Asha Jefferies Wants to “Keep My Shit Together”

Photo by Jeff Andersen Jr
December 8 2023

“Keep My Shit Together” is out now, listen here.

Today, Brisbane, Australia based indie-pop riser Asha Jefferies has unveiled her new single “Keep My Shit Together,” expanding on her sound that lies between the indie folk arrangements and melancholic pop songs of Angel Olsen & Big Thief and a sense of fun and optimism that could be filed alongside Sheryl Crow; listen to “Keep My Shit Together” HERE.

“Keep My Shit Together” was produced and mixed by Sam Cromack of widely adored Brisbane band Ball Park Music. Testing her own bravery in the face of milestone-induced anxiety (in this instance, celebrating Christmas with a new partner), “I get sentimental around the holiday season,” before asking herself “Why do I stay in the city? / With all these angry people” as the song bounces between head-spinning indie-pop, demonstrating both assured humor and a sense of gravitas.

Speaking on the track’s creation and its lyrical inspiration, Asha Jefferies said, “Keep My Shit Together was written one hot and sweaty day around my piano in December. While feeling stuck and existential, this song is an ode to bringing lightness to hot and heavy feelings around Christmas time. We recorded this in mid-December, air-con cranking and all in organized matching white tank tops.”

With such a wide range of influence and comparison, Jefferies’ songs are euphoric in more ways than one, coming from the most vulnerable depths of a young woman learning to express her queerness. Written in a time of tremendous change, discovery and exploration, Asha notes the impact of acts including Angel Olsen, Big Thief, The Beatles, Lucy Dacus, Father John Misty and Radiohead on her upcoming releases. Her 2021 debut EP The Pinnacle introduced her as an artist with limitless potential, with its follow up single “Tank Tops” also being added to full rotation on Triple J, becoming a local queer anthem and one of 2022’s most celebrated local tracks.

Currently adding the finishing touches to her debut full length album, Jefferies is reflecting on honesty. “When everything builds up in my head, I create these narratives that spiral around things that happened, but they aren’t always the actual truth. I owe it to myself to be honest with myself, so I always want to come back into my body, to see the reality of things.”

To date, Asha Jefferies has played notable Australian festival slots at BIGSOUND, Icebreaker Festival, Against The Grain, Bluesfest, Woodford Folk and Mullum Music Festivals. Asha has won a Queensland Music Award, triple j Unearthed’s NIDA Competition and has been a finalist for both the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition and the International Songwriting Competition (ISC).

Asha Jefferies’ new single “Keep Me Shit Together” is out now via Nettwerk. Her debut full length project is due for release in 2024 coinciding with plans for her UK live debut.