Sasha Alex Sloan is in great place. Physically, he’s calling from sunny Los Angeles, where he has spent the last few weeks cocooning songwriting sessions and, in his own words, was busy “flowing the creative juices again”. Personally, he is happily involved. And professionally? Her Sophomore album, I blame the world, Is finally done.
When he spoke to StyleCaster about Zoom, Sloan was just a few days away from the release of the record, which arrived on Friday, May 13, 2022, via RCA Records, always-happily. “I just realized that another day,” he says of the date, jokingly, “if it goes terribly, we know why.” This is a characteristic comment from the 27-year-old, whose humor and tendency to self-deprecation both serve as the driving force behind his new album and his life in general.
Born to Alexandra Arturovna Yachenko, Sloan grew up in the Boston suburbs as the only child. When he was younger, Sloan spent his days playing the piano and performing original songs at local talent shows. “I was obsessed with writing,” she shares. “I remember people saying, ‘Oh, I love your voice.’ And I said, ‘I know, but do you like the song?’ All my favorite artists I grew up with — Jewel, Amy Winehouse, Regina Specter, Brandy Carlyle — I felt like they were telling the story of their lives. I fell in love with it. “But Sloan never imagined she would be able to write songs for a living like these artists.” I’m so cruel, if you can’t tell, “she says, agreeing to her mood discography. It’s Sloan’s mother, she reveals. Did, who “really encouraged” him to follow the music seriously.
“
Life can be multifaceted and so can music.
“
“I remember he bought a Mac computer and learned garageband, and then taught me how to use it,” Sloan recalls. “Yeah, she’s the best mom of all time. That’s when I got back to high school and started writing my own songs.” Equipped with the support of his parents, Sloan will attend the Berkeley College of Music for a year before signing a publishing contract (outside of Reddit, no less গল্প a story we’ll read more about below) and dropped out. In LA
Sloan spent the next few years collecting songwriting credits for songs such as Kygo, Charli XCX and Camila Cabello, before his solo debut with his EP. Sorry girl In 2018. Since then, Sloan has released a couple of EPs: 2018’s Defeated And 2019’s Self-portrait, And released his first studio album, Baby only In 2020. He has also moved to Nashville, where all the lyricists go to improve.
Photo: Courtesy of RCA Records.
When everything is looking for Sloan on paper, I blame the world Much more interested in the messy parts of life — such as the awkward fumble of adulthood, which Sloan sinks into the crushed weight of “adult” or toxic positivity on his track, as he chiropractically describes it as “live jumps”. Sloan remembers going through a process of personal interrogation when he first started working on the record. “What do I have to say?” He asked himself. “I really wanted to get into it from that angle. I always try to challenge myself and remind myself that life can be multifaceted and so can music.
“I realized I was really feeling depressed,” Sloan added. “People make whole albums with breakups. Why can’t I make a full album about depression? Once I found it, I ran with it and I wrote a bunch of songs for this album. “Sloan’s debut record, Baby only Similarly, the “sad girl” waded into the area. But this time around, I blame the world Its sadly has a caustic edge. “I went from a miserable girl to a crazy girl,” Sloan said, which is understandable for anyone who has survived the last few years and reached 2022.
On the front, Sloan talks more about his new album, his upcoming tour of North America and, yes, the viral moments that seemingly stimulated his career. Keep reading below for Sasha Alex Sloan’s full “On the Record” interview with Stylecaster.
Landing a publishing contract from a meme
“When I was a senior in high school, my parents were painting outside our house and I was asleep. When I returned the next day, they had finished everything in the house except my window. They drew “Dorak” with an arrow pointing to my window in front of the house. And I was, “Wow.” So I took a picture, I didn’t remember anything. Then when I was at Berkeley, my friend was like, ‘Hey, have you ever been to Reddit?’ And I was like, ‘No, what is it?’ He was, ‘Oh, that’s this thing. I think your photos will work really well there. It’s really funny. ‘ And I was like, ‘OK, whatever.’
