Interview SASAMI: Murder On The Dancefloor

On this third record, however, SASAMI is allowing herself to be the main character she’d never dreamt of becoming, inspired by pop heavyweights from Britney Spears to Lady Gaga, Katy Perry to Kelly Clarkson. “For me, even in this pop diva era, it’s very much a performance and a method acting thing. So I did my best to research what this character looks like and sounds like. What’s the vessel for this type of storytelling? I really enjoy thinking about things like that.”

“I didn’t feel so mystified by entering this new world,” she admits, explaining that her earlier classical education provided her with an overarching musical knowledge heading into the writing process. “It was empowering to look under the hood and see the engine. Like if I put this piston with this carburetor then it’s going to look something like that. I definitely have a lot of gratitude for my music education because it does empower me to explore these spaces that maybe I wouldn’t if I didn’t have that technical fluency.”

You only need to see the video for her single ‘Slugger’ to know how much fun she’s been having. As she swings, shimmies and dances under the floodlights on an Los Angeles baseball diamond, there’s shameless abandon in the track as she yearns over a jittery electronica: “I was just looking for a late night lover / Now you’ve got me choked up, calling me slugger.” A move away from her more expansive and grungier past work, it’s thrilling in its simplicity.

“That’s the thing about the whole experiment,” she muses. “Things that are mainstream and normal are subversive when you’re an Asian woman doing them at the end of the day. It’s kind of fun to just be playful and that was definitely part of this album cycle. I wanted to be less precious and more playful this time around. Every song was written on an acoustic guitar, I wanted a song to be at the centre of every track which was new for me.”

Having taken a more impulsive approach to writing and recording this time around after her relentless research, what does pop music mean to SASAMI in 2025? “I think the music makes the listener feel like the main character of their life,” she says. “There’s something really empowering when you put pop music on, it makes people who don’t dance, dance alone in their apartment. It makes people feel embodied. So much of understanding this genre is understanding confidence. Everyone has some of that within them, humans sometimes need something to help bring that out.”

Alongside more brazen and direct moments, there’s also scope for sentimentality. A key example comes via Clairo collaboration ‘In Love With A Memory’, which blends a nostalgic warmth with a futuristic edge. Example: the emotive guitar line that wouldn’t have been out of place on Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’. “That song was inspired by me hearing my mum sing old Japanese and Korean folk music at karaoke,” she explains, “It was intentionally supposed to feel very nostalgic.”

It also came naturally, working with a good friend. “I think that song is the most collaborative song I’ve ever made. I didn’t picture the song being a duet but I knew there were these two disparate characters in it. It was really amazing to have Claire because our voices are similar in some ways but also have their own distinct character.” There’s a huge trust between the two of them. “I think Claire looks up to me as the elder of the music world even though she’s hugely successful and extremely talented in her own right. Even though she’s this huge artist, she’s adamant about keeping her music community super earnest. She’s so uplifting of musicians, she’s just a fucking real one and a lot of people aren’t.”

“White men and the status quo have been lifting each other and using that power to maintain these structural positions of power for a long time,” she says, on why this outlook of giving back and mutual support is so crucial. “It’s 2025 and we’re sick of talking about cancel culture and identity politics. There’s a political exhaustion with that kind of language but it’s extremely real and it is important for minority identities to continue to uplift each other.”

She continues: “Everything I have is because people uplifted me. HAIM took me on tour and I was opening up giant venues, they didn’t need me to do that but they gave me that opportunity because they wanted to support my vision and my art. I’ve always had people who chose to uplift me not for any capitalistic gain. It’s because they believe in me and they let me into their community. I’m deeply indebted to that and connected to that community for sure.”

In the face of growing concerns around new industry norms, technological developments, and the allure of AI, SASAMI also believes the listener also has a crucial role to play in that community. “It’s as simple as if you really love an artist then you can probably assume that their opening act is someone they really cherish. So go early and watch the opening band and buy their merch. That’s a really human way for us all to feel connected to each other.”

“You can bypass the normal systems of marketing and corporate music industry stuff. There is a wholesomeness to artists uplifting other artists and fans are a central part of that, it’s a way that we can break off from these systemic norms like that only artists Spotify choose to uplift in their playlists are the ones who get successful. There’s other channels,” she notes. “Our generation feels really powerless because of technology and social media. I think there are still ways to have a person to person community in the music world.”

Listening to SASAMI speak so passionately, it becomes increasingly clear that she’s an artist who knows exactly what she wants heading into a huge year. “I think of myself as this blue collar musician at the end of the day. I’m not this rich kid nepo-baby who is doing this for fun. This is my job but I want to do it on my own terms and make what I want to make,” she says. “I’m super excited and grateful, I put a lot of music into my energy and shows. I can’t wait to get out and see people dance and sing along, I just hope people can be as silly and earnest as I was in making it.”

‘Blood On The Silver Screen’ is out now via Domino.

Tags: Features, Interviews, March 2025, SASAMI