SASSY 009

Described as “leftist, experimental pop”, Sassy’s debut album, Dreamer+, is a flex of her consciousness. The “sound of growing pains” where the Oslo-born musician has found her work “reborn.” Beginning as a solo venture, the debut album features tracks with Blood Orange, BEA1991 and yúne pinku. Listen to an exclusive mix by Sassy009 below and read on for a Q&A. 

Bethany Wright Thinking about the environment in which you grew up, Oslo is like a dreamscape: sitting between mountains and lakes, at the whim of extreme winters and sudden summers. What impression has this landscape had on you, and has it influenced your new album in any way? 
Sassy 009 It has a very strong connection to this album. Norway is a small country, and Oslo is a small city. The streets here, even in the city centre, are usually weirdly empty. Often, I find myself walking the streets by myself in the evenings. It can feel as if you are in a simulation, one that allows you to be the main character. Being surrounded by nature creates a mysterious vibe. The people are fairly shy with one another. We exist in an introverted culture. All these descriptions relate to my record. How introspective it is. Touring your own mind, rather than interacting with actual things happening. It is abstract storytelling, and is akin to the region and life here in so many ways. 

BW I’ve found myself listening to your music when in transit - mostly on my bike or walking home, late at night. There is a transitional element to the body of work. 
S009 There's are technical and artistic aspects to it that contribute to that feeling. I spent four years making the album and though so many of the songs didn’t make it whole, traces of them have been combined to create tracks. This process was confusing because the songs stemmed from different times and experiences, but I was able to piece them together by dedicating myself to a certain mood. The sound of the record is consistently inconsistent because of that, which creates this transient vibe. Outside of my work, I was getting stressed about what other artists in the same left, experimental pop field, or of similar age were making. It put me in a push-and-pull pattern creatively, simultaneously being influenced, whilst asking myself what will stand outside of this moment in time. 

BW Throughout your work, I feel a sense of loss - a lack of agency and bereavement. Do these feelings relate to anything in particular? 
S009 Without necessarily meaning I am a sad person, I have always been drawn to melancholy. The album is aggressively introspective, encompassing my life experiences. To me, the work is the sound of growing pains. I’ve also been so curious about my own dreams, as they tend to be very paranoid. I record my sleep talking and write out what I say. I have been trying to connect to my subconscious, drawing comparisons to my experiences, bodily and mental reactions and their delays in processing life. I've been tuning very intentionally into that side of me.

BW Is there a dream that comes to mind?
S009 It's usually the same narrative, often acting out in an apocalyptic kind of space. If I am interacting with people, there will be a sudden message from an omnipotent voice, telling me that something bad is about to happen. But no one else catches on to it. I'm the sole owner of the message. I have to whisper to everybody else, making them aware of it. The scene usually evolves into everyone running. I usually wake up then. 

BW Have you read any literature around dreaming? 
S009 For the third time, I am reading The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) by Ursula K. Le Guin. Although it is not literally about dreams, it feels like a dreamy reflection on real life. It's a really good book. I haven't been able to read it cover to cover. I’m in a cycle of starting from the beginning. Throughout the production of Dreamer+, I have been reflecting on love and loss in many ways, but I am curious about where dreams stop and reality starts. The fact that you can have a dream that feels so real, as if you were with that person, or in that place. I have been creating and responding to these experiences as if they were a memory.  The album is oriented around that headspace, between levels of consciousness. Creatively, everything about this album is a rebirth. 

BW The album ends with a sample from a song your parents composed and submitted for Eurovision. They are both classically musically trained. Do you feel like you rebelled against their music and are now returning to it? 
S009 Naturally, as a child, I was opposed to their music because it was slightly forced onto me, I had lessons with various teachers and instruments. Our house was filled with the sounds of the violin and viola, which were so loud that they could penetrate any wall. My dad would listen to Queen in the car, put a record on when he cooked, but my mum didn’t and doesn’t have ears for any other music outside of the classical realm. Having their song, a pop song they made in the 90s in Sweden, on my record is pretty wild. It’s kind of meta. 

Dreamer+ is out now.