FEATURE: Spotlight: Sasha Keable — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Jeff Hahn

Sasha Keable

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THIS is an artist…

PHOTO CREDIT: Becca Wheeler

who has been around for a very long time. Over a decade. However, like so many artists I feature in this series, I spotlight those who I feel are either not as known as they should be or are hitting a new stride. It is definitely an exciting moment for Sasha Keable. Her latest E.P., act right, was released earlier this month. This is someone that should be known to everyone. I am bringing together a few different interviews so that we get to know better this incredible talent. I want to start out with this article from The Outlook. I am a little late to Sasha Keable. It is evident that this artist is primed for massive things:

“Sasha Keable, a singer-songwriter hailing from South London, has been making waves in the music scene since 2013. That year marked her first significant recognition as she featured in several singles, including DJ Zinc’s “Only for Tonight” and Disclosure’s “Voices.” Her unique style, combined with her Colombian heritage, adds a rich authenticity to her artistry, allowing her to express her identity. With a dynamic voice, emotionally raw lyrics, and a musical range that spans trip-hop, classic R&B, and soul, she has captivated listeners around the globe.

Keable began to gain momentum with the release of “That’s the Shit,” one of her breakout tracks in 2018. Her reputation furthered in 2021 when she collaborated with renowned London R&B artist Jorja Smith on “Killing Me.”

Throughout her life, Keable has drawn inspiration from various experiences that have shaped her both as an artist and an individual. In a 2021 interview with “Coeval Magazine,” she reflected on how growing up without a television fueled her passion for music. “I was drawn into music when my parents split up, we didn’t have much money, so we didn’t have a TV. He [Dad] would print off tabs of songs and to entertain ourselves when he got back from work, he would play guitar, and I would sing along.”

The connection provided comfort during her parents’ divorce and solidified her deep bond with music. As she discovered her singing ability, her musical journey took off. She recounted that at 10 or 11, she fell in love with writing music long before her passion for singing fully blossomed. This pivotal moment encouraged her to explore her potential rather than simply absorb the artistic expressions of others.

Around the same time, she uncovered her musical preferences. Keable grew up listening to R&B, rock, and Colombian music while delving into works by 1970s Motown legends. The passion and heartbreak found in these classics resonated deeply with her and played a significant role in shaping her as a musician. Her work frequently revolves around themes of love and heartbreak.

These elements prominently feature in her hit song “Hold Up,” the first track she released in three years, which garnered attention when released in April 2024. The song’s impact was amplified by a live performance on BBC Radio and a music video that amassed over 723,000 views.

With raw emotion, she confronts heartache from infidelity, expressing feelings of betrayal: “What’s the point in feeling? Yeah/ Been kicked, I been bruised/ And it’s me I turn to/So if you think I need you get that out your head.” In an interview with “New Wave Magazine,” she shared that the song emerged from a desire to reclaim her power: “The new music came from a place of feeling powerless in everything else in life, the only place I felt safe and like I had control over the outcome was in the studio.”

Keable continued to build on her momentum with consecutive releases and collaborations. In June 2024, she released “Auction,” featuring the R&B singer Destin Conrad, known for his sultry sound. In September, she unveiled another collaborative track with American singer and rapper 6LACK titled “Take Your Time.” The momentum from these singles paved the way for her own single “Why,” which delves deeper into love: “Who gave you permission to be this perfect?/ I think you should go ahead and thank your mama for me/ Lord knows what I did to deserve this.” This track captured considerable attention, leading her to perform it on the popular YouTube show “A COLORS SHOW,” where artists perform in a one-color room with only a microphone.

With her rising popularity, the video has garnered over 793,000 views. Her most recent release in December 2024, “NIGHT OFF,” a collaboration with fellow R&B artist Isaiah Falls, has become her most streamed song on Spotify, amassing over 6.6 million streams. Keable’s dedication and hard work are yielding impressive accolades.

In January 2025, she was featured on Spotify’s “Artists to Watch 2025” list, as well as Amazon Music UK’s “Artists to Watch 2025.” Her extraordinary achievements in 2024 have set a strong foundation for her continued success in 2025. In February, she received a nomination for Best R&B/Soul Act at the annual Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards.

Sasha Keable’s journey, driven by a lifelong passion for music, has shaped her into the remarkable artist she is today. As she continues to evolve and grow, fans eagerly anticipate what she will create next”.

