Interview: Modern Mona Lisa With Dasie
Interview by Lindsey V. Britt / Photos by Siren Studio TN
From creating the petty pop genre to co-hosting More Than A Muse, Sadie Anderson, AKA Dasie, has been working on her upcoming EP, which includes her songs “Modern Mona Lisa” and “HYSTERIA.”
Your new song “Modern Mona Lisa” just came out, tell us a little bit about writing that song?
That song is all about being confident and hot. I guess like the funny thing maybe about that is it was inspired by not feeling that way. I feel like I had gone into a lot of writing sessions and I had written a lot of sad songs, or feeling really sad. And so I walked into a writing session and I was just like “You guys, I’m so tired of being sad, I’m so tired of feeling insecure, can we please write something that’s fun that is going to make me feel confident and make anyone feel confident and just about being hot?” So, they were really excited about that, because they were like “Oh same,” we’ve just been writing sad songs lately. I had this title in my phone “Modern Mona Lisa” that I was like that could be a really fun song to write about being hot. And I told them that title and they were really excited about it. We wrote that song that day and created a demo, and this was back in September of 2023. So it was a little while ago and it was so much fun. I feel like when we finished writing that, I had been in a creative rut for a really long time. But then when we wrote that one, I just feel like I was like “Yup this is the vibe I wanna do, this is the kind of music I want to make.”
You also recently released your song “HYSTERIA”, what’s the story behind that song?
That one has kind of a different background. I wrote that one last December, so it was after “Modern Mona Lisa,” I actually am involved in a podcast that I am a co-host of called More Than A Muse, and on that podcast, we talk a lot about women’s history and women artists that have been forgotten. And we did an episode all about the concept of hysteria, which is essentially like a made up medical thing that they would diagnose women with in the 20th century. And a lot of times that was in replacement of actual ailments that could’ve been treated but they’re just like she has hysteria, let’s go lock her away kind of thing. When I learned about that I didn’t really know just how deep that history ran and how real that was. So when I learned about that I thought it would be really cool to take that title and kind of reclaim that in a song, and so I wanted to write “HYSTERIA.” And, I actually wrote it with the same people that I wrote “Modern Mona Lisa” with which is really fun. And they’re incredible people to work with. I brought the word hysteria to them and brought that background to them and just thought it’ll be a really fun thing to reclaim as like a way of owning your life and being proud of yourself, even if other people are not agreeing with what you are doing or whatever. So that’s what that was inspired by.
With all your recent releases is there an EP or LP in the works?
Yes, there is an EP that I hopefully will be coming out with at the end of this year. I’m still figuring out the date, I just have one more song that I’m finishing up still. But, there’ll be a four track EP, and “Modern Mona Lisa” is actually the title track for it, so that’s fun. I released the title track pretty early though just because I felt like it was a song that needed to come out in summertime, I’m excited about that though.
I’ve been a fan of yours for a while and I love your Drama EP. Has creating music changed for you at all since creating that project?
That’s a really good question. I think that was something I kind of struggled with, because when I started working on that EP, I had a very sad story that I wanted to tell from a chapter in my life that had happened years previously. And I feel like once I released that music I like officially closed that chapter of my life, like I don’t have any desire to revisit that ever again. So, I was kind of struggling for a little while of what Dasie would be, what kind of music I wanted to make, and I felt like I was writing in different genres, even more folk and acoustic stuff. I was just kind of struggling I think a little bit. When I wrote the song “Modern Mona Lisa,” I think it really clicked for me of like I really love pop music. And I really just love making songs that are joyful and make people feel confident. Writing “Modern Mona Lisa” really was a very solidifying thing because I was able to do that, and then another fun thing too is I recently moved to Nashville. And so I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate and meet so many amazing songwriters and producers, so I think that’s just made me a better writer. And I think made my songs even better in the last couple of years. A lot has changed honestly, because before I was recording all the vocals in my basement and sending out everything to producers that they were doing. And now I’m a lot more involved in the production in the room and I’m recording the vocals with them. It’s super different but it’s super fun.
What is your songwriting process like?
