For most of her adult life, Sacha Taylor has been hustling.
The Perth-born singer and songwriter, whose mum Charlie Taylor owns well-known hairdressing salons across Tayside, first appeared on The X Factor in 2016, as a fresh-faced young hairdresser seeking stardom.
But in her own words, she “thankfully didn’t get very far”.
Last time we spoke, in 2021, she was trying out the pop thing, and when we catch up now, she’s refreshingly unabashed about her pick-and-mix of a back catalogue.
“At that point I was still experimenting sound-wise,” says Sacha thoughtfully when we speak over Zoom.
She just back from the gym, but aside from speaking at “1,000 miles a minute”, she seems every bit the put-together starlet in her matching workout set.
“I went down the pop route and then a spent a while doing sort of rock-pop. Then I went to LA and did a lot more American-sounding music there.”
Sacha had her first proper taste of commercial success in 2022 when she ventured into dance music, providing vocals on a track called Hopeless Heart by German artist Keanu Silva and Austrian DJ Toby Romeo.
But she wasn’t done cutting her teeth.
“That song streamed really well,” Sacha says, modestly downplaying the more than 50 million Spotify streams. “But then everyone was trying to push me into dance music, and at the time I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do.”
I glean, during this call, that Sacha Taylor is not a woman who is easily pushed or rushed.
“I’ve always loved dance,” she continues. “It’s the perfect soundtrack for a holiday, or getting ready to go out with the girls. So now I’m exploring the dance sphere, and that’s really where my head’s at.”
Sacha going ‘Higher’ than ever with new track
Now that her fangs are sharpened, Sacha’s finally getting a bite of the real action.
This summer has seen her soaring to success in the dance scene with hit track Higher from chart-topping UK DJs Nathan Dawe and Joel Corry, released on Atlantic Records.
The track, which was released in August 2024 has already surpassed 700k streams on Spotify, and broke into the UK Top 100.
But even more excitingly for Sacha, it got her spontaneously flown out to the massive annual dance festival Ibiza Rocks – where she performed her first ever live gig.
“It was all very last minute,” laughs Sacha.
“It was two days before I was going on holiday with my family, so I was scrambling around, messaging stylists and trying to get all my stuff ready for the live performance.”
Ibiza Rocks was first ever live performance
Turning on a dime, Sacha rallied the troops, and three of her closest friends flew out to help her get ready.
“I had 25kg worth of clothes in my suitcase, and I swear I wore them all,” she chuckles.
After a whirlwind flight and packed content shooting day in Ibiza, where the social media teams for pop stars Rita Ora and Dua Lipa filmed Sacha, it was time for the show.
And for seasoned recording artist Sacha, the pressure was on to deliver live.
“I was so excited all day, and then reality struck,” she says. “I mean, it’s quite a tough first gig. It’s a big crowd, but not a huge venue. Plus it’s broad daylight, and a little early.
“Normally later on, people have had a few drinks and there’s less pressure. So that was nerve-wracking. But it was a brilliant crowd! They were super hyped and really supportive.
“I think about halfway through, I started to relax and really enjoy it. And as soon as I came off stage, I thought: ‘Oh God, I want to go right back on and do it again!'”
Mum Charlie ‘always knew’ Sacha would succeed
However, there was one thing missing from Sacha’s live debut – her family, including her “biggest supporter”, mum Charlie.
“They wanted to come, but for the first one, I just wanted a bit less pressure,” she smiles.
Indeed, it seems the only person more sure of Sacha’s success than herself is her mother.
“I’ve had this thing recently where I’m just being completely delusional, and thinking: ‘Whatever I want to happen, I will just make it happen,” Sacha says.
“And d’you know what? I think my mum is just as delusional as I am!
“She’s like: ‘Sacha, I’ve always known you were going to be a star. It was always going to happen, it was just a matter of time!’
Sacha misses Perth – and her pooches
As we speak, Perth-raised Sacha is getting ready to fly back to London from Ibiza. She’s currently living between London and LA, though she does try to get back home to Perth as often as she can.
“I used to come back all the time, but my schedule’s a lot busier now,” she says wistfully.
With writing sessions 8 hours a day, Monday to Friday, music truly is Sacha’s 9-5.
“I love coming back to see my dogs – I’ve got a 17-year-old rescue Bichapoo named Lola and a Shih Tzu-poodle cross called Luna, who’s a wee puppy.
“I’ve actually got both of their names tattooed on me,” she continues, gesturing to her bold sleeve of tattoos. “So I’m the most committed dog mum!”
Bold fashion is passion for singer
Sacha’s look is part and parcel of her artistry. With her slicked-back, bleach-blonde tresses, perfectly-laminated eyebrows, armful of ink and flamboyant fashion sense, she’s bombing into the dance scene like a sultry-voiced Bratz doll.
“I’ve always loved fashion,” she gushes, beaming when the conversation turns to her style.
“If, God forbid, something terrible happened and I couldn’t do music, I would be a stylist.
“I love clothes – the bright, the colourful, feathers, sequins – anything that’s standout and a bit outrageous.”
Musician lost 2.5 stone in matter of months
And this year more than ever before, Sacha’s been able to enjoy her creative fashion sense without battling her body image.
She reveals she’s lost two and a half stone since March 2024, after deciding to “take my health more seriously”.
“I’ve really got into the fitness lifestyle, although I’m really not naturally a gym person or someone who enjoyed working out,” she says.
“But being filmed from all different angles for my music stuff, I feel much more comfortable now.”
Now that she’s on the path to success, Sacha isn’t slowing down.
“In the next five years, I’d love to be the next big voice in dance,” she states breezily.
“I mean, as amazing as they are, we’ve got Ella Henderson, Becky Hill, Bebe Rexha – but most dance songs right now have the same four or five female vocalists on them.
“My hope is that I could be the next new voice in dance.”
If her track record – and a mother’s wisdom – is anything to go by, it’s only a matter of time.
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