Sasami is in her pop era, and she's not overthinking it
What stands out most to Sasami Ashworth about Japan? The hairstyles.
'I was just in South Korea, and it seems like most of the men have perms there — but it's not a trend here,' she says. 'There's just not as much perm action.'
It's about two hours before the 34-year-old American artist, who records as Sasami, plays her first-ever Japan show — an acoustic set at Tower Records Shibuya. She's recounting her latest observations of a country she's always felt a connection to. Her mother's side of the family is Zainichi Korean and has lived in Japan for years. On this trip, she plans to hit up Tokyo DisneySea, explore Shibuya and soak in the city. But first, there's a show to play.
'I'm excited. I mean, I'm kind of nervous because the shows I just played in Seoul were ticketed club events, so they sold out in a few days,' she says. 'I knew people were coming. But tonight? I have no idea.'
Her worries turn out to be unfounded. The in-store set is packed, with fans crowding in to hear stripped-down versions of songs from her latest album, 'Blood On the Silver Screen.' Released on March 7, her third album explores pop songcraft from the perspective of a classically trained musician.
Sasami's latest album, "Blood on the Silver Screen," sees her moving into the pop genre, after getting her start in rock and shoegaze.
'I think pop has this reputation of being kind of trashy or simple, but if you think about it, because the chord structures are so basic and repetitive, it actually makes space for the melodic trajectory to be much more complex.'
It's the latest stylistic shift from an artist eager to try new sounds. Ashworth got her start in 2015 as the synth player for rock band Cherry Glazerr. She stepped away in 2018 to focus on a solo career, which saw her veering toward shoegaze-tinged rock on her eponymous debut. By 2022's 'Squeeze,' she'd pivoted to something harder, flirting with nu-metal.
For her latest challenge, she wanted to write songs where the verses and choruses had the same chords. 'I'm such a lifer musician that I like to feel challenged and learn a lot with every venture,' she says. 'I really wanted to learn about pop music, and that's why I was adamant about writing the songs myself. Even if they weren't the best songs ever written, it was important to go through the process of challenging myself.'
'Blood On the Silver Screen' came together in less than a year, and Ashworth says this was done in part so she wouldn't overthink things.
'I wanted to make a pop record that was very earnest and dramatic, without being overly precious about it,' she says. She's happy with how it turned out, but for whatever comes next, she plans to take her time and keep it 'close to my chest.'
Sasami says she wanted her third album, "Blood on the Silver Screen," to be "earnest and dramatic." |
Andrew Thomas Huang
For now, she's just enjoying her time in Japan, a country whose culture has always been part of her life. 'Since my grandma and mother were born and raised in Japan, Japanese culture was embedded in my life.' That meant the language ('I knew I was in trouble if my mom wasn't speaking English') and TV shows like the Y2K-era J-drama, 'Trick' ('Japanese comedy is like some of the best television in the world').
Music, too. 'I'm super influenced by a lot of Japanese music. I love city pop, and when I was growing up, I listened to a lot of Yellow Magic Orchestra and all of the members' side projects.' Her mother introduced her to even more through karaoke, where she'd sing traditional folk songs. She admits she's not as up to date on current Japanese artists, though she does have a soft spot for rising idol group f5ve .
Japan has left its mark on her visuals as well. The 'Squeeze' album cover features a yōkai (ghost), and the video for her single, ' Slugger ,' nods to the 1977 cult horror film 'House' — specifically, the part where her head flies off.
Ashworth hopes to be back in Japan soon for bigger shows or a festival (discussions are ongoing). In the meantime, she's focused on taking in Tokyo — and keeping an eye out for new hair trends along the way.
For more information, visit sasamiashworth.com.
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Japan Today
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