind the camera. Clark, Sage notes, openly acknowledged his desire to approach the subject with humility and respect, asking for her guidance to ensure the production honored Benedict’s memory and created a safe environment for everyone involved. Sage believes that willingness to listen may be one of the most important lessons the project offers.
For years she wrote primarily about her own experiences. Today, she encourages young artists to embrace difficult subjects, even when they seem intimidating. “If it makes you scared to talk about,” she says, “it’s probably a sign that’s the thing the world needs you to speak—or sing—about.”
Whether listeners agree with every message or not, “Nexus (Acoustic)” asks them to recognize another person’s humanity. Sage cannot change what happened to Nex Benedict, but she believes songs can still create empathy where fear once took hold. For Rachael Sage, that possibility is reason enough to keep writing.
