Kat Harlton
Born in Montreal and now residing in the rolling, rural hills of Ontario, in the village of Warkworth, ON, Sacha and her identical twin sister were raised on country music and country living, surrounded by a family of musicians. As a result Sacha learned how to play the guitar and develop her own unique, home-grown sound from a young age. As a black female Canadian country artist, Sacha has always pushed towards equal representation for people of colour to be embraced in life and the music industry and hopes as her career and platform grows she is able to continue to advocate for people of colour.
After being crowned “The Next Country Music Star” at the 2016 Havelock Jamboree, her career continued to grow following the release of her single “Good Times Going” in 2018. Since then, Sacha has performed alongside incredible Canadian artists including Dean Brody, Brett Kissel, Jess Moskaluke, Madeline Merlo, The Abrahams, and Terri Clark and played key shows including Boots and Hearts, Havelock Jamboree, Sound of Music Festival, CMAO Stages, and the Canadian National Exhibition. Sacha was recently welcomed as a Radio Disney Country Artist, where Standards has been in rotation.
We had the opportunity to chat with Sacha about the inspiration behind her latest single, what the past year has been like, and what’s next.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your latest single “Standards”?
Sacha: I fell in love with Standards the moment I heard it. I knew it was the “one”. Everybody is hoping to find the “one”, and this song puts an emphasis on having standards, raising the bar so you don’t have to waste your valuable time and energy on those who are simply not making the cut!
Kat: What do you hope fans take from the track?
Sacha: My hopes are that they just dig the tune sonically, and it makes them want to play it on repeat! It also happens to have a different message in it than that of a typical heartbreak, it’s a message that could potentially help you avoid heartbreak detours if you choose not to settle and keep hold of your ground when it comes to your Standards.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Sacha: The most challenging part of my creative process was finding the right people to create with. I have written on my own for many years, and I finally have the right people saying yes to co-create and co-write with.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
Sacha: There has been a number of exciting highlights for me to reflect on such as having my first top 40 on radio, and top 50 on the Billboard Canadian Country Charts, to being announced one of CMT’s Next Women of Country class of 2021. These have all been a dream of mine, and I have learned that you have to stay true to your passion and vision for yourself and hold onto your hope of seeing your dreams through.
Kat: Last year was a breakout year for you as an artist as you exploded onto the country music scene, what has the past year been like for you?
Sacha: I have titled the past year as “The Year of A Million Dreams”… and counting! When the world was at a standstill, my world kept spinning and my dreams continued to come to life. I released an EP, a music video, won IHeart Radio Future Star, charted on radio, and became part of the CMT family. It all felt like one thing after another were all of the things I had worked hard for were finally paying off. I am just so thankful because it could have been a completely different outcome during these unprecedented times. I made a choice however, that I was going to see my dreams through, no matter what stands in my way.
Kat: What’s next?
Sacha: The music video for Standards is about to premiere which I am so excited about especially because my little 4lb yorkie is having his debut in it! I have been writing and working on putting out some new music for the summer!
For more on Sacha visit: http://iamsacha.com