Sasha Prendes shakes things up with her new single and video Shake This — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
With the release of her electrifying new single, the Cuban-American pop singer announces her arrival with an instant pop hit that will make you want to shake off the mundane and embrace the vibrant spirit of her intoxicating performance. Written and produced by the renown industry veteran Darrell (D.) Lawrence, of AJA Live Inc., Shake This channels Sasha’s fresh and witty approach to self-respect and commitment with an expertly orchestrated fusion of sounds, seamlessly blending Latin influences with contemporary pop elements. Lawrence’s production prowess provides the perfect foundation for Sasha’s smooth, yet dynamic vocals and magnetic stage presence, creating a truly irresistible musical experience that will wake you up from whatever is dragging you down.
“Shake This is literally the story of an out-loud declaration made in the bathroom mirror after a (not-so-mutually-agreed-upon) separation from a long-term love,” Sasha reveals. “Once all the smoke had cleared after a very nasty argument, regret and immediate depression set in, making it difficult to work, eat, and even breathe. Thoughts of how to do away with and even plan one’s own demise had set it. Every time one’s own reflection was seen, it was hated.
“Then one day, while about to do the regular early morning grooming rituals, the words ‘you have to shake this’ just came out,” she adds. “All the reasons of why life is still vibrant, no matter how far down the sadness hole one gets, came rushing back to mind. Family, friends, great times, and the music that reminds one of all of it flooded the consciousness. I began to write down exactly what I thought on random bits of pieces of scrap papers and receipts from local grocery stores.”
Growing up in one of the only Cuban families in Kansas, Sasha taught herself to sing before she could speak, using all-American Disney tapes and PBS’s Barney the Dinosaur. But she was destined to make cultures interact. “I’m one of my only first cousins to speak Spanish, they lost that language,” Sasha recalls. “But I was lucky to be raised by my parents and grandparents who kept the culture alive. It was a fun house, with parties where they would smoke cigars and play dominoes. I was always singing, dancing, choreographing, dressing up in costumes — I was the ringleader of all us cousins’ madness.”
Spotting Sasha’s talent at a young age, her parents got her music and dance training; but the young artist had challenges to overcome that left her shy, especially under the Internet’s scrutiny. Her father was a martial arts pro, and Sasha followed in his footsteps for a time, ultimately winning gold at the AAU National Black championship in Fort Lauderdale when she was 14 years old. “But every time I veered away from music in some way, it always pulled me back like my Northern Star,” she says. “I am so blessed and grateful that I did follow that star.”
Introduced to veteran writer/producer/impresario Darrell Lawrence by a mutual friend, each recognized their musical match, and they soon found that they shared a classic artist/writer connection. “We communicate telepathically,” laughs Sasha. “He’ll play me a song and I’m, like, how did you know that just happened to me?” Darrell agrees, “As we found out more about each other, I was able to interpret a lot of what she felt instantly. Everything was infused with her personality.”
Sasha’s previous material confronted the rough realities of her youth, in an array of styles, as if she was trying on genres like hats, to see what fit. But for this project, she had no problem temporarily handing over the songwriting reins to D. “Moving to New York and making this music with Darrell was a maturing process for me,” she reflects. “I learned you can have lyrics that are fun and yet have a deeper meaning, so you are crying and dancing at the same time. Now, THAT is cool. So many songs have got me through the craziest times of my life, and I want to be there like that, for everyone, in a positive way.”
Injected throughout with irresistible musical changes, Sasha’s new material is inspired by her own emotional experiences about learning — sometimes painfully — to insist on honesty and respect in relationships; about avoiding toxic relationships and getting that grown-up love groove on. The vibrant singer sashays through sensually swinging dance tracks, with her trademark intelligence, humor, and class. Teased by her tender, slightly husky phrasing, Sasha is joined on Shake This by the Argentinian rapper Sadier the Sensation, in a melodic pan-Latin embrace of the Jersey-born, Kansas-raised singer’s Cuban roots. “Now I love blending Spanish and English together in songs,” Sasha adds, “because both languages embody who I am as a person and an artist.”
Shake This is the first taste of a bold slate of new material that Sasha will be releasing throughout 2023, a collection of future anthems just waiting to make their debut. Check out Shake This above, sample more from Sasha Prendes below, and find her on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
