Sasha Siem

The 30th of April saw Sasha Siem take to Fitzrovia Chapel for an intimate debut of some of the material from her upcoming album Holey Wholly Holy. The venue, with it’s gold-adorned roof and awe-inspiring acoustic, provided the perfect setting for Siem’s dulcet tones and the powerful poeticism of her lyrics.

A celebrated musician, performer, and composer, Siem has studied at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions and written for some of the most renowned collectives. It was shortly after studying poetry and music at Cambridge and Harvard, that Siem began to write for, amongst others, the London Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Opera House, Rambert Dance Company and The London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Siem’s performance at the Fitzrovia Chapel gave her the opportunity to add yet another string to her bow and prove that she is every bit as talented as a performer as she is a composer.

Starting with Eve Eyed, Siem quickly earnt the audiences’ attention. Her mesmeric performance style and intense vocal tone quickly showed us the kind of artist that Siem is. Next came the album’s title track, a powerful single that encouraged us to look past our own gender, race, and religious experiences to create a more inclusive and empathetic social environment.

Siem continued her performance with the gently beautiful ‘When She Calls Us’, the commanding ‘Fearlessly Fearless’ (which is every bit as empowering as the title suggests), Come as The Sun, and the warrior-esque ‘Members of The Dawn’, before ending with an enthralling cover of Elton John’s ‘Your Song’.

The set list demonstrated just how talented Siem is as an artist without overwhelming us - we left wanting (and hoping) for more. Artists with the performance ability and song writing talents of Siem don’t come along very often, and so if you can see her live then we highly suggest that you do.