What is your name? 
priestess, but you can call me Sasha 

What is your genre of music? 
Alternative pop– I describe it as “indie grungy punky poppy”

Give us a little bio about you. 
I’m a 23 year old, Philadelphia born musician, living in London who loves to talk about the things people often overlook. 

What made you go into music? 
It’s was the classic and almost cliche story of wanting to be a pop star as a kid– I never really grew out of it. I always remember gravitating towards music, always curious about all different styles and genres– it’s been apart of my life for so long it would feel weird if I wasn’t doing something to do with music.

Who are your influences? 
So so many, but i’d say currently– Nirvana, Harry Styles, The 1975, YUNGBLUD, beabadoobee, and halsey 

Are you signed? 
No, I am not 🙂

You released your new EP ‘ shopping for smiles’, tell us more about the EP. 
shopping for smiles is the EP I wish I had when started university. It’s an easy listen but has a very ‘hind sight 20/20’ feeling. It’s for people who love alternative music but also love a good catchy pop tune. It is meant to trigger nostalgia and self reflection while making you feel safe all in one go. 

What is the meaning behind the EP? 
The EP is very personal to me because it acts as a time capsule for the experiences that shaped my late teens and early 20s. In writing this EP, I was able to capture exactly how I was feeling and my thought process during some of my most defining moments of my life. This EP will always remind me of those years.
My goal in releasing this EP was for others to feel less alone in their experiences that might be difficult to talk about. Mental Health is a topic that is very close to my heart, it effects the lives of myself, so many of my loved ones, and so many others all over the world. There was a time where I felt like I couldn’t share how I was feeling because I was embarrassed to be vulnerable, but I found a lot of strength in sharing my feelings with others. Though the experiences i’m writing about are personal to me, the feelings are universal. I hope that people can find comfort in knowing that someone understands them no matter how silly or insignificant they think the subject may be.

What was the writing and recording process like? 
The writing process was fun despite how painful it was. I wrote a majority of the EP during the first lockdown with no intentions of releasing it anytime soon. It was more of a tool to help me figure out how I was feeling at a time where all I could do was self reflect. By the time I had written all the songs for the EP, I felt like they served their purpose and I wanted to share that with anyone who might also need them. Music has always been a tool of healing for me, regardless if it’s my own songs or others. 
The recording process was pretty smooth sailing– I came into the studio with a playlist of reference tracks and we went through every single one before starting. All of the vibes and sonic ideas I had came through perfectly in every song, the ideas felt fully formed so it was just the production that was the final step. I played guitar and bass on some of the tracks as well, so I was very hands on in this part of the process as well. Being in the studio is my favorite part, it’s when everything comes together.

Who did you work with on the ep? 
I wrote the EP on my own and brought it to the lovely Joey Walker to produce. He really brought the tracks to life and made them sound just like I had imagined. We both come from a background of loving all types of alternative rock, so it was very easy to communicate what elements I wanted in which songs. It surprised me that we were on the same page about where the songs should go from the start. I wouldn’t have done it any other way.

Describe each track in two words. 
like me and you – sassy and self-aware 
sea u n tea – resentment and betrayal 
the ick – fun and nostolgia 
rewind – reminising and releasing 
frankenstein heart – vulnerable and raw

We see a Music video for ‘Frankenstein heart’, what can we expect from the creative process? 
The music video for frankenstein heart is my favorite of the three music videos i did for this project. It’s a very simple concept, shot in the woods among a sea of bluebells– but I feel like the dreaminess of it really captures what priestess is all about. For a track as vulnerable as frankenstein heart, I wanted the visuals to reflect that. You can also see me writing letters in the video. I told myself that this project was all about letting go of the hurt i’ve felt in my past and the letters were my way of doing that. In the days leading up to the video I sat down and wrote some letters to all the people that have hurt me and was suprised that I had accomplished when I started this journey. It feels very cool. 

Do you have any live shows or a tour coming up and if so let us know where we can catch you at? 
If anyone is in the London area, I’ll be doing some shows late summer into autumn– so follow me on my socials for updates on that 🙂

What else can we expect in 2022? 
More content– be it live shows, new music, behind the scenes things on my socials, there will be more of everything! I’m excited to share more of the process because it was something I was always interested in before I started making music. 

Will we see any collaborations and if so, can you tell us more about them? 
Yes! I’ve actually started working on a few collabs with some friends on mine that will hopefully be out in the near future. I think collaborating is the future of music. It is an amazing way to step out of your comfort zone and create a space where you can try something that you’ve always wanted to do but might not necessarily fit in with your project alone. I will definitely be doing this so please keep your eyes peeled!!

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years? 
In 5 years I see myself being an established artist in the industry, hoping to make some waves and make some changes to the way music is consumed– I want to help raise the standard. 

What quote or saying do you always stick by? 
What comes to you is meant for you. so learn, grow, and love.

When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget? 
When i’m at a gig I usual think about 1) how good the live vocals are 2) how tight the band is 3) how cool the stage set up is 4) how was the energy in the room and 5) how I felt 

Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you? 
@priestesstunes on all socials 🙂 ( All Links)
Thanks so much for having me!!