For almost a decade, Sasha Alex Sloan has been known as a talented hit songwriter, and as a unique and creative artist. She co-wrote a Top 10 pop hit for Camila Cabello (“Never Be The Same”), and she recently had a Top 20 hit with Olivia Rodrigo’s single “What’s Wrong With Me” (feat. Robert Smith of The Cure). In addition, she has co-written songs that have been released by such major artists as Charli XCX, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Pink, Tinashe, John Legend and LANY.
Along with her career as a pro songwriter, Sloan has also established herself as a distinctive singer/songwriter who has previously released three solo albums. And she’s about to release her latest album, And The Crowd Goes Mild, on October 23.
With the 10 songs on her new album, Sloan shows why she’s a unique songwriter and gifted lyricist, who is also an expressive vocalist. The songs on And The Crowd Goes Mild range from uptempo, modern pop-rock cuts, to heartfelt ballads.
Interestingly, Sloan’s creative lyric ideas shine through on her new album. The album’s title song, “And The Crowd Goes Mild,” shows her quirky sense of humor and her subtle understatement. Another imaginative lyric is “Delusional Optimism,” which displays a lyric freshness and clever wordplay. On the more serious side is “Still Be Me,” a sensitive ballad about a couple that she’s friends with, who are going through a difficult time.
Sloan will soon be taking her music on the road, embarking on a new concert tour. Starting in late November, she will be headlining shows in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco and Boston. For her shows, she will be playing a combination of her older popular songs, and songs from her new album.
Sloan grew up in Boston, MA, and she attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music. When she was 19, she moved to Los Angeles and began to have success as a songwriter. She secured cuts with Kaskade, Idina Menzel, Kygo and Maggie Lindemann, and she reached hit status when she co-wrote the Top 10 single “Never Be The Same” with Camila Cabello.
Here’s the video of Sasha Alex Sloan’s song, “Fun.”
In 2018, Sloan began to establish herself as an artist. She released two EPs (Sad Girl and Loser), and in 2019 she released her third EP, Self-Portrait. Then in 2020, Sloan released her debut album, Only Child (on RCA Records). She subsequently released her albums I Blame the World (in 2022) and Me Again (in 2024).
We are pleased to do this new Q&A interview with Sasha Alex Sloan. She tells how she co-wrote the hits “Never Be The Same” and “What’s Wrong With Me,” and she also discusses her artist career and her new album.
DK: I read that you grew up in Boston, and you went to Berklee College of Music. How did you get started with singing and writing songs?
Sasha Alex Sloan: For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been singing, and my mom bought a piano off Craigslist when we lived in Boston. And I was completely addicted to it. She got me lessons, and everytime I would come home from a lesson, I would ignore my homework and start playing my own music.
I think my mom quickly realized that classical piano wasn’t the way for me. Then we went to a Guitar Center and bought a bunch of chord books of some of my favorite artists like Queen and The Beatles. That’s when I started learning how to play piano through chords. Then I would take those chords and start writing my own music.
DK: Sasha, do you see yourself mainly as an artist who also writes songs for other people, or are you a songwriter first who is also an artist?
Sloan: That’s such a great question. I think throughout the past decade, those roles have interchanged in terms of what comes first. I would say right now, I’m songwriter first, an artist second. But for a long time, it was artist first, songwriter second. I originally started as a songwriter, so I’m kind of back to where I started.
Here’s the video of Sasha Alex Sloan’s song, “Glitter.”
DK: I looked in your credits, and in 2018 you had a big year. You co-wrote Camila Cabello’s big hit “Never Be the Same,” and you released two EPs, Sad Girl and Loser. First, can you talk about co-writing “Never Be the Same”?
Sloan: I love Camila so much. She is so talented, and one of the nicest people I’ve ever been around. I have nothing but amazing things to say about her, and we’d been writing a bunch. At the time, I was still pretty green, and I feel like that song kind of fell out of the sky. We were writing in the studio, writing a bunch of songs, and then she got in the booth and sang that pre-chorus down. And when she sang that, I think we’re all like, “Whoa, this is really cool.” I remember it being a really fun day. You know, I’m not the type of writer who leaves the studio and I’m like, “That’s a hit.” I’ve never been that way, but I did leave the studio that day thinking, “Wow, that was really fun, and I think this song is special.”
DK: Also in 2018, you released two EPs: Sad Girl and Loser. Can you talk about making these EPs?
Sloan: It’s kind of funny, because I did what no writer should do, which is have a big hit and then decide to completely abandon songwriting (for other artists) and become an artist. But I had moved to L.A. when I was 19, and I felt like I was starting to get cuts, before “Never Be the Same.” I was getting cuts, and they didn’t feel like it represented me as a songwriter. So I was like, “You know what? I’m gonna put out some of my own music, and hopefully it can be like a calling card to artists and be like, “Hey, I think what you do is cool. We should work together.” I had no intention of actually becoming an artist. So I had been writing a bunch of songs, and the first song I ever put out, called “Ready Yet,” that made me go, “Wow, I don’t know if I could give this away.” It was so personal and about my dad. Then it snowballed from there. I got some crazy looks from Spotify as an independent artist. Then I signed with RCA Records, and it became this thing that I didn’t expect it to become.
DK: In 2020 you released your first album, Only Child, and in 2022 you released your second album, I Blame the World. Can you talk about those albums?
Here’s the video of Sasha Alex Sloan’s song, “Empty.”
