When a friend recently asked me why I listen to sad music when I’m already feeling down, I was at a loss. “Does it even make you feel better?” she asked. “Not really,” I replied, now somewhat more confused than she was. Afterwards, I turned to Sasha Sloan’s discography for comfort in the face of this probing question. Between her tracks “Too Sad To Cry” and “Normal,” I think I came to a conclusion: sad music doesn’t make me feel “better,” per se, but it certainly makes me feel less alone.
Sasha Sloan is a self diagnosed “sad girl.” From her 2018 EP, aptly titled Sad Girl, to her second EP released this past October, Self Portrait, she’s constructed her musical identity around her raw emotions. Critics and fans alike have praised her vulnerability (as well as her angelic vocals) and crowned her Queen of Sad Girls and EPs. While she has yet to release her first album, Sloan is tapping into a rich cultural vein that is making her one of the fastest rising starlets in the world of pop music. Her lyrics, as well as her personal struggles, oscillate between the conflicting ideals of “I don’t care” and “I don’t think I’ve ever not cared.” That’s a long-winded way of saying that Sasha is getting comfortable with discomfort through her music, and there’s a clear reason that her dedicated fans are looking to do the same. Sasha’s distinctly and shockingly honest lyrics crush the stigma that women who express negative emotions are hysterical or dramatic. In particular, her teary ballad “Too Sad To Cry,” one of my personal favorites, exemplifies her willingness to address taboo issues like suicidal ideations and forge a path for her fans to do the same. Her pushback against the confines of emotional repression is a form of musical rebellion, and I’m absolutely here for it.
While my dear friend’s aforementioned question came from a good place, it followed a line of thinking that remains fairly commonplace in Western culture. When something is broken, American society responds with the need to fix it immediately or ignore it. Crying, in many circles, is still seen as something in need of one of these two responses. While I wholeheartedly agree that there is a time and a place for expressing and exploring vulnerability in a healthy way, and appropriate boundaries are essential for it, expressing sadness is stigmatized. But as a result of this stigmatization, Sasha Sloan’s cry-then-light-a-joint attitude has made her teary tracks a form of protest song against the bubblegum pop machine. In an interview with a student publication from the University of Oregon, Sasha gave some insight into how her songs all sound so genuine, and wise beyond the years of her contemporaries. She said, “I still write pop music for me. It’s definitely not like I’m reinventing the wheel. With me, though, the lyrics are honest to how I’m feeling. When you write for other people, you’re usually thinking for the radio and a lot of that has to be uplifting and fun and have hope in it. For me, my music is about my problems with anxiety and all of that shit. Hopefully, I’ll have happy music at some point, but for the most part it’s sad-pop.”
In the same interview, she cites her biggest musical inspirations as Regina Spektor, Brandi Carlile, Joni Mitchell, and Ingrid Michaelson. She said, “Pretty much anything from 2009 that was an indie female singer-songwriter, I was living for.” Her work certainly stands on the shoulders of these iconic female artists, all of whom are known for writing intensely personal songs. Her solid musical diet of songwriters who found power in their vulnerability is likely why she is on her way to becoming the voice of her own niche. Sasha’s dedication to self expression, as well as a cultural shift towards expressing and accepting negative emotions in recent years has created the perfect atmosphere for her music to strike a real chord. (Oops, no pun intended!)Earlier this month, Aeon published the results of a study on trends in emotional expression in English-language song lyrics over 50 years. Using analysis of song lyrics, the study found that, “The use of words related to negative emotions has increased by more than one third.” I’m not sure about the exact anthropological foundations for this cultural shift, but I do know that the trend has allowed Sasha’s work to have a finger on the pulse of the rising popularity of using music as a raw emotional outlet and a sounding board for consumers. However, connecting with one’s audience on an intensely personal level certainly has its drawbacks. In an interview with Teen Vogue, Sasha revealed, “Being the face of my own music has been really tough for me. But I think I’m starting to own that fact and I’m just not pretending to be someone I’m not anymore,” Sasha says. “For the first time in my life it’s allowed me to accept who I am and the type of music that I make … and that’s been really great.” Owning her sadness, and the way she’s choosing to express it, is exactly the magnetism that keeps her fans tuning in over and over. For those in search of solidarity over the necessity of a good cry, you’re in luck. Let’s hope 2020 will bring a full-length album.
Anthem 