#WomenCrushWednesday Volume 004: Salt Ashes

Ah, the friend zone. We've all been there. Despite its crushing weight on the soul, it's always been seen as merciful; a peace offering by one party to another stating that they're okay remaining friends while drawing a line in the sand when it comes to a relationship. However, Salt Ashes is here to challenge that stigma not by showing mercy to "friends" who cross that line, but by bellicosely locking them in a cellar and swallowing the key.

The London-based singer and songwriter recently released her latest single "Girls" and it's a wolf in sheep's clothing, a biting lyrical screed ensconced under a languid future soul beat. The heady pop tune explores a situation she and many other women (and men, for that matter) can relate to - when someone she calls a friend makes the assumption that she wants to have sex based on their interpretation of how she acts or dresses. "The track is about breaking the stereotypes of people who want to express themselves and their sexuality freely without the 'slut shaming' or being told that they’re 'asking for it'," she says.

The song is a vigorous statement to those unable to decipher their boundaries and ultimately cross them because of their misguided explications. Instead of placating those so-called friends, politely telling them to back off only for them to try it again, Salt Ashes wants to make sure it never happens again. "I’ve experienced this a couple of times in my life and know many people who’ve had a similar experience, but the final time it happened got me so angry that I had to write about it," she asserts. "One of my friends tried it on with me once, twice and then a third time despite me telling him very clearly that I was not interested and just wanted his friendship. It’s not okay to ignore what you don’t want to hear and keep trying to push the boundaries expecting me to give in and eventually say yes."

The reason why she's the subject of this column, though, is the reaction she is trying to evoke from "Girls." "I want to empower women and inspire confidence within them to say 'no' when they want to say 'no' and 'yes' when they want to say 'yes'. No one should be pressured into doing anything they don’t want to do and we shouldn’t have to change who we are or make ourselves smaller and insignificant just because others can’t understand who we are."

You can get familiar with Salt Ashes at the links below.

Connect with Salt Ashes: Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud | Instagram

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