Meet Sasha Prendes | Rockstar

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sasha Prendes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sasha, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Outsiders are unaware of how much effort and determination you need to record one song. Especially your FIRST SONG EVER. “How on earth am I going to become a rockstar?” I would say to myself at age 10. My family is from Cuba (wild escape stories btw) and growing up in Kansas, we had no idea where to even begin. My parents were not versed in the music industry and I knew no one in the game. From writing songs on my bedroom floor to trying to find SOMEONE who knew what they were doing so we could actually record SOMETHING. It took me years to get ONE song done and feel confident about releasing it. Thank God for Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube because they allowed independent artist to upload their own music without a record deal. To actually being signed by a label felt like a 1 in a 100 million chance.

So after meeting producer after producer (who were really only men), I, young Sasha would pull up solo and trust my instincts while praying for protection all with the relentlessness of just wanting to make my music. Not only can it be dangerous (sorry dad), it is also insanely expensive. Music is limitless. Creating one song can cost any amount of money. When you’re a single cat mom at 23 and you have no idea how to make an LLC, create your own contracts, protect your lyrics (and yourself) it is easy to be taken advantage of. I’ve been scammed, had my music held hostage for thousands in extortion, videographers who take my money but refuse to send me my footage, even finding a music lawyer because some kid who makes “music videos” on IG who perhaps has talent but is clearly not serious about their craft just ripped me off. Cool dude. Thanks for the lessons but people like that are the reason everyone talks sh*t about the music industry. In order to survive it, you have to constantly dodge bullsh*t. Sometimes you fall but it’s it was a learning experience. I’m grateful for those. Could have done with out a few but by the grace of God, I managed to release my first single “Brooklyn” in 2019! We artists make this look easy. Ya’ll never see the roadblocks + land mines we walk through just to say “Hey guys, I dropped a new song! Download it now!” *insert sexy album art here* lol. To have no one listen to the one thing you have put your whole bleeding heart into because you don’t have a million followers. Seems bleak, I know.
There have been some mega uncomfortable interactions from producers with bad intentions but once you establish firmly ‘I’m here to WORK!’ some get it and those that don’t you must walk away from.
There is terrible stereotype about artists such as “we are always late”, “we are incompetent in business”, and always flakey. Unfortunately, this can be entirely true if you’re not doing the work it takes to accomplish a dream that fuels your entire existance (no biggie). I’m out here looking for my OVO 40 to my Drake. I want a business partner, a confidant (as all my songs are about real people + real sh*t) and someone who wants to grow WITH me.

After over 20 years of looking for this person, I finally found James Oliver!! James, a mega talented New Orleans native, came into my life by accident (obviously, the universe wanted this to happen!) and now IS the Noah to my Drake. I’ve never felt safer. It’s so hard finding people you can trust in this game. You have to want it with all of your being because if you don’t it will eat you alive. But that’s with any business. If your dreams don’t IGNITE you then you should change your dreams. Ya’ll have no idea what it took for me to be able to call myself an artist. It’s slightly like sadomasochism, in the sense of the constant exchange of pain and pleasure. The pain can make you lose your mind and it’s the small wins that keep us going. You need something to write about, ya?

In conclusion, outsiders are unaware of just how much it takes for an artist to make music on a budget sound expensive.
So if an artist asks you to listen to their new song, give it a chance. You may stumble on star.

I invite you to listen to my latest singles “Losing My Mind” + “UNDERSTANDABLY” produced by James Oliver and are available on all streaming platforms.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was literally a first generation Cuban American girl in the Midwest with no clue how to do any of this but somehow I paved my own path. I want to be remembered as a woman who was unapologetically herself. Yes, you can have it all (love, family, laughter, comfortability), you can be a savage, be a bad b*tch. You can acquire what you want through handwork, belief, kindness, and going into absolute overdrive for your passion. Life is too short to be anything but yourself. This I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude taste good & I’m grateful I have been developing this confidence as that is exactly what I will need to handle the world watching me. All artists need to be heard. We have a story to tell and I’m sure you have been through it too and it may just be the song that changes your life. We all have a song that changed our life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Any place I can wear a gown is usually where I start. My obsession other than my cats include literal pageant gowns. Childhood spent watching Disney, can’t you tell? We love restaurants such as Emilio’s Ballato, Hancock St, But I also love a more casual vibe at Irish bars like McSorrleys and Jackdaw. Zazzy’s Pizza is the bomb. Ah! We have some exciting hospitality news- My man John O’Connor is opening a refined cocktail lounge called “Two Smoking Barrels” in Soho, August 2022! (You know I gotta plug bae lol) I will be performing there as well! John’s dreams are coming true and it’s incredible to witness. We would love to have y’all!

Other favorite spots include:
I Love the of the top of the standard (gorgeous all gold elegant bar), Le Bain Rooftop is my favorite for day drinking, love Employees Only on a weekday, butterfly is lit, Nebula is amazing for a big night out, catch live shows as there are tons of cool venues all over the city. Highly recommend getting stoned and then going for dumplings in the east village 10 out of 10. My favorite is just getting lost and finding things, places, people, moments, and who knows what else you will find.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A few incredible humans have shout outs for. I’ll begin with my parents! Even though y’all had no idea how to help me, you laid a strong foundation that has anchored me throughout my life and continues to lead me to success. I love ya’ll!

To my twin flame, John O’Connor, who is relentless in all things including loving me + believing in my dreams. I love you John! To my incredible producer + friend, James Oliver, for being such a genuine human and blessing me with your talented-ness. Love you dude.

Website: www.sashaprendes.com

Instagram: @sashaprendes

Twitter: @sashaprendes

Facebook: @iamsashaprendes

Youtube: www.youtube.com/sashaprendes

Other: Pinterest @SashaPrendes

Image Credits
Paul Warren, Luka Funduck