Canadian Egyptian artist and producer Sarah Shafey recently released her new single/music video, “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” a track from her upcoming fifth album, The Paper Bag Princess, inspired by Robert Munsch’s book of the same name.
In his book, Munsch reverses the old-fashioned storyline of a woman being saved from the grandiose male antagonist. Rather than hoping for a knight in shining armor, the princess frees herself through her self-sufficiency.
Shafey explains, “I can’t stand the idea that women have to conform to certain standards to be considered ‘attractive’ or ‘feminine.’ This outdated nonsense is still deeply ingrained in our society, often disguised insidiously as ‘free thinking.’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.”
Like Munsch, Shafey inverts the narrative on her album, defiantly commandeering the male-dominated genre of grunge as her own.
Shafey says, “I’ve always dabbled in grunge, pop, and electronic, but this time, grunge is front and center. It’s where I feel most at home. With the world feeling a bit heavy right now, this album’s my way of channeling those internal demons and finding some catharsis. There is just something about screaming over loud guitars and drums!”
The forthcoming album also reveals two of Shafey’s other core values: the idea of accepting and appreciating challenges, and collaboration. Even though the guitar is not her primary instrument, Shafey plays all the rhythm guitar parts on the album, as well as co-writing with Jess Boomen, and co-producing with Boomen’s husband, Kyle Ashbourne.
The Paper Bag Princess was recorded at The Sugar Shack Recording Studios in London, Ontario, and mastered by Kristian Montano of Montano Mastering. The studio band features Shafey on rhythm guitar, synths, and vocals, co-producer Kyle Ashbourne on drums, and Toronto-based A-list studio musicians Dave Usselman on lead guitar and Anthony Borek on bass.
Opening on a powerful percussive shuffle, “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” flows into heavy guitars dripping with grunge flavors topped by Shafey’s vocals, imbuing the lyrics with dark, voluptuous Medusa-like tones. A soft, dreamy bridge shifts the harmonics, highlighting Shafey’s yearning voice: “Why are you wasting my time?”
Thick with delicious grunge energy, “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” finds Sarah Shafey exposing visceral, authentic emotions.
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