Sarah Shafey - I Lied to You
The princess and dragon paradigm in literature is the old tired notion that a woman needs rescuing from a larger-than-life male character. Robert Munsch’s 1980 children’s book, The Paper Bag Princess, reverses this narrative, and has earned great acclaim from feminists. In Munsch’s story, the princess discovers her own agency and independence, defying traditional norms.
When award-winning Canadian-Egyptian artist and producer Sarah Shafey began her fifth album, Munsch’s book and its empowering message was at the forefront of her mind. Her thought-provoking and hard-rocking new album—aptly-titled Paper Bag Princess—merges feminist ethos and personal revelation with 1990s grunge.
“I can't stand the idea that women have to conform to certain standards to be considered 'attractive' or ‘feminine,’” the Toronto and LA-based artist says. “This outdated nonsense is still deeply ingrained in our society, often disguised insidiously as 'free thinking.’ My new album is a rebellion against those toxic messages that have been fed to us women our whole lives.”
On the single, I Lied to You, Shafey fesses up with sass right out the gate. Accompanied by her in-the-pocket rhythm guitar playing she sings with detached cool the opening lines: Do you like it when I say to your face that I lied to you?And you believe that I was saving my grace when I lied to you? From there, grooving rock n’ roll drums enter, as do tasteful touches of harmony vocals, lending “I Lied to you” a radio-friendly sheen while still maintaining its tough-gal swagger. The track epitomizes a rare feat that Shafey has been able to accomplish on Paper Bag Princess, creating an album teeming with ear worms but still full of snarling attitude.
“I Lied to You” is themed around those seismic moments where a betrayal rocks your destiny. “This song is about that feeling of being fed up, ready to move on, and feeling unapologetic about it,” Shafey says. “When lies are being told, when something feels off, and when your instincts are screaming at you, it's time to listen.”
Shafey is a critically-acclaimed restlessly-creative artist who has been praised for her stylish and passionate music, her polished but vibey production aesthetic, and her singular artistry. She is also an in-demand mix engineer for artists across genres who works out of her own Squeaky Clean Records studio. Shafey’s production and mixing work have been integral in evolving her personal sound over the years from piano folk-pop, to pop electronic, to emotive alternative, to shoegaze, to grunge, and beyond.
