Asha Jefferies, one of our 10 to watch in 2025, has returned with her second album Desire Is An Angel. The record is a remarkably assured and evolved body of work, exploring unapologetic desire, and all the feelings in between. “It's less about getting what you want, and more about understanding what you want and why you want it,” Jefferies says. “[Making the album] has taught me how to feel more confident and comfortable within what I desire. I think before, I was quite timid and hesitant to want things.” We spoke to the singer-songwriter about crafting the new album alongside Tom Iansek, as her East Coast Australian tour kicks off:

What was the starting point for this album?

I think it was quite intentional this time. It was like, "I'm gonna write an album," which really sets you up for a lot of pressure to put on yourself. I'd done a lot of touring and a lot of travelling, and I think I just wanted music to ground me and to connect into myself more after a very outward, external year or so. I started really thinking about what I wanted, and that kinda just feels like a really big hole. When you start thinking about what you want, it feels like there's this doorway, or this empty room that I never knew existed in my brain that I'd never quite gone into before. And I guess this album is me entering the room. A very funny thing to do and then share with everyone. I think I really learnt how much I avoid wanting things and also my relationship with disappointment. I guess when you want something, your relationship to that thing is just so much more intense. I think I really learnt how to hold more space for excitement and possibility, and also the disappointment in it as well.

I guess through writing an album, you transform that fear into a different energy. Do you feel scared to release it, or do you feel quite confident?

As time progresses, I realise how vulnerable it is. I'm always writing very vulnerable music. I think when it comes time to actually releasing it, I'm like, this is so different to just being something that I've made [in the past]. It was definitely a way more insular experience writing it. So it does feel scary for sure. I think I really needed to get a different perspective, and I wanted new things to be pulled out of me. But I wrote the album mostly in Brisbane, where I was living. But then worked with Australian producer Tom Iansek, when I was living in London. I think he's really great at minimalism and bringing things down to a very specific and intentional place. It was really funny because I wanted to throw everything at the wall, and I was, like, very maximalist in my initial ideas. So I think our two different perspectives brought in this balance. I'd be like, "Let's do this," and he'd be like, "Let's take it back to what we're really trying to do." So I think those two energies together brought in this very balanced vibe.

Tell me about what was on your mood board for this era visually?

Lilac, soft, feminine divinity - that's the vibe I was going for. It's a brand new side of me for sure.

Has there been an artist or band that's really resonated with you recently?

I've been really into this Canadian band called True Moutain Laurel. They're these two singer-songwriters. They have the both have their own solo projects. And they just released an album called Angel So Bad. And I'm really excited for the new Julia Jacklin album as well.

Are you going on tour?

Yes, I'm touring allthroughout November. I think for the live show, I want to perform in a way that will acknowledge the soft feminine but also the masculine parts of desire. The way in which I've brought that sonically to the recording space, I also want work out how to do that physically on stage as well. I'm excited.

Listen to Desire Is An Angel HERE.

@ashajefferies