Biography
Sasha Lazard channels her operatic background into a wide-ranging pop approach that blends electronic dance elements with Russian folk traditions and classical vocal techniques. Early recognition arrived when she was chosen to deliver the theme for the 1997 animated feature Princess Mononoke, paving the way for her first full album, The Myth of Red, issued in 2001; the release placed her on both classical crossover and dance charts, while 2014’s Lumiere found her exploring an atmospheric adult-alternative palette that continued to blur stylistic boundaries.
A native of New York City who spent most of her childhood in Paris, Lazard entered the classical sphere after completing studies at Bennington College and enrolling at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. By then she had already performed opera in both San Francisco and New York, experiences that led producer Anthony Vanger to recruit her for an ambitious fusion of operatic arias, Russian folk material, and drum’n’bass, realized alongside Mark Kamins and Joey Moskowitz. The resulting project drew audiences from classical and electronica circles alike as she brought the show to prominent clubs in New York, Los Angeles, and Ibiza, and soon afterward she forged enduring connections with the fashion world that yielded ongoing work in special events and advertising.
Her visibility increased further after she recorded the Princess Mononoke theme, whose music was written by Joe Hisaishi with words supplied by Hayao Miyazaki. Two years later her version of “Ave Maria” was featured in Jane Campion’s Holy Smoke. In 2001 she joined the roster of Higher Octave Music/Virgin Records, and the following year her debut album The Myth of Red—produced by Frank Fitzpatrick with co-production from Mark Raskin and Dale Wardlaw and containing the Princess Mononoke theme—reached number 13 on Billboard’s classical crossover chart while remixes of two tracks also appeared on the Dance Club Songs tally.
A 2005 collaboration with Emily Olin and Noah Hoffeld yielded the independent release Moonfall, after which she partnered with Shawna Stone to record Siren for Manhattan Records/EMI under the name Sasha & Shawna; the 2007 album, again produced with Frank Fitzpatrick and now with Peter Asher, mixed opera standards and reinterpretations of songs by James Taylor, Sting, and Radiohead. That same year saw the solo EP Miles Away, while additional soundtrack placements included Kettle of Fish in 2006 and The Lodger in 2009.
Five years of work culminated in the 2014 album Lumiere, dedicated to the memory of her longtime manager Steve Kurtz. She later served as co-producer of the soundtrack for the 2018 romantic drama Blind, which incorporated several of her own compositions, and in 2020 she issued the protest song “Atonement,” directing proceeds toward environmental causes.
A native of New York City who spent most of her childhood in Paris, Lazard entered the classical sphere after completing studies at Bennington College and enrolling at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. By then she had already performed opera in both San Francisco and New York, experiences that led producer Anthony Vanger to recruit her for an ambitious fusion of operatic arias, Russian folk material, and drum’n’bass, realized alongside Mark Kamins and Joey Moskowitz. The resulting project drew audiences from classical and electronica circles alike as she brought the show to prominent clubs in New York, Los Angeles, and Ibiza, and soon afterward she forged enduring connections with the fashion world that yielded ongoing work in special events and advertising.
Her visibility increased further after she recorded the Princess Mononoke theme, whose music was written by Joe Hisaishi with words supplied by Hayao Miyazaki. Two years later her version of “Ave Maria” was featured in Jane Campion’s Holy Smoke. In 2001 she joined the roster of Higher Octave Music/Virgin Records, and the following year her debut album The Myth of Red—produced by Frank Fitzpatrick with co-production from Mark Raskin and Dale Wardlaw and containing the Princess Mononoke theme—reached number 13 on Billboard’s classical crossover chart while remixes of two tracks also appeared on the Dance Club Songs tally.
A 2005 collaboration with Emily Olin and Noah Hoffeld yielded the independent release Moonfall, after which she partnered with Shawna Stone to record Siren for Manhattan Records/EMI under the name Sasha & Shawna; the 2007 album, again produced with Frank Fitzpatrick and now with Peter Asher, mixed opera standards and reinterpretations of songs by James Taylor, Sting, and Radiohead. That same year saw the solo EP Miles Away, while additional soundtrack placements included Kettle of Fish in 2006 and The Lodger in 2009.
Five years of work culminated in the 2014 album Lumiere, dedicated to the memory of her longtime manager Steve Kurtz. She later served as co-producer of the soundtrack for the 2018 romantic drama Blind, which incorporated several of her own compositions, and in 2020 she issued the protest song “Atonement,” directing proceeds toward environmental causes.
Albums
