ABOUT
Sascha Osborn is a London-based contemporary folk storyteller whose songs blend warm, soulful vocals, jazz-infused harmonies and poetic lyricism. Inspired by people, places and lived experience, she crafts thoughtful songs that explore connection, resilience, belonging and change with honesty, warmth and compassion.
Drawing on chance conversations, relationships, history and the world around her, she transforms everyday moments into songs that create space for reflection, connection and hope.
Sascha's lifelong passion for music has been shaped by a rich and diverse range of influences. Growing up with the voices of Maria Callas, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Buddy Holly, alongside the compositions of Benjamin Britten and the sounds of BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the 60s, she developed an early appreciation for melody, storytelling and emotional expression.
After moving to Sheffield in 1991, she immersed herself in the city’s vibrant music scene, exploring folk, electronica and neo-soul while collaborating with local musicians and producers on a variety of projects. Following her move to London in 2008, she continued her musical journey through contemporary and gospel choirs before rediscovering jazz, a turning point that led her to study jazz harmony and develop a deep appreciation for its rich harmonic language and improvisational spirit.
A six-month break from singing in 2012 unexpectedly became one of the most significant moments in her artistic development. Unable to sing, she immersed herself in listening to a vast array of music and began writing songs on the guitar while singing melodies in her head. This period of exploration brought together her love of jazz harmony, soulful melodies and vivid lyricism, helping her discover the distinctive artistic voice she continues to refine today.
Her debut five-track EP, Love Finds You (2015), recorded and produced by Patrick Wood, marked the beginning of her journey as a solo recording artist. Reflecting on the experience, she later described it as the moment her "pencil sketches became watercolours." This was followed by her debut album, Looking Out and After (2018), launched with a full band at London's historic St Pancras Old Church.
The album received airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio Suffolk, while reviews described it as "an utterly captivating album" (Hillbilly Boogie, Blues & Roots Radio),"dreamlike... recalling Joni Mitchell's Hejira" (RnR Magazine), and "retro in places, contemporary in others, but always achingly hip and sophisticated" (Northern Sky Magazine.)
Sascha performs across the UK as both a solo artist and in collaboration with musicians including renowned bassist Andy Hamill. Live highlights include opening for New York band The Slambovian Circus of Dreams at The Stables, Milton Keynes, appearances at Tangled Roots Festival, performances with acclaimed bassist Andy Hamill, and launching Looking Out and After with a full band at St Pancras Old Church, London.
Her forthcoming collection of songs, Red, Black and Blue, reflects a deepening artistic voice, growing confidence in her artistry, and a distinctive blend of folk and jazz influences. Written during the Covid-19 lockdown as home-produced demo blueprints in Logic Pro, the songs were later developed with producer Patrick Wood and recorded with some of the UK's leading jazz musicians, transforming intimate sketches into richly textured arrangements that realised her ambitious sonic vision.
Together, the songs explore the marks life leaves on us: love, loss, memory, grief and the quiet courage needed to move through change. Drawing on stories of wartime childhood, family relationships, work pressures, environmental change, landscapes that inspire, love and the power of the words we speak, the collection reflects a deep engagement with everyday life.
Blending warm harmonies, soulful melodic lines and poetic storytelling, Red, Black and Blue is rooted in lived experience and shaped by emotional honesty, compassion and hope.
Released gradually as a series of individual songs, the collection invites listeners to spend time with each song as its story unfolds, revealing a broader exploration of identity, resilience, reflection and personal growth.