Asha Jefferies' 'Stranger' Arrives Ahead Of Her Debut 'Ego Ride'

Brisbane, Australia based indie-pop riser Asha Jefferies shares "Stranger," which premiered today on Under The Radar. This is the final single to release ahead of her debut album, Ego Ride, due April 12th. Asha is currently here in the US, set to play a special School Night for Reproductive Rights on 3/11, six shows at SXSW, and a headline showcase in NYC. Presave Ego Ride HERE.

Of the track, Asha says, "Stranger opens up the album channeling a built up question - how are you to know and share yourself with someone if you're never being given the space to explore or question it? The song speaks to being lost and trapped inside of a relationship and tackles themes around codependency, identity, voice and desire for freedom."

Ego Ride is a story of growth and opening. A collection of songs that embody joy, heartbreak, playfulness, tenderness, light, grief, loss and most importantly change. It is not a break up album, it is an album about what happens from a break up. It's a story of identity revelations and breakthroughs, sparked by heartbreak. It is a story about leaving toxic trapped partnerships, leaping open armed into community and friendships and the discovery of the queer self.

Of the record, Jefferies says, "It is a story written and dedicated to my younger self, that the meter of your world will keep on running and there is hope to be had. These songs have a fundamentally ‘together' feeling made possible by the collaboration between my band and Sam Cromack (producer and engineer of the album; of Ball Park Music). All songs were recorded live together in one room and the sound of the album shapeshifts from indie pop to piano ballad to psychedelic indie rock to folktronica."

With such a wide range of influence and comparison, Jefferies' songs are euphoric in more ways than one, coming from the most vulnerable depths of a young woman learning to express her queerness. Written in a time of tremendous change, discovery and exploration, Asha notes the impact of acts including Angel Olsen, Big Thief, The Beatles, Lucy Dacus, Father John Misty and Radiohead. 

Her 2021 debut EP The Pinnacle introduced her as an artist with limitless potential, with its follow up single "Tank Tops" also being added to full rotation on triple j, becoming a local queer anthem and one of 2022's most celebrated local tracks.

To date, Asha Jefferies has played notable Australian festival slots at BIGSOUND, Icebreaker Festival, Against The Grain, Bluesfest, Woodford Folk and Mullum Music Festivals. Asha has won a Queensland Music Award, triple j Unearthed's NIDA Competition and has been a finalist for both the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition and the International Songwriting Competition (ISC).

Asha Jefferies' new single "Brand New Bitch" is out now via Nettwerk. Her debut album Ego Ride is set for release on April 12, with more exciting live news to come this spring. 

Photo by Jax Oliver

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