I like collaborating with other people, just because I think it can just help the song be the best that it can be. With each song that is coming out for the EP, there’s one other person that I co-wrote it with, and then there is a producer that helped as well. Each idea is something that I brought to the session. Like, I had all these titles in my phone, or like a couple of lines added. Like with “Hysteria,” I didn’t really have anything but I knew the concept and we were able to flush it out together. I really like conceptualizing things and sometimes it’s just fun to have one more person in there to help me kind of polish and make it the best.
Since you’ve moved from Salt Lake City to Nashville, what has it been like now living in such a big music city?
It’s been really fun. Like I said, I’ve met so many cool songwriters and producers. I love where I’m from, I love my home, but I think they’re just so many more people out here that are making music. And so to have the ability to connect with them and see them in person is really cool. And you know it just helps my music and everything I’m doing get better and better. It’s been very fun, it’s been cool to be here.
I’ve heard Salt Lake City is now trying to become a new music hot spot. How do you think it’s going being from there?
I think good, I mean I know so many amazing musicians that are in the Utah area and Salt Lake City area and like in the area where I went to college, I think it’s really cool. You know, you don’t have to necessarily go to a music city like Nashville, L.A., or New York or anything to make music, I think there’s so many local music scenes that are incredible. So, I think they’re doing an amazing job, I love to see what my friends are doing, and I know there are people there that are really passionate about making that local music scene, I think it’s awesome.
You covered Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero.” What led you to record it and make it a (Sad Girl Version)?
Well, I actually just recorded it as almost like an exercise one night I rewrote the bridge to kind of make it something a little bit more personal to me. Because you know she sings about being a millionaire with leaving all her future children’s money, and I don’t have that yet or maybe ever. So, I rewrote the bridge, and I posted it on social media, and it got a lot of really positive feedback. And so when that happened, I figured it could just be a fun thing to put out. That’s when I think I was still a little bit unsure what Dasie was going to be and what music I wanted to release. But I knew I wanted to put out something. And when that rewrite got a lot of feedback that was really good, I just kind of used it as like a good creative thing for me to do, and put out the “Anti-Hero (Sad Girl Version).”
Now I have to ask, which Taylor Swift era is your favorite?
Oh my gosh, I’m a Reputation girl always and forever. My top three favorite albums are Reputation, Red, and folklore. I don’t really know the order, but like I think as a whole my favorite era is Reputation for sure.
Are there any artists you would love to go on tour with?
There’s so many I would love to, like Maisie Peters I think would be cool, I love her so much. I’ve been obsessed with Chappell Roan of course. I mean obviously there’s the big artists like Taylor Swift that I’ve always obsessed with, and Kacey Musgraves is another one that I love. I mean she’s country and I don’t know if necessary there is an overlap but I do love her, so yeah those are some artists that I’ve just been loving lately.
Since you’re known for petty pop, are there any movie or tv characters that come to mind who you think relate to the petty pop genre?
That’s such a fun question. I feel like Elle Woods from Legally Blonde; I feel like she’s the kind of person who full-on went and got into Harvard to try and get her boyfriend back, and then ended up being a better lawyer than him. I feel like her whole arch is giving very petty pop actually, and I think Elle Woods is my favorite fictional character. Of course, Sharpay Evans is my muse, and Hannah Montana. I definitely grew up loving Disney Channel, High School Musical, Hannah Montana, all of that, so I’ve definitely used Sharpay Evans as a muse, cause she was so confident, she didn’t care. She was a little mean sometimes, she did little things that were uncalled for, like she was the villain at some moments. But I think going back and watching these movies now it’s like you know what, that girl just cared about her theater department and she was doing the best she could, and the outfits were always serving. You know we love Sharpay.
Finally, do you have a recommendation? this can be anything from a TV show, place, store, food, literally anything you want.
I don’t know if you’ve ever heard about the Utah Soda Shops, basically it’s kind of a thing Utah is known for where you can go and order things and they mix things together. I’m planning on starting to make some TikToks about my go to soda shop orders. But if you get a diet coke or a coke zero and you put a little bit of coconut creamer in it, like what you would put in a coffee, and then squeeze some fresh lime into it, it’s delicious. So that would be my recommendation of the best way to enjoy a diet coke.
You can stream “Modern Mona Lisa” and “Hysteria” now on your favorite music streaming platform, and be on the lookout for her upcoming EP.
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