Salt Ashes, AKA Veiga Sanchez, has unveiled ’10+2,’ a moving tribute to her father. As her most raw and intimate single to date, she steps away from her electronic roots and delves into an intimate acoustic sound that beautifully captures the depth of her love and grief. We caught up with the artist and discussed the creative process, heartwarming music video, and more…
Hi Veiga, let’s start by discussing your brand-new single, 10+2. This track is deeply personal and intimate, paying tribute to your late father. Can you walk us through the creative process behind it?
I wrote this the morning after a dream I had about my dad. It was so vivid and felt so real. Usually, my dreams of my dad involve him abandoning us for another family! That seems to be the recurring theme, but this one was so peaceful and visceral that the lyrics were really just a stream of thought. I wrote it on the guitar while sitting on my boyfriend’s bed, and it felt like a bit of a lullaby for my grief.
How does it feel to be releasing your most vulnerable song to date?
All the emotions, really. It’s hard, beautiful, painful, light, heartwarming… It’s a real mix of feeling extremely exposed and grateful I get to share a bit of my grief and my dad with the world.
The track shifts away from your signature dark-pop style into an acoustic-driven sound with soaring strings and heartfelt vocals. Do you see yourself exploring this style further, or was it something unique to 10+2?
I would like to explore and develop my sound more, but I’m not sure if this will be specific to this acoustic style.
‘10+2’ begins with what appears to be an original voice note or recording before evolving into a touching ballad. Was this featured to enhance the track’s raw and intimate feel?
The first four lines that you hear are actually from a voice note I recorded just after finishing the song. This was the producer’s idea, which was brilliant — we both felt that the emotion was much rawer and fresher than when I rerecorded it in the studio.
Does ‘10+2’ draw from any specific musical influences?
Not at all. It honestly was just a stream of consciousness that evolved into what it is. We developed the sound through emotion and what we felt at the time — there was no reference track or anything, which is probably why it feels so different from previous releases.
Can you share any memorable or significant moments from the recording process?
It was an unusual one because what you hear on the recording is actually just a guide vocal. I’ve been having ongoing voice issues for many years now, and while recording this, I was really struggling. So, I laid down this guide vocal with the idea of rerecording it at a later date. My voice issues got worse over time, so this never materialized, and with time, I came to love the imperfections in the vocal.
Can you walk us through the beautiful music video and the inspiration behind it? How did everything come together?
We have a lot of home videos, so it was a long and difficult process watching all these videos and choosing clips that I thought would work. It was ridiculously tough — I basically cried during the whole process. It’s also very strange having all these personal clips out there for anyone to see, but I just hope it brings some comfort to anyone who’s lost a parent.
Finally, what message do you hope listeners can take away from both the song and its video?
If it can bring even a moment’s worth of comfort to anyone who’s lost someone, specifically a parent, then I’m winning. I always tell people that the pain and grief never actually leave you, but with time, you learn how to deal with it. So I hope that this song shows people that there are moments of peace to come.
