The Metamorphosis Of Sasha Spielberg

Sasha Spielberg, also known as Buzzy Lee is releasing her new album Internal Affairs today, March 31^st, 2023. She’s been through a number of transitions over the past three years as the pandemic came and went affecting relationships, the prism through which she views life all building to her returning to performance and new recorded music.

Spielberg just
just
released the music video When Can I from her new album:

I spoke with Spielberg in advance of the album release. She’s charming, complex, and well aware of how difficult it is to make progress in the music industry, familial connections notwithstanding.

At present she has two live dates on schedule: May 31, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA and June 21, 2023 at Public Records in Brooklyn, NY. Tickets are currently on sale for both shows.

Spielberg loves to play live. She took three players (bass, synth, and drums) with her when she went out in support of Haim. That same four-piece group will play the upcoming Los Angeles show. The Brooklyn show will be Spielberg solo with a keyboard. As she’s evolved as an artist, she’s gained comfort in speaking to the crowd rather than simply singing her songs. Some artists never gain that confidence, but it is something which can allow an artist to build stronger ties to those who come to watch the performance.

All performing artists have personas they wear in public space. What’s fun is to get around and behind the default and find their core characteristics. Spielberg spent much of the pandemic years at home, with a side hustle of painting dog portraits. She shares many of those paintings on Twitter, where they are lifelike enough presumably they would chase Twitter’s blue bird if set free.

Spielberg is a big name. There is a certain disadvantage to finding your place in the entertainment ecosystem when there are others in your family who precede you. However, Buzzy Lee aside, Spielberg is managing. And, she is not afraid to partner with others who have accomplished a higher presence in the public eye, such as when she podcasts with Alana Haim.

Internal Affairs is an album which Spielberg sees as a Part 2 to her album Spoiled Love from 2022. Those songs were about a mercurial romantic partnership which swung from highs to lows. The songs themselves cover the period from 2017 through their breakup. Spielberg sees herself as a storyteller, reflecting maturely on that time in her life.

Her producer Nicolas Jaar suggested she reign in the emotional volatility and tell the story from the distance of time, removing the angst and simply setting out how the relationship evolved from a more distant perspective.

The funny thing about heartbreak is it clears the path for where you’re supposed to go. After traveling the emotional peaks and valleys of a relationship which whipsawed emotion, Spielberg wound up with the love of her life, married to Harry McNally on May 20, 2022.

Spielberg writes daily, sitting at her keyboard for an hour or more daily. That’s her process. She grinds it out. It starts with mid-tempo on the drum machine while she looks for chords on the synth. Lyrics follow the melody. She finds lyrics from the subconscious after creating the underlying sound.

The new album, Internal Affairs seems to blend Emo, Pop and EDM influences. In this album the songs are what is important rather than the sequence in which they are played. The central thesis of the album contains heartbreak, as it predates her current relationship with her husband. The next one will be more about the current marriage although that requires a theme shift away from drama and toward the positive experience of a successful pairing leading to the contentment of marriage.

Spielberg is an engaging conversationalist who is open and emotive. She’s a storyteller, not surprising given the family in which she was raised. Families who tell stories, tell stories. Those who simply consume stories from television or Instagram are more likely to be reserved.

My favorite part of the conversation we shared was watching Spielberg’s face twist and contort as we discussed the process of maintaining social media ties. It is no substitute for live connection in performance, but it is the pivot point of relationship maintenance. Social media inspires self-doubt and criticism. After talking through this for a few minutes, it was clear that Spielberg is authentic in how she presents herself in music, in performance and through her social channels.

The business of creating music and performing live is one of the most challenging. Competition is endless and tastes churn quickly. The key to success is a blend of talent, drive and the ability to connect with strangers through sound, lyrics and presence. Sasha Spielberg has the talent and personality to build an audience and hold their attention. From there, she’s entered one of life’s great lotteries. There is a certain randomness to whether an album edges into the consciousness of the populace, or simply exists in small quarters. We should all pay attention to Internal Affairs, and Spielberg’s upcoming live performances. She’s on the cusp. Her talent should carry her through. But, this could be a Buzzy ride.