Singer-songwriter Asha Jefferies has entered a new chapter with the release of her sophomore album, Desire Is An Angel. Following her 2024 debut Ego Ride, the new record sees Asha embrace a bigger, pop-driven sound while exploring the complexities of desire, resistance and self-discovery. We caught up with Asha to chat about the inspiration behind the album, her creative evolution, musical influences and bringing these deeply personal songs to the stage.
Futuremag: Congratulations on the album! It’s been out for a couple of weeks now. How are you feeling, and what has the reaction been like?
Asha Jefferies: It’s been really good. It feels like a whole new chapter where these songs aren’t just mine anymore. It’s been really lovely, and a very beautiful, overwhelming time.
Futuremag: I love the album title, Desire Is An Angel. Tell me a bit about that and what the album explores for you personally.
Asha Jefferies: I guess I came to the conclusion that desire is an angel. Desire is this force that lives within us, and whether or not we like it, we kind of have to listen to it. The album explores my resistance towards listening to my desires, and I think throughout it, I come to a place of acceptance around desire and the really beautiful effect it has on our lives.
Futuremag: What’s interesting is that the title is split across two tracks, ‘Desire Is’ and ‘An Angel’. What was behind that decision, rather than having it as one complete track?
Asha Jefferies: It was originally one song, and I felt like I wanted a split in the middle of it. It went through lots of different stages, and I actually had a whole different alternative version with a different person speaking on it. It was a cut from a podcast about desire and how we have to trace back our desire.
It went through a lot of different processes, but I think I just really liked the idea of splitting it into two and having those two separate moments.
Futuremag: There’s also the idea that desire isn’t always just about getting what you want, but exploring what you want and why. Was there a particular song on the album that helped you realise or connect with that?
Asha Jefferies: All of them, in a way, are an expression of desire in different forms, whether we can celebrate it or hold resistance around it.
There’s a song called ‘Art of Suggestion’, which is me getting way too excited and imaginative about the possibilities of someone, even when you don’t really know them that well or even know if they like you back. I think there are lots of different ways of playing with desire in this space where it opens up hope and possibility, and that can bring us into the lives that we want to live.
Futuremag: It’s been two years since you released Ego Ride. Was there anything this time around that you wanted to push further or approach differently? The two records are quite different, in really good ways.
Asha Jefferies: I really wanted to create something that was big, and I got really obsessed with pop music. I think Ego Ride is quite rocky and guitar-based, whereas for this album I was working off my laptop a lot of the time and working on my own. It was an inverted process, so I wanted it to have that sense of being on my own but also be loud and poppy.
Futuremag: You mentioned getting right into pop. Were there any particular artists or albums you found yourself turning to or revisiting during the process?
Asha Jefferies: I was deeply affected by The Japanese House’s most recent album. She’s an English producer and songwriter, and she’s awesome! I also loved Troye Sivan’s album from a couple of years ago.
These pop albums had this mixture of sadness but also sensuality and sexiness to them. I really liked that combination.
Futuremag: You’re taking the album on the road. How do you hope these quite intimate and personal songs translate into a live setting?
Asha Jefferies: I feel like my favourite shows to play are the really intimate ones. At the moment, as I’m getting ready for these shows, my process is about making sure I can balance the high-energy songs with the more intimate ones. I’m really excited to just play them for people on a stage really, really soon.
Futuremag: The tour kicks off in Brisbane. Does starting in your hometown bring a sense of comfort, or is there a little more pressure?
Asha Jefferies: No, I feel like it’s going to be the best gift of all! I love starting a tour in Brisbane because it just feels like home.
Futuremag: You wrote this album overseas, too. How did being away from home influence your songwriting and the creative process?
Asha Jefferies: It’s hard to know specifically what about writing away from home changed my songwriting. But I think being in Brisbane and feeling so at home, with that sense of belonging, was something that wasn’t really there with this album.
I think that played a big part in the songwriting. When you’re in a new space and an unfamiliar area, different things come up, which is probably why I was writing about desire.
Futuremag: Lastly, if Ego Ride was an introduction to who you are as an artist, what’s the main thing you hope people take away from Desire Is An Angel?
Asha Jefferies: That’s a really great question. I hope people take away that desire is an angel. That’s one of them! I also hope people take away that you can experience and feel a combination of different feelings all at once, and they’re neither good nor bad, but just a part of life.
Futuremag: And for anyone who loves the album and wants to continue supporting you after the tour, what’s the best way to do that?
Asha Jefferies: They can buy the album on vinyl and CD, buy a T-shirt, and also purchase the album digitally on Bandcamp.