Sloan: Yeah, that was such a weird time in everyone’s life because it was during COVID when Only Child was released. I put that out in October 2020, and it was my debut album. So I have a very weird relationship with that album because it’s so funny when people are like, “Oh, I love that song,” and it’s off that album, because I felt like no one heard it ’cause I was just hiding in my house. I never got to go on a proper tour for it or anything. But there are some special songs on that record, at least to me. And we had started that record when we weren’t in lockdown, and then we finished it during lockdown, which was a very interesting way to make music.
With my second album, I Blame the World, that was after being isolated from the world for two years, and being in a depressive state of like, “What is the meaning of life?” And there was so obviously much division in this country, with people not getting along. I think I was finally becoming aware of what it means to exist in a country, and I wasn’t 19 anymore. I was like…Oh, I’m an adult. I have opinions. I have feelings. And I think that album came from a very angry place of…What the hell is happening? I wrote most of that during COVID.
DK: Currently, you’re on the charts with your hit “What’s Wrong With Me,” which you wrote with Olivia Rodrigo and (writer/producer) Dan Nigro. How did the three of you get together and write that song?
Sloan: I got a call from my management, and they were like, “Hey, Olivia’s down to do a couple days of writing.” And I was like, “What? Are we talking about the same Olivia?” (laughs).
I had worked with Dan (Nigro) in the past, and I’m a fan of everything Dan does, and everything Olivia does. They’re so iconic, and such nice people. So I went to L.A. and I was really nervous. I got there 20 minutes early—I was parked outside and I was sweating. I was like, “Oh, God. You can do this. You know how to write songs.”
Here’s the lyric video of Olivia Rodrigo’s hit “What’s
Wrong With Me” (feat. Robert Smith), which was
co-written by Sasha Alex Sloan.
But then I got in there, and Dan and Olivia are just so lovely. And we wrote “What’s Wrong With Me,” and Dan had this amazing track pulled up. You know, it felt like we were just hanging out. And I feel the best songs are written when you don’t even feel like you’re writing a song. You just feel like you’re hanging out, and then the song kind of appears. Then I went home, and a couple months later I was told that Robert Smith (of The Cure) was doing a feature on it. And I was like, “Maybe I should just quit music now because this is definitely the coolest thing that’s ever gonna happen to me.” I still can’t believe it, to be honest. I’m honored.
DK: You’re about to release your new album, And the Crowd Goes Mild. Can you talk about the making of your new album?
Sloan: I think with this new album, I was in such a weird place mentally. I thought I was done with my artist stuff, and I hired new management. And I sat them down and was like, “Hey look, it’s been a long time since I just focused on writing songs. And I can’t really commit to being an artist and a songwriter. They’re both full-time jobs.” I had been trying to straddle the line of the two, and I was like, “You know what? I feel like I’m done with Sasha Alex Sloan (the artist).” And they were like, “Cool.” So I started writing for other people. Then I wrote this song called “Glitter” and I was like, “Uh-oh, I have the itch again.” This song is hitting me in a way that makes me feel like I should put some more music out (as an artist).” So I slowly but surely started making another album.
DK: On your new album, I like your song “Still Be Me,” which has a heartfelt and creative lyric theme. What inspired you to write this song?
Sloan: Thank you. It’s actually about a couple I know. It’s about watching a couple, trying to make it work. When I wrote that song, I was thinking what it would feel like to be in that position. I’m married, and hopefully I’m never in that position. But I also inserted myself hypothetically, and it made me really sad.. It’s actually about a couple of people in my life where I think when you’re in something, it might be harder to see than it is when you’re outside of it. So yeah, I’m glad you like that song.
Here’s the video of Camila Cabello’s hit, “Never Be The
Same,” which was co-written by Sasha Alex Sloan.
DK: On your album. I like your song “Delusional Optimism.” It has a great title and it has a very imaginative lyric theme. Can you talk about writing that song?
Sloan: I was in L.A,, and I had that title. I was playing around with it and you know, not feeling great about the world and life and all that stuff. And I sat down and was like, “I think my only option is delusional optimism” (laughs). Then I was like, “Wait, there’s a song in this.” And it was actually fun to write that one, because I got to come up with all these examples in the verses like the line, “My dogs will live forever,” and things that are genuinely delusional that you wish weren’t. So yeah, that’s my good ol’ depression anthem.
DK: On your new album, besides the songs we’ve talked about, what are your favorite songs on your album?
Sloan: I think one of my favorites is “What It Isn’t.” That song hits me in a way that I hope doesn’t sound too narcissistic since it’s my own music. But as I always say in my marriage, I may not have learned what to do, but I know what not to do. And to me, that song is special in terms of, “Hey, I don’t know what the hell we’re doing, but I know that we’re not doing this, and that’s a good thing.” So that’s one of my faves, at least today. We’ll see if it changes.
DK: Next month, you’ll be starting a concert tour of seven cities and you’ll be playing The Troubadour in Los Angeles. Can you talk about your live show and upcoming tour?
Sloan: Touring is very hard for me mentally and physically, and that was part of why I wanted to pull back on the artist stuff, because it’s such a huge part of it. But I wanted to do a couple of intimate shows in smaller venues, where I could really connect with fans and play this new record as well as some of my older stuff. And I’m looking forward to playing The Troubadour, which I love. I first played there in 2019. It’s been a long time, but I am so excited to have these like special, intimate shows because it’s more fun for me as an artist to be able to see people and connect and talk. For these shows, I’m gonna play some of the new album, some of my old stuff, and it’ll be fun.
