Meet Bellingen musical duo – Saije

Shanteya Lancaster and Jo Ashley are the inspiring Bellingen-based musical duo known as Saije. They hope their songs serve as a reminder to cherish the nature that surrounds us, hold close the ones we love and learn to accept ourselves through all our layers in this often busy, technology-driven and disconnected world.

Let’s start at the beginning – where did you grow up?

Shanteya: We were both lucky enough to be born and raised in the beautiful town of Bellingen, NSW. We loved growing up in such a wonderful community with a plethora of beautiful wild places at our fingertips, including stunning secluded beaches, fresh rivers and mountain-top rainforests. Connecting to our natural environment always was, and still is, one of the things we cherish most – it’s central to the way that we choose to live our lives.

When did you start playing music and singing?

Jo: I started learning the guitar when I was about seven, then had lessons between the ages of 12 and 18 with an incredible local guitar tutor. I also love percussion and you’ll often find me rhythmically hitting anything within arm’s length with my hands or sticks – something Shanteya describes as a very annoying trait to live with. But at least the practice is put to good use with the multitasking foot drums and percussion I play in Saije.

Shanteya: As for me, that’s a funny story… I was humming myself to sleep at two weeks old and have pretty much been singing ever since. I began singing lessons at the age of 11, which gave me so many great opportunities to perform. But I really grew comfortable singing for others by regularly busking at the Bellingen Markets. I then started learning guitar at the age of 15.

When did you decide to form Saije?

Jo: I’d formed a band at highschool and, after meeting through a mutual friend, Shanteya joined. But as we approached the end of year 12 that group fell apart so we continued on as a duo, simply called ‘Shanteya and Jo’ at the time. Band practices became very easy, as we were also a couple outside of music at this point.

What inspires your music?

Shanteya: Our music is nearly always inspired by our personal experiences and relationships, with others, ourselves and nature. Growing up, we both listened to a lot of multicultural music from different corners of the world and, whenever we travel, we collect flavours from the different countries, infusing them into our music. That’s why some of our songs have Celtic threads, some have a French Gypsy influence, and others have a slight Nordic edge, to name a few.

What do you love most about writing and performing music together?

Shanteya: We generally write our songs from deep places and sharing this outpouring of emotion is quite a delicate process. We know each other so well and we are both quite different in our strengths and weaknesses, so over time we’ve formed a sort of dance in how we approach this. What we love most would probably be that moment when we sing the song in its entirety for the first time – the feeling of letting go of the emotions and handing them over to be held by the song is very powerful.

Jo: In regards to performing, there’s a magic that can form in the connection between us both, and between us and the audience – when every soul in the room is so present, the exchange of energy is almost tangible. This can occur regardless of whether we’re playing in a concert hall, on a festival stage, in someone’s living room, in another country or busking on the street. To experience this together is something that we both feel is incredibly special.

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