I posted the picture. Then I woke up the next morning, and it went completely viral. It was number one on the front page of Reddit and all these websites, I think it was on BuzzFeed or something else. So I posted my SoundCloud at the time in the comments, and then a week later, someone from Warner Chapel arrived and said, ‘We want to sign you as a lyricist.’ I just packed my bags and left Berkeley for Los Angeles. I was 19 years old and didn’t know what I was doing!
Leaving school to pursue full-time music
“At the time, it was so exciting that all my friends and family just became super pumps. Everyone around me was more excited than I was. But once I got to LA I realized how isolated I was. All my friends made new friends in college, and I couldn’t even go to a bar. I just felt like I hadn’t had friends for many years. Sounds sadder than it actually was, I was right! But I had no money. I was working in a coffee bean, then I was working in a gym and all my friends were getting degrees. I was kind of like, “Did I make the right choice?”
Everyone was very helpful and really excited, which I think helped. I didn’t really have parents who said, “Okay, you have to stay in college,” and that was a blessing. But my mother and I are very close. I was on a six-hour flight 30 minutes away. So it must have been difficult. “
“
The success graph is not a straight line.
“
On advice she would like to give her little self
“God, I have a lot to say. I’ll just say, “Chill out, dude. It’s all going to work. And not as bad as you think.” This is a really difficult age because you are technically an adult, but you are still a child in many ways. But yes, I would just go back and say, “You don’t have to work in a coffee shop forever. So have fun. Also, hey, you’ll sign a big label. “It was my dream as a 14 year old, so it’s great.”
What does his success look like now?
“It’s really healthy and important to set my own definition of success and set goals for myself. It’s easy to be like,” I just want a big song. “But I’ve changed my goal.” How can I get a fan today? Can I sell and how can I move to the next venue? “
For me, it’s the realization that the success graph is not a straight line. And looking at the careers of the artists that I really grew up in love with, maybe they didn’t reach the pinnacle of success until their fifth album. That’s something that has been really good for me. My whole goal is to look back a year and be like that, “he said.I blame the world It was an album I could write now. “That’s the only goal I set for myself — just to be a good artist and a good writer every day. Because that’s what you can control.”
With his favorite songs on the album
I really like the song “IH8 Myself”. It’s a title I’ve always wanted to write. I think it’s like my version of “Shake It Off”. I love “Adults” too. Hard to say. But to be honest, I think my favorite album is “Global Warming.” Literally and lyrically, that’s fine. [about] How the earth is burning. But you are sustained by the people around you whom you love, and that is what keeps you growing up in chaos. That song really evokes the emotion I’ve been feeling for the last year and a half. “
His favorite song to perform live
“The crazy thing is that I never got to see my first album, so I’m really looking forward to seeing those songs live this summer. I’ve done Gov Ball last year, and “Is it just me?” It was a really fun song to perform there. But my favorite song to perform is “Dancing With Your Ghost.” It’s probably my biggest song, but so I don’t like to do it. I’m kind of an awkward person on stage, and that song lets me stand there and sing. And I know everyone is involved. It’s a great feeling, seeing it. “
On his upcoming tour of North America
“I am really excited to be back on the road. You can go to Spotify, you can see the streams and numbers and it can be like, “Okay, these are pretty hard.” But it never feels like real people. Then when you see this reality Is Real people, and they all have different stories and they connect with music in different ways, it’s just surreal. There is nothing like it. It’s an important part of music. It’s about watching live and connecting with fans and connecting with artists. “
Photo: Courtesy of RCA Records.
Sasha Alex Sloan’s 2022 North American “I Blame the World” Tour will begin on July 21, 2022. Tickets are available for purchase at Ticketmaster. Style 15 discounts are also available at StubHub or VividSeats using StyleCaster’s exclusive code, SC15, at checkout.
At STYLECASTER our goal is to bring style to people, and we only feature products that we think you will like. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link in this story, we may receive a small commission on the sale.
