New single from Sasha Adrian (DK) spotlights the lasting effects of sexual assault, in a touchingly humorous and catchy storyline about a new relationship

Sasha Adrian reads the summary, before she watches the movie. That’s one of the habits her PTSD has caused since she was victim of sexual assault at 20 years old. Her new single IMDb (Celebration Records) is about protecting yourself - from a scene in a movie and from pain in real life. Through her characteristically catchy indie-pop melodies, Sasha Adrian elegantly weaves together a touching narrative of a new relationship and the aftershocks of the heavy trauma, both of which evoke the instinctive fear of losing control.

“Am I the only one who sees cold blooded killers in every dark street?” That's the striking opening line of a chorus that voices both the universal fear of getting hurt in a new relationship and the biting reality of living with PTSD, where almost anything can suddenly seem dangerous. The lyrics touch this feeling of insecurity with a liberating self-irony, that makes it hard not to smile, in spite of the gravity resting between the lines. But even as she half-jokingly sings “cold blooded killers”, she pointedly spotlights a time where violence against women, #metoo and the right to your own body is on the agenda. A time where too many still fall victim to violence - and, like her, are forced to learn to live with the lasting effects thereof.

In writing the song, humor has played an especially important role to Sasha Adrian: “It is not a song I’ve written for people to feel sorry for me. I’ve written IMDb because I know that I am not the only one who has experienced fear and violence. In a way it is not that different from fearing heartbreak, but contrary to the fear heartbreak, it is not a fear that we should tolerate, accept or expect”

“I’m done carrying my burden alone, safety is our joint responsibility as a society, and that’s why I wanted to share an insight into what it can feel like to live with fear.”

Sasha Adrian released her debut EP ‘Token’(Celebration Records) in october 2023, following two singles and a music video, to praise like “the singer-songwriter has a voice that melts the Arctic ice even faster and the guitar sound is rough as a Scandinavian landscape”(Telex, BELGIUM), ”Sasha Adrian has a talent for tugging at the heartstrings” (Grimy Goods, LA) og "It's a stark and bruising introduction to Sasha Adrian, yet one that lingers in the memory" (For The Rabbits, LONDON).

Already on ‘Token’ we are introduced to Sasha Adrian’s potent honesty, daring temper and her willingness to talk about that which we’d often rather bury. Her sound is characterized by a powerful contrast between distorted guitars and her bright honest vocals. With a dynamic range from whispered vulnerability and ‘don’t give a f***’-ferocity Sasha Adrian masters a songwriting both immersive and empowering. Influenced by the likes of Snail Mail, Phoebe Bridgers and Olivia Rodrigo, her sound echoes her generation’s need for giving voice to even the shyest of truths.