Start Listening To: bb sway

bb sway reflects on growth, change and crafting timeless songs in their tender new EP Becoming You.

Across three intimate tracks, bb sway invites listeners into a deeply personal chapter of their life, tracing the shifts that came with moving continents, embracing transition and reconnecting with the essence of songcraft. Speaking from their new home in Melbourne, Ash shares how Becoming You became both a document of transformation and a return to the simple joy of writing songs that stand on their own.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

My name is Ash (artist name bb sway), I grew up in Hong Kong and in the UK,  and I’m currently living in Melbourne, Australia. I always find it a bit hard to describe the music I make; I tend to define it as mainly belonging to the ‘pop world’, but spanning multiple styles and genres too. Most of the music I release on the bb sway project tends to be quite earnest and playful, and has a chill, relaxed sound.

When did Becoming You begin to take shape, and what were you hoping to explore through these three tracks?

The first track I wrote on the EP was ‘Why’d You Think I Called You On The Phone’? - I started writing this one back in 2023, when I was going through a lot of changes, especially relating to my transition. The other two tracks were written over the next couple of years, at separate points when it felt like dust was settling. My intention was to reflect on my experiences of growth and change and write about it in a way that felt simultaneously specific and personal, but with relatable themes and feelings. Deciding to format these three tracks into an EP felt very natural because it felt like they encapsulated so much of what happened over the past couple of years.

There’s a sense of warmth and emotional honesty running through the EP. Was there a specific moment or feeling that inspired this shift toward more stripped-back songwriting?

When I was writing the EP, my intention was to create songs that felt ‘classic’. I’m talking Beatles, Elton John, Harry Nilsson… One of my guidelines for this was that the song has to stand up on its own, when all of the decorative instrumentation and production is stripped away. Challenging myself to not get carried away with all the production bells and whistles, I wanted to write songs that could be played in their simplest form, and still convey the feeling. 

You’ve said you wanted these songs to stand on their own, even without the production. Did writing with that mindset feel different from how you've approached music in the past?

I guess it’s a mindset that I wanted to revisit, but from a more intentional place. As is the case for anyone learning how to play an instrument, or write songs for the first time, I started my songwriting journey with minimal resources and skills. Since then, learning how to produce music and expand my sound has been a really important part of my songwriting journey, but I’ve been enjoying the challenge of going back to basics, and seeing how that affects the kind of music I’m making and how I can tell a story.

The title track touches on becoming more like your parents. Can you talk a bit about the emotions behind that realisation, and how it found its way into a song?

Much of ‘Becoming You’ is about the complexities of navigating my relationship with my parents during my transition. Questioning what kind of person I want to be, male role models, how I want to engage with my masculinity, etc… In the song I also touch on the sensitivities of beginning to look and sound more like my dad as I essentially go through a second puberty, and the impact that has on my relationship with my mum. I think it’s not a trans-specific story, though. Navigating complex feelings about becoming more like your parents is a sentiment shared by most…

‘Road’ feels like a very cinematic and bittersweet moment on the EP. How did your move from London to Melbourne influence that track, both lyrically and emotionally?

I started writing ‘Road’ in London, as I was gearing up for the move to Melbourne. The move had been a long time coming… A years-long build up of wanting to live somewhere else, with intervals of choosing to stay for one reason or another. As with most Londoners, I’d had a long-term love/not-so-love relationship with the city, but I’m glad I stuck around for as long as I did (and who knows, maybe I’ll live there again somewhere down the line)...

You’ve worked with both Dan Holloway and Lewis Coleman on this project. What did each of them bring to the process, and how did those collaborations shape the final sound?

Dan Holloway co-produced ‘Why’d You Think?’ and ‘Becoming You’ with me, and Lewis helped me with the production of ‘Road’. In both cases, I’d written most of the song, produced a demo, and brought it to them to help me flesh the song out and finish the production. Both Dan and Lewis really lifted the tracks to another level. The demos I brought to Dan were pretty basic, and we really re-built the tracks from start to finish, re-recording pretty much everything (the original vocals are still in there though!). He made everything sound richer, deeper, crisper… Lewis also did so much to significantly elevate the soundworld of ‘Road’. Though I brought a fuller demo to our session, the additions Lewis made - especially the synths and interesting FX noises - really gave ‘Road’ more of a personality.

How do the themes of transition and self-discovery on Becoming You relate to where you're at personally right now?

As is often the case with songwriting, writing the tracks on ‘Becoming You’ helped me work through a lot of things. There’s definitely a lot of challenges that I’m still navigating, but I imagine most of the themes on the EP will be ongoing in my life for a while.

Looking ahead, do you have a sense of where your sound might go next, or are you enjoying sitting with what you’ve created for now?

I want to continue to try to write ‘good’ songs, ‘classic’ songs. Songs that are meaningful to me, in one way or another, and that also touch on a collective feeling. I’m not sure what exactly that sounds like right now, but I’m currently also enjoying taking inspiration from the Melbourne music scene…

What do you love right now?

My housemate’s cavapoo Luna. The first dog I’ve known that I’m not allergic to. Also the cuddliest dog on the planet.

What do you hate right now?

When Luna ditches me for her real dad (just kidding… happy to be here whenever she wants me back).

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

Macy Gray - The id. It’s such a wacky, fun album with great storytelling.

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?

Hmm… I hope that whatever feelings they have when they listen to my music sticks with them in a way that helps them work through whatever they’re working through!