There are two recent interviews that I need to get to. The first is from NOTION. For Amazon Music Breakthrough UK: Artists To Watch 2025 list, they spoke with an artist who was on the rise. Even though she has been performing and releasing music for years, 2025 is a year when so many new people are looking her way. Such a distinct and stunning name. The minute you hear her music, you will be captivated and under her spell:

“Bursting onto the scene thanks to collaborations with the likes of Disclosure and DJ Zinc, Sasha Keable’s chameleonic voice has been captivating listeners for over a decade. Sasha has since found her own lane: a soulful force, she weaves together R&B, pop, and jersey with emotive storytelling to create an intimate and electrifying sonic experience.

The release of her EP Intermission, which includes ‘Killing Me’ featuring Jorja Smith, was followed by a three-year hiatus before she returned with the gospel-tinged ‘Hold Up’. Quickly becoming a beloved track in the industry and beyond, with co-signs from the likes of John Legend, Wu Tang Clan, and Maya Jama, Sasha Keable has dropped banger after banger since.

As she continues to evolve and collaborate with some of the world’s most exciting artists like 6LACK and DESTIN CONRAD, we sit down with Sasha Keable, to talk falling in love with music and where her most unexpected inspiration comes from…

Do you remember the moment you fell in love with music?

Music has always been my world. My dad would print off tabs of songs and after work, he would play guitar and I would sing along. My older sister was the person that got me into R&B and my mum and Abuelita played a lot of Cumbia & Vallenatos. I guess I fell in love with music because it allowed me to connect deeply with who I am and tell my story in a way nothing else could.

What are you manifesting for 2025?

I’m manifesting growth, freedom, and fearless creativity. Moving to Miami is something I’ve been dreaming about—it feels like a place where I could thrive both personally and musically. It’s strange coming to a place that’s not in South America and hearing so many people speak Spanish, but I love that connection to my heritage. I’m also manifesting Grammy nominations, sold-out shows, and creating music that resonates globally while staying true to myself.

What’s the proudest moment of your career so far?

Definitely when Beyoncé mentioned me as one of the next-generation artists to watch. That kind of recognition is insane. But also, hearing fans sing back my lyrics at a EU sold out tour, that’s a feeling I’ll never get used to, and it makes me so proud.

What do you hope people take away from your music?

I want my music to feel like a safe space. Whether you’re celebrating, healing, or just figuring things out, I want people to feel like my songs are there for them. It’s all about connection and making people feel seen and saying things people can’t find the words for themselves”.

I will end up with a review for act right. No doubt one of the best E.P.s of this year. You can sense that next year will be the biggest one for Sasha Keable. DAZED spoke with Keable in June. After a decade of working hard, she is now getting her flowers and finding her feet:

“There isn’t one recipe for success in the music industry. For some artists, the ascent can be quick (too quick even), with TikTok unlocking the power to make someone a star overnight. For others, success is an uphill battle that takes decades of hard work, determination and resilience. Even the ones who do get boosted by social media streams have, more often than not, been grinding behind the scenes for years prior – take Doechii, Raye or Charli xcx, for example.

Towards the end of last year, Sasha Keable made her Colours Show debut – the music platform and YouTube channel that showcases emerging talent from around the world. She’s also been drip feeding us new music (her first in over two years), while over on TikTok, a quick scroll through any R&B lover’s feed and you’ll likely be told that Sasha Keable is one of the hottest new artists coming out of South London. By definition, she is an emerging artist. But Sasha has been releasing music and laying the groundwork for her career for well over a decade now.

Blending R&B with gospel and soul, the British-Colombian artist is known for her emotionally-charged lyricism and smoky, winding vocals. Since graduating from The Brit School in the early 2010s and being whisked off on tour with Disclosure and Katy B at the height of their fame, Sasha’s career has felt like two steps forward and one step back. In an interview from last year, she confessed that this would be her final attempt at making it as a musician – if it doesn’t work this time, she’ll change her focus to writing for other artists instead.

So far, at least, it seems like her patience is paying off. All six of the singles that she’s released in the past 12 months have garnered multi-millions of streams (each). She’s playing Glastonbury, Jools Holland, Little Simz’ Meltdown festival and she doesn’t plan on slowing down with the new music either. Even Beyoncé is a fan – she listed Sasha as one of the best artists she’d heard in 2024 in an interview with GQ.

Hey Sasha! How’s life at the moment?

Sasha Keable: Life is good! Life is busy. It’s pretty insane, actually, but it’s good.

How did it feel to release your latest single, ‘Act Right’?

