A Quick Chat with Yasmina Sadiki
You're playing the main stage at the Enmore Theatre this Sunday for King Street Crawl alongside some massive names. How does it feel to hit such a huge hometown milestone?
It’s so awesome to finally play one of my bucket list venues. Enmore Theatre is also so close to me, I am always in the vicinity of it, except now my name is on one of their posters. I might just get the 428 bus up for the gig! But honestly, it feels so rewarding as an ‘underground’ artist to be put up on a pedestal by this community and my peers. The first time I saw a show at Enmore Theatre I was around 7 or 8 years old watching Katy Perry with my aunty. Feels pretty full circle.
As if the Enmore wasn't enough, you've also just been announced for Strawberry Fields alongside icons like Honey Dijon and Gilles Peterson. How are you prepping the live show for these massive festival stages?
I am so thrilled to be on the bill with Honey Dijon and Giles Peterson for Strawberry Fields. Every milestone with global acts like this feels very exciting. I love having the opportunity to perform on bigger stages. Otherwise my music would only live in the walls of my own bedroom or River’s bedroom where we often squeeze in to rehearse. It’s still new to me finding my feet in these larger spaces but I think this is why right now is the most exciting time for us as a band. You never know how it’s gonna go down, but you trust the music, and you trust yourself.
Looking back a bit, you recently supported Alfa Mist at the Sydney Opera House and you're heading to the UK for We Out Here Festival and an APRA SongHubs residency—plus you've got that incredible SXSW set with Jazz re:freshed under your belt. Your sound pulls heavily from that rising British soul wave, but do you think you'll also be taking a part of your Inner West sonic DNA over there with you?
Sydney comes with me everywhere I go. I wouldn't be who I am without this place, but more importantly I wouldn't be the performer I am. I think Sydney’s music scene sometimes gets a bad rep, and trust me I get it. As a city there is a lot more we can do to support the talent that we have here. But on a personal level, Sydney allowed me to find my feet in music while I was still navigating it. I will forever be grateful that this city gave me a platform before I even knew what I was actually doing. I am excited to take what I have learned with me overseas and expand on it, I still have a lot to learn. The greatest thing about music is that it’s a big long journey.
Your debut single "Craving" got a beautiful reception, and you have your second single "Keep You" dropping soon. We hear it’s an electro-soul hybrid that flips from underground club elements into a live band sound. How does this new track take shape compared to "Craving," and what can listeners expect in comparison? Does that kind of genre experimentation and sonic juxtaposition shift the way you tell your stories?
Alternating between sounds or genres allows me to express different emotions and enhance the storytelling. Craving, which is mostly just with my live band, feels very real and close to the listener. Keep You has more to say. It is filled with conflicting emotions, questioning, and confusion. This is brought to life with dreamy, airy electronic elements that then turn into something visceral and guttural. The first part of Keep You feels more youthful, with an undercurrent of pain. But in the second section that pain becomes power.
What can fans expect from your set this Sunday at the Enmore, and what’s the best way for people to stay locked into your universe as you head overseas?
People can expect a set that will take them through a journey of emotions and sounds. And of course they will get to hear some of the songs off my upcoming EP which comes out August 14th. While I am overseas people can keep up with all of our shenanigans on all the socials!
