At only 22 Sasha McVeigh has become a regular name in the
country music scene, with her hit album ‘I Stand Alone’ and her energetic
performances in the biggest music festivals in Nashville and all around the
world.
The Hereford-born singer took some time out of her busy
schedule to give to MashUp an exclusive interview about her fantastic journey,
her career highlights and her future plans.
Can you please
tell us a few things about you and introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Sasha McVeigh and I'm a British
singer/songwriter from the rural part of Herefordshire. I've been singing for
as long as I can remember. It’s always been my biggest passion. I'm also a huge
Disney fan, so if you follow me on Instagram, you'll see a lot of photos of me
dressing up as the movies’ characters.
So when and how
did you decide that you wanted to be a musician?
I decided to pursue music professionally when
I finished Sixth Form College in 2012. I had been writing, playing and
performing since I was a kid, but I never took the professional step until
then. My Nana passed away on Christmas of 2011 and it really made me
re-evaluate a lot of things. I was planning on going to university, but I
stopped and realised that all I wanted to do was follow my music dreams and
university would have been settling. My parents supported me 100% which I'm
hugely grateful for and a couple months after I finished college I flew to
Nashville and the journey began.
So how has this journey been so
far? Has it been easy or hard?
It has definitely been an incredible ride! I have loved every
minute of it and I have come a lot further than I ever expected to. But at the
same time it has been hard, because it is very ‘costly’ to become an artist
today. My parents have sacrificed everything to help me achieve this dream and
fund my projects. It is so sad that because I am not a millionaire, I struggle
to do what I love the most.
Did your parents help you
record and fund your debut album ‘I Stand Alone’?
Yes of course they did. They have done everything they possibly
could and this album is a family effort. Also, the fans helped me raise money
for this album on Kickstarter. Some people donated a lot of money and I felt so
happy and emotional that they believed in me and wanted me to make my own
records.
So how did it feel to record your
very own album?
It’s a dream came true! It’s something that I have always wanted
to do and I got to record it with a full band of musicians. Before, I only
played acoustic songs, because that reflected what I did in my live shows. Of
course I’ve still kept a bit of an acoustic sound in this album, because that’s
kind of who I am. There were so many talented and award-nominated musicians
involved in this album and most of it was recorded in Nashville. I couldn’t
have asked for a better team of people to work with.
In a few words, how would you
describe your music?
I write all of my own music and it's definitely a combination of
country, pop, folk with some R&B overtones. All my songs are written from
personal experiences and are usually entirely true stories. I just prefer to
write that way and my fans seem to really understand what I'm saying, which is
amazing.
Do you play most of the musical
instruments in your songs then?
Yes, I have been playing keyboard since I was ten, but I only
started playing the guitar three years ago and now it has become like another
limb. I don't go anywhere without my Martin guitar, named 'Dean', or my Taylor
guitar, named 'Elizabeth'. I recently picked up the banjo too!
What was the feedback you received
from the fans? Do you find people recognise you more now?
I have received such amazing feedback and comments from the fans,
it’s overwhelming! It is extremely touching that people can relate to my songs
and sing them back to me at my live shows. It totally freaks me out when people
recognise me on the street, because I’m just me and it’s so odd when they say
‘hello’ or ask for a picture. But I love meeting new people!
Who were your main musical
inspirations for this album?
My biggest musical inspirations are probably Elvis Presley, Zac
Brown Band, John Denver, Taylor Swift and just Motown music in general. They
are all artists and genres I've been listening to either since I was a little
girl or since I started song-writing at the age of 12. Their influence is
obvious on my album. But honestly, I listen to all different genres, I love
Adele, Amy Winehouse, Michael Bolton, The Script, the composer Alan Menken,
Elton John, to name a few.
And if you could collaborate with
any artist, who would it be?
Ah! That's such a tough question, because I'd like to collaborate
with so many different artists for different reasons. But, if I had to narrow
it down, I'd say Alan Menken, because he's composed some of the most incredible
scores and pieces for Disney movies, or the Zac Brown Band, because they're my
favourite country act on the circuit right now.
What would you say has been the
highlight of your career so far, your best music memory?
If I had to pick just one, it was probably when I was invited, by
The Academy of Country Music, to perform at the ACM Awards Kick-Off Concert in
Las Vegas. My name and face was on a 100ft billboard on the Las Vegas strip -
it was insane!! The ACM Awards are like the Oscars of country music and it was
such an honour to be invited by the Academy to perform for them, especially
when I'm an unsigned artist. That was one of the greatest nights of my life!
What are your thoughts on the
music industry today and the current artists?
For a time, everyone was worried that the music industry being
driven into the ground, but I think when you look at the quality of music being
produced both last year and already this year, I don't think we have anything
to worry about. There is so much talent out there. As for the shift in digital
and physical sales, I think that just shows the change in times. iTunes,
GooglePlay and other online streaming platforms are bound to be more popular
now than physical albums, because it's easier for people to download the songs
or stream them on their phones rather than listening to the CD only when they
have a player around.
Before we end this interview tell
us what would be the ultimate dream for your music career?
To get to a level where I can perform wherever I want and wherever
the fans want me to go. It's a very expensive to hire venues and sometimes you
can't perform in all the cities you want, because there simply isn't enough
budget for it. I'd love to not be restricted by that and be able to go directly
to the fans. The point is, artists are nothing without their fans. I love hearing
from my fans and communicating with them, we're like a big family. So to be
able to have no limitations on performing for them, that's the dream.
Finally Sasha, where can we find
you performing?
I have been on a UK tour since March and now I am heading to
Europe for more shows. All the dates can be found on my website
(SashaMcVeighMusic.com). I am so excited to get back on the road again and
especially in Europe, because the fans out there are so enthusiastic. I'll be
heading back out to the USA to tour in the summer. There's a lot to look
forward to this year including releasing some new music which I'm thrilled
about. I can't wait to get started!
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