SINGER AND SONGWRITER GENERATING INTERNATIONAL BUZZ AFTER
“NEW WAVE ARTIST OF THE YEAR” WIN AT THE FASHION MEDIA AWARDS
Artist is First Ever Singer to Perform at Ceremony in Front of Kate Moss, Frederic Fekkai, Emily Ratajowski, Indya Moore and British Vogue Editor Edward Enninful
Sasha Siem, the British singer and song writer whose new music debuted across global streaming/ listening platforms this winter, rode a huge wave through New York Fashion Week, including being the first-ever artist to perform at the Fashion Media Awards on Thursday, Sept. 6, the unofficial kick-off to bi-annual fashion event. Presented by the Daily Front Row, the official glossy of NYFW, the awards also recognized Siem as the first recipient of the prestigious “New Wave” Artist of the Year honor.
“This young lady sings, she plays instruments, she’s been writing original songs since she was a wee tween,” said Tan France, co-host of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” who introduced Siem to the celebrity-studded crowd. “She’s also an accomplished composer (and) has a PhD from Harvard. … There’s pretty much nothing this young lady cannot do.”
Siem performed her hit single “Holey, Wholy, Holy” to the audience, which included Kate Moss, Frederic Fekkai, Emily Ratajowski, Indya Moore and British Vogue Editor Edward Enninful. The song, released on global platforms in February, will be included on her upcoming album Holy, coming out in the fall.”
“I don’t surf but I do see the need for a new wave in our world,” said Siem, accepting the trophy as “New Wave” Artist of the Year. “I think part of the reason I dedicate my life to music is because I recognize that through sound, we can create waves. By coming together and singing and enjoying music, we can join together in unity.… Music can bring us from harm to harmony.”
It was a personal decision to play “Holey Wholly Holy” at the ceremony, said Siem. “The song is about accepting yourself, recognizing aspects, faults and mistakes that are part of your life journey. And to remember you are whole regardless of what they’ve been through; that any hole, puncture and damage can also be a gateway back into divinity. Holey Wholly Holy is a grand, operatic and symphonic anthem “about the collective experience that completes the cycle of expansion from ‘me’ to ‘we.’”
Siem was born in London, but recently spent several years living in Brooklyn with her family. Born into a musical family — her brother Charlie was a violin prodigy and her sisters Sophie and LouLou were trained as musicians before venturing into the visual arts — she began playing piano at age five, studying music at age seven and writing her first songs on the piano when she was only 11. Her first composition was an instrumental work to accompany Maya Angelou’s poem, “A Caged Bird Sings.” She later attended the University of Cambridge, before receiving a Ph.D. in music and poetry from Harvard University. After graduation, she was commissioned to write works for opera houses and orchestras including the London Symphony and Royal Opera House.
Immersing herself in both her music and the workings of the music industry, Siem and her business partner Shani Lehrer recently launched a new label, Sound Sanctum, which she describes as “an artists-for-artists label with a big social change aspect.” The company offer the opportunity to combine music with a message. “Our ethos is to use our music to harmonize the planet from the micro to the macro,” she explains. “We use the music as a tool to create social impact.”
