The princess and dragon paradigm in literature is the old tired notion that a woman needs rescuing from a larger-than-life male character. Robert Munsch’s 1980 children’s book, The Paper Bag Princess, reverses this narrative, and has earned great acclaim from feminists. In Munsch’s story, the princess discovers her own agency and independence, defying traditional norms.
When award-winning Canadian-Egyptian artist and producer Sarah Shafey began her fifth album, Munsch’s book and its empowering message was at the forefront of her mind. Her thought-provoking and hard-rocking new album—aptly-titled The Paper Bag Princess —merges feminist ethos and personal revelation with 1990s grunge.
“I can't stand the idea that women have to conform to certain standards to be considered 'attractive' or ‘feminine,’” the Toronto and LA-based artist says. “This outdated nonsense is still deeply ingrained in our society, often disguised insidiously as 'free thinking.’ My new album is a rebellion against those toxic messages that have been fed to us women our whole lives.”
Shafey has explored a variety of genres over the years, but homed in on grunge as the mode of expression for the messaging on The Paper Bag Princess. It’s a compelling gesture as most grunge-era bands were male dominated. Much like Munsch before her, Shafey is flipping a narrative through showing a woman in power in a traditionally male-dominated realm.
“I've always dabbled in grunge, pop, and electronic, but this time, grunge is front and center. It's where I feel most at home. With the world feeling a bit heavy right now, this album's my way of channeling those internal demons and finding some catharsis,” Shafey says. “There is just something about screaming over loud guitars and drums!”
Shafey is a classical-trained pianist, a prolific songwriter, a producer, a tech executive, and an active women’s empowerment advocate. The Paper Bag Princess is a holistic artistic statement combining many facets of her identity. Though the lyrics feature biting commentary they are never preachy. “I use riddles in my writing because I want people to have to think, but there is also a tongue-in-cheek quality in my songwriting,” Shafey says. The album also represents two other core values of Shafey’s: one, the idea of welcoming challenges, and two, the rich experience of collaboration. Despite the guitar not being her main instrument, Shafey opted to play all the killer rhythm guitar parts on The Paper Bag Princess. She also enriched the album’s genesis through co-writing with Jess Boomen, and co-producing with Boomen’s husband, Kyle Ashbourne.
The Paper Bag Princess is an all-killer 8-song collection culled from a sizable back catalog. The anthemic title track is the album’s feministic centerpiece, and it roars with big distorted guitars, brawny drums, and a dazzling vocal performance. Shafey’s words here are fearlessly vulnerable. “That song is the most politically charged on the album. A lot of my frustration comes through—it was cathartic,” Shafey says.
Yet there is lightness coursing through the songs as Shafey explores the political and personal with panache. The Paper Bag Princess lyrics are unapologetic and thought-provoking but also playful. This sharp attention to contrasts also plays out in the album’s mix of bangers and ballads. Punky L7-esque commentary like “New World Disorder” pair perfectly with a fragile piano ballad like “Wake Up Your Heart” because Shafey’s artistry is so well-defined. Her well-developed sense of aesthetics keeps things cohesive, even when boldly tucking ABBA-like hooks into 1990s alt-rock on the pop-grunge track, “The Fame Game.”
One Shafey signature is ending her albums with a ballad, and she concludes The Paper Bag Princess with a stunner. “Come Over” is a shimmering slow song replete with acoustic guitars coated in ethereal ambience and breathy vocals brimming with nostalgic reverie. Her words here are cinematic and poetic.
The Paper Bag Princess was tracked at The Sugar Shack Recording Studios in London, Ontario and Mastered by Kristian Montano of Montano Mastering. The studio band features Shafey on rhythm guitar, synths and vocals, co-producer Kyle on drums, and Toronto-based A-list studio musicians Dave Usselman on lead guitar and Anthony Borek on bass.
Shafey is a critically-acclaimed restlessly-creative artist who has been praised for her stylish and passionate music, her polished but vibey production aesthetic, and her singular artistry. She is also an in-demand mix engineer for artists across genres who works out of her own Squeaky Clean Records studio. Shafey’s production and mixing work have been integral in evolving her personal sound over the years from piano folk-pop, to pop electronic, to emotive alternative, to shoegaze, to grunge, and beyond.