In this conversation, London based singer-songwriter Salt Ashes tell us about the inspiration behind her recent single 'Cut You With A Kiss' and shares her experience of being creative during lockdown.
Tell us a bit about yourself!
I’m Salt Ashes from Brighton, currently living in London. I studied vocals at BIMM in Brighton which is when I knew I wanted to make a career out of it. That’s also where I found my artist name; it was on Brighton beach scratched on the side of a boat.
Do you have any artists who have particularly influenced your sound?
Probably loads more than I’m even aware of, but recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Sevdaliza and Madonna’s old hits.
How would you describe your music?
I always find that hard but I usually settle on “dark alt-pop”.
Your recent single ‘Cut You With A Kiss’ explores the image of a femme fatale character with lyrics that discuss the dark side of the psyche. How did you initially come up with the idea for this song? Can you explain the meaning behind the lyrics?
The idea grew from a place of insecurity when an ex got himself a new girlfriend. You experience so many irrational feelings and think you’re right. But then I took that idea and dramatised it, turning it into something where the girlfriend was like a character in a Stanley Kubrick movie. It’s about a girl who seems to be nice and good on the surface, but she has a big, dark secret that she’s hiding from her guy that has some kind of power of him.
You also directed the video for ‘Cut You With A Kiss’, how did you find the process of being in control of the artistic direction? Was it hard to decide on a concept for the video, or do you tend to write your music with specific visuals in mind?
I had actually planned to work with some directors on this but it all fell through at the last minute so my idea started as a series of artistic images and developed into this idea. It grew over time and actually I’m so glad the original directors pulled out because I would never have made this and I’m so proud of it. Working with Rio Carciero who filmed and edited it was such a joy and easy experience too, she shared my vision well and we had such a great working relationship.
What are you currently working on?
I think I’m working on another EP…. I’d like to get a collection of songs and visuals for that and release it together at some point but it’s all up in the air at the minute.
The current pandemic has deeply affected live venues and the way we engage with artists and their music. Would you say that lockdown has affected your creative process when it comes to writing and recording music?
It definitely has. To be honest it’s mostly made me feel quite uninspired. I get a lot of my inspiration from being out and experiencing new things so lockdown was of course the opposite. It didn’t stop me from writing but it just felt different.
What advice would you give to someone who may want to start a career in the music industry?
To be prepared for A LOT of highs and lows, emotional rollercoasters and people who don’t think you’re good enough. You need to have thick skin and a hard helmet on to power through the rubble but you must remember to enjoy the journey.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Respect yourself and other people will too.
Check out Salt Ashes' recent single 'Cut You With A Kiss' in the link down below!
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