Boston-native Sasha Sloan has made a career out of writing songs for artists like Maggie Lindemann, Charli XCX and Camila Cabello. After moving to Los Angeles at the ripe age of 19, Sloan got her first taste of success in 2015 through her collaboration with Kaskade on “Phoenix,” where she was also the featured vocalist. From working with such a range of artists, Sloan was able to harness her creativity and truly discover her own personal style, voice and message. “I think if I wasn’t a writer first, I would’ve been so scared,” she says of starting out in the industry. Being surrounded by “superstars,” Sloan admits that she saw the reality of the job and decided to jump in.
With her recently released debut EP sad girl, Sloan tapped into her darker emotions and learned to truly accept them. “It’s hard for me to write empowering songs because I’m just depressed,” she admits. “It’s just really easy for me to write lyrics that are honest. I’m not worried about radio or anything.” From introspective songs like “Normal” to the soulfully brooding song “Runaway,” that is reminiscent of Lana Del Rey, Sloan tells her story through unapologetic lyrics on sad girl.
The young singer adds that though she loves typical pop stars like Britney Spears and Katy Perry, she’s learned to accept the fact that it’s not her musical style. “I’m definitely more singer-songwriter focused. I think I had to come to terms more with my taste. Like, it’s my taste and it’s okay,” she tells me.
Though Sloan’s debut EP was just released this summer, the lyricist says she’s already working on a second collection of music. Inspired by her initial move to Los Angeles, she says the music will still maintain a certain sadness laced throughout it. “When I moved to LA, I didn’t know anyone and I rented a hotel for a month by myself. It was the scariest few years of my life,” she says. After reflecting on that experience, Sloan wrote a song about the feeling of isolation she endured. “That song is pretty sad and the rest will be about breaking up with someone,” she says of the music to be included on her next EP.
Sloan is slated to support Eden on tour this fall and listeners can expect a second EP to be released around that time as well. In the meantime, Sloan unveiled a stripped down version of her song “Normal,” offering an even more vulnerable side to the songstress.
