NASHVILLE, Tennessee- One thing I have learned while writing my blog is that there is a lot more to Canadian country music than Shania Twain. The Canadians love their country music and have given us Tenille Arts and Tenille Towns, Lindsey Ell, Terri Clark, Brett Kissel, Manny Blu, Kimberly Dawn, Tebey, and country rocker, Cory Marks to name a few.
Therefore, When I heard Sacha sing at a writers’ round recently, I was not a bit surprised to find out that she was from Ontario, Canada. Now living in Nashville, I met up with her at CMT’s Next Women of Country and scheduled an interview.
Sacha comes from a musical family. She grew up in a small town near Ontario, and her parents were in a band.
“Music was always present. There were a lot of rehearsals, and instruments all over the home. It was a way of life,” she said.
Sacha continued, “When I was a kid, I would always be singing and dancing, pretending that I was performing. It was only natural when all that is around you, it is something that you take on. I always wanted to sing.”
Still, she wasn’t sure that being a singer/songwriter was something she could/should choose for a career. Regardless of one’s talent, with the onset of music streaming where one can get free or mostly free music, parents often discourage their kids from getting into music as a career because there is no money in it. For those who do pursue it, it’s about more than money, it’s often a part of their soul.
After high school, she worked for a while, but when the job ended, she felt it was the perfect time to jump all in and move to Nashville. She thought, “If it’s not now, it’s never.” She started writing songs and making her own path.
She cited Taylor Swift as being one of her biggest musical influences.
“When she came on the scene, I was so drawn to her music. She was this young woman in Nashville, playing a guitar, singing, and writing her own music. I’d watch her documentaries. Then I would do what she did. I went up and down Music Row and introduced myself. I emailed venues and knocked on doors,” she said.
Though singing for all of her life, when Sacha gave her music aspirations a go for real, one of the first songs that got traction was a song called “Standards” With lyrics like I don’t know what you heard/ but that bubble ‘bout to get burst/ because I’ve got standards she gives fair warning to any potential suitors.
From her, We Did EP, one of the most powerful songs she has released is about a girl’s journey to confidence, “Pretty Please.” She told CMT about the video, “This would be the first time I had to fight back tears on a set. I couldn’t help but get choked up every time I saw the girl who epitomized the ‘younger Sacha’ and how impacted I was by the choreography and narration of the song and its message through the art of dance.”
And even while Sacha often sings songs pitched to her, being a songwriter too, the message is very important to her. She can and does sing a variety of styles, song lyrics are what initially steered her to county radio.
Sacha shows her country-side with her singles “Call It Country,” “If I Wanted Wine,” and her smash hit with country duo The Reklaws, “What the Truck,” a song they co-wrote during the peak of the COVID pandemic. The feet up, windows down tune was the perfect summer song for coming out of one of the most devasting periods to date in the 21st century.
Her latest single with Tyler Shaw, “Confident” is pop, but like her country tunes, the lyrics are what drive the song. With lyrics like Confident that things aren’t going just as I planned/ Confident that I still don’t know just who I am/ Confident to say at least I’m trying my best/Confident to know that I ain’t confident yet, the pair admit to their shortcomings in the heartfelt, honest song.
Besides being named to CMT’s Next Women of Country class of 2021, in 2022, Sacha won SiriusXM’s Top Of The Country contest, an award given to Canada’s Next County Music Star.
“It was one of my biggest dreams coming true,” she told ET’s Canada. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude.”
Being from the western side of Canada as opposed to the more densely populated areas like Quebec and Toronto, Sacha told me, “You’ve got to get out west, Calgary, Alberto, we have a huge landscape, and country (music) is foundational.”
The tall, lithe beauty looks like a model and has an identical twin sister who is a model in Australia. However, thankfully, Sacha chose the musical route, and we are blessed to have one with such an unassuming, but beautiful voice and spirit to be a part of our country music family in Canada and Nashville. Keep Sacha on your radar.
You can follow Sacha on her website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and all streaming platforms.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and Twitter.