Sasha Keable: It felt really good to put that out. I’d been going through a heartbreak, and it felt good to say my piece in a clear and concise way. The response has been great. I’m always shocked at how engaged everyone is with every release that I’ve put out.

People online are desperate for more music from you…

Sasha Keable: I honestly get harassed online. I’ll tease something, and after an hour, they’re like ‘Release it already!’ I'm like, let’s build up some excitement and mystery. But I think people really want a project from me, which is why I’m really excited to put out a body of music and let that tide people over for a second.

You once said that if it didn’t work this time, you would give up trying to make it as an artist and write for other people instead. Do you feel like it is working this time?

Sasha Keable: Yeah, absolutely. I’m not about to give up. It’s a really difficult industry and when you’ve been working at it for as long as I have, you have so many moments of doubt. It can be really lonely and a lot of stress from a lot of different angles. It’s a really hard industry to crack. But I’m definitely nowhere near the space that I was when I was feeling those feelings, because it’s actually working now and I’m doing the right things.

I’ve never cared if I’m famous, I’ve never cared about any of that. I’ve always just wanted to do music because I enjoy it so much

What kept you going when you thought you might give up?

Sasha Keable: For me, it’s being in the studio and making music. When I’m not creating, I lose sight of my purpose. I’ve never cared if I’m famous, I’ve never cared about any of that. I’ve always just wanted to do music because I enjoy it so much. It’s my number one love in life. But even me saying that if I don’t make it then I’ll write for other people – that’s still a win for me, being able to create will always be a win”.

NME awarded act right a five-star review. Grit, grace and heart infuses the E.P. NME noted how act right is a “rich, honey-voiced collection with sapphic desire, Motown soul and the bite of contemporary UK R&B”. It is hard to argue with that assessment. If that does not convince you to follow Sasha Keable then nothing will! She is a music treasure:

“Sasha Keable has long been propped up as the future of R&B. At first, she was seen as a dance-floor powerhouse – her breakthrough with Disclosure on ‘Voices’ marked her as a voice that could command a club in one note. Her first two EPs, 2013’s ‘Black Book’ and 2014’s ‘Lemongrass and Limeleaves’, were released to great fanfare.

After a three-year hiatus, she came back in 2024 bigger and badder than ever with ‘Hold Up’, showcasing her emotionally rich and unfiltered perspective on life and love that truly cemented her artistry. With Adele comparisons and a blessing from Beyoncé earlier this year, the British-Colombian star could easily have buckled under the pressure on her fifth EP, ‘Act Right’. Instead, Keable shrugs it off and delivers seven tracks that feel like the gold standard for modern R&B.

We’ve already tasted much of this feast. Singles like ‘Why’ and the titular track are conversational and gut-wrenching. The former is rooted in the purest and happiest form of love, yet there’s a pang of self-doubt in the mournful question: “Why is it me… you give all this love to?” It’s the sort of line that could have been penned by Aretha Franklin or Lauryn Hill when they redefined pain as power. ‘Act Right’ carries the raw frustration and emotional depth of Donny Hathaway, wrapped in the warm, confessional soul of Amy Winehouse. That emotive nuance is what makes this project such a stunning reintroduction to the world.

There are earworms at every turn, especially on the deeper cuts. The Leon Thomas-assisted ‘Move It Along’ wraps you in a warm sonic blanket with heavenly stacked ad-libs and a churchy, whining guitar, and when Keable’s opening guttural “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeaaaah” hits, you soon realise you’ve just downloaded your newest vocal stim for the week.

‘Work’ – featuring Jamaican-born rapper BEAM – is a steamy slow-burner, too. The whiplash between Sasha’s silken croon and BEAM’s slackness might feel jarring at first, but listen closely. Hidden in her velvet phrasing, she’s a temptress, seductively commanding her lover to “lift up my skirt, grab my neck and say you care for nothing” – her sapphic desires a match for the rapper’s crassness.

The new cuts prove just as irresistible. ‘Can’t Stop’ finds Keable dropping into a just-between-us coolness, almost bragging about her toxic potential before roaring through the chorus about her addiction to the chaos. Her effortless runs beg to be mimicked (badly), while the post-chorus swirls with echoed, muffled layers that pull you deeper in”.

I will wrap up here. One of our brightest and best artists, here is someone who has been working tirelessly for over a decade. However, it seems like now is her time. A moment where Sasha Keable is releasing her best music and seems primed for many more years in the industry. Who knows how far she can go?! The superb act right is a truly brilliant work. It is going to be fascinating to see where Sasha Keable goes…