Motion Masquerade

This week’s challenge is to tell us who your “Spirit Artist” is. Is there a band or recording artist who really speaks to you? Whose music you relate to in a way that makes you feel seen and/or heard? What is it about them that you find relatable? Is there a particular song in their oeuvre that you resonate with?

The rules are simple:

1. Answer the questions listed above, and post a video of your favorite song (or songs).
2. Create a pingback (i.e. a link to this post in your post) and leave a link to your response in the comments.
3. You have one week to complete the challenge.

Sasha Alex Sloan

My “Spirit Artist” is Sasha Alex Sloan, an indie-pop artist based out of Nashville, Tennessee.

Sasha was born in 1995 in “Southie” — South Boston — Massachusetts. She taught herself to play the piano at the age of ten, when she bought a collection of Queen’s sheet music, a band that she remains obsessed with to this day. Sloan says she was also heavily influenced by her mother’s taste in music, which included artists like Brandi Carlile, Regina Spektor (who she shares her Russian heritage with), and Jewel.

Sasha studied at the Berklee College of Music and posted original compositions to SoundCloud, which (in tandem with social media) eventually led to a publishing deal — when she was nineteen — with Warner Chappell Music.

Sloan writes about her struggles with mental health issues, an eating disorder, addiction, a dysfunctional relationship with her parents, and turmoil in personal relationships. Her honest and vulnerable lyrics are a hallmark of her songwriting that has captured the hearts of her loyal fanbase (including myself).

In a recent interview with Glenn Alderson, Sasha said, “I can’t stop writing about my freaking parents. It’s embarrassing.” I laughed out loud when I came across this quote in the article, because she and I have that in common. In fact, it’s one of the things that I love about her music.

Sloan writes (or occasionally co-writes) all of the songs on her albums; and, her latest album — Me Again — she independently produced after leaving RCA late last year, a move she made in order to pursue more artistic freedom and authenticity.

Sasha is often labeled a “pop” artist; but, her music could also be categorized as folk, country, and in some cases spoken word poetry. To date, she has produced three albums: Only Child (2020), I Blame the World (2022), and Me Again (2024).

There are Sasha Alex Sloan songs that I like less than others, but I haven’t come across any yet that I dislike — mostly because I can always relate to her lyrics and crisp, soulful vocals. I also like the fact that Sloan despises being categorized or placed into boxes, preferring instead to color outside the lines. For all these reasons, I have chosen Sasha as my “Spirit Artist.”

“Highlights” by Sasha Sloan

“Adult” by Sasha Sloan

You can explore more of Sasha’s catalogue by visiting her YouTube channel.

Works Cited
Alderson, Glenn. “Sasha Alex Sloan: No Such Thing as Too Real | RANGE.” RANGE, 21 May 2024, readrange.com/sasha-alex-sloan-interview.