Singer-songwriter Salasa has released her second album Golden Child, approximately 1 year and 8 months after her previous work Inner Ocean. With the theme of “living with a bluesy spirit,” Salasa once again explores raw emotions like sorrow and pain in this album. However, she extends beyond personal experiences, connecting with the vast, uncontrollable rhythms of nature—such as the sun, moon, stars, drifting clouds, and rain. At the same time, the album’s sound has expanded, blending urban, dry pop elements with her own artistic touch in the artwork. Together, these layers create the unique soundscape of Golden Child.
Salasa is known for her modern sensibility towards fashion and art, extending her vision into everything from stage design to merchandise. Her approach combines a producer’s meticulous attention to detail with a heightened sensitivity to the mystical and transcendent. How was this worldview shaped, and what led to the creation of this new album, especially after a period where she struggled to write songs? Salasa shares her journey.
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Shift in Songwriting Mindset Since First Album Inner Ocean
This is your second album, how was the experience of making it?
Salasa: Compared to my first album Inner Ocean, where I had no idea what I was doing, this time I worked with a healthy amount of pressure, in a good way. That said, it’s still only my second album, so there was a lot of trial and error involved.
In what areas did you feel you were exploring the most?
Salasa: For me, music feels very close to nature, like grasping at things that naturally well up from within me. So, there are times when I can’t create songs, as if it’s part of a cosmic flow beyond my control. Since it’s my job, I have to keep making music, so I was really focused on finding that balance and capturing the right feeling.
A singer-songwriter from Shonan, Salasa is not limited to music; she also works as a visual artist, apparel brand buyer, photographer, and hula dancer. Embracing a diverse and free-ranging career, she draws on her self-coined theme, “Live Bluesy,” inspired by the blues genre born from sorrow and depression, to transform negative emotions and experiences into her art.
The release of your previous album, Inner Ocean, was at the end of 2022, right?
Salasa: My feelings about songwriting have changed a lot since then. Initially, I loved singing and had a strong desire for everyone to see me performing on stage. Since covers don’t allow for that visibility, I started creating my own songs. I didn’t actually enjoy songwriting at all in the beginning.
The initial drive was to sing, and everything else followed.
Salasa: Yes, so I had this obsessive thought that I needed to learn to enjoy songwriting to stand on stage, but I also felt that approach wouldn’t sustain me. However, in 2024, suddenly, I started feeling really inspired. It seems like the past year was just a phase I needed to go through (laughs). I didn’t manage to write much in 2023, but perhaps that time was necessary. This year, I’ve started enjoying songwriting and genuinely wanting to create great music. So, this album is the result of a changed mindset toward songwriting.
