A Fresh On The Net Catchup with Sasha Siem
We caught up with Sasha Siem recently when she was on her way from the UK to Norway, to perform at the Oslo Chamber Festival. This week will see her take to the stage. and the cello, alongside her violinist brother Charlie, for a two concert special, as part of this year’s Festival line up. Charlie recently worked with Sasha on arrangements for tracks from her debut album “Most of the Boys” (released in March this year).
For those of you not in the know, Sasha graduated from Cambridge with a double first, and was, thereafter, awarded the Arthur Bliss Prize for her MPhil in Composition. She has composed for the London Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Opera House and the LPO.
Her album, “Most of the Boys”, was critically acclaimed, and along with the singles, was exceptionally well received by her fans. Due to demand, Sasha has just now released the track ‘See Through’ on vinyl, featuring remixes from East India Youth and Matthew Herbert.
We asked Sasha to tell us how she was doing, where she was and what she was at. Here is what she had to say:
“I’m somewhere in the sky as I write this, on my way from London to Oslo where I’ll be playing a few gigs with my brother Charlie at the Oslo Chamber Festival.
Charlie is a virtuoso violinist (as well as being the face of Hugo Boss / Dior etc). Although I had a Classical music training and will be playing ‘cello as part of our set, we are very different musicians working in very different worlds. I branched out into ‘indie-pop’ several years ago to begin developing my debut album – Most of the Boys – which was released earlier this year via my label ‘Blue Plum Records’.
This will be the first concert we’ve played together; I’m excited about it! We’ve spent the past few days in the Swiss mountains, breathing fresh air, baking cakes and developing our set; Charlie’s helped me create new arrangements of the songs from ‘Most of the boys’, for violin, cello and voice. We’ll also be revealing some new songs I’ve written this summer, which I plan to release on my next album.
I find myself laughing a lot when Charlie and I play together. It’s as though we understand each other’s inner music so well that we are free to dare, to be mischievous, to be.”
So now you know what Sasha gets up to when she isn’t busy creating classical oeuvres and electronic-alt pop.
Back to the music…
Siem has a commanding voice, which she wields with a well defined, flawless vocal technique. Her instrumentation is as accomplished at it is ingenious. Together, they have made for a stunning debut album, which can only augur well for Siem’s future. At the moment that looks as if it’s shining as brightly as the stars above Oslo tonight.
Sasha and Charlie play Oslo 18th and 19th August details here:
http://www.charliesiem.com/calendar/oslo-chamber-music-festival/
See Through is available through Rough Trade Records.
Sasha Siem is currently in the middle of a promotional tour for “Most of the Boys” – for upcoming dates, check the official website, http://www.sashasiem.com
