Sabrina Kennedy has released her brand new single Magic & Mayhem today – 02.03.23 – in homage to the 23 enigma. It is a bold pop rock track where punchy punk riffs pair with Kennedy’s grand vocals delivering spellbinding melodies and magnetic hooks.
Sabrina Kennedy (Isla Mathieson)
Of the single Kennedy says: “This song came from trying to fit in with an elite crowd that was intrigued by the witch and the magic, but it couldn’t hold space for it or handle it. I quickly realised that in the confines of their tiny world was loneliness and distraction. There is magic and mayhem running through my blood and I decided I could no longer repress it. it’s about fully embracing the wild woman who lives within me and the magic that runs through my veins.”
Listen to Magic & Mayhem here:
Based in London, the Boston-born singer made many visits to nearby Salem throughout her childhood, which introduced her to all manner of alternative belief systems, as well as being “a place with a very peculiar energy” that she picked up on from an early age. Paganism, with its close connection to the power of mother nature, also held an attraction, as did tarot card reading.Witchcraft pulsates through Kennedy’s psyche, her life and music. Her identification as a witch has little to do with casting spells and issuing curses, however. In fact, it sees her celebrating the divine feminine and connection with natural and spiritual worlds.Growing up in Boston on the US East Coast with adoptive Irish-Italian parents, she’s always looked beyond the obvious to embrace the role of outsider. She was later to meet her birth-mother – live on TV no less – and learn that her grandfather was Bajan. The songstress then moved to Nashville but realised after a while that her views put her directly at odds with some of the macho posturing still lurking in that music scene. She felt much more at home when she moved to London. Immersed in the city’s multi-genre tastes, she set to work building a band. Her debut single Hold Tight, a tumultuous anthem about dealing with the trauma of her father’s death, was released in 2019. The introduction to Kennedy’s grand sound and songwriting was followed by The Other Side in 2020, which further accentuated her captivating work with its crooked R&B further exploring her personal aura, “I’m a Gemini, no one wants to see my other side”, she sings.
Sabrina Kennedy: Magic & Mayhem
Her music has made its way onto the soundtracks of Love Island and Made In Chelsea, while she was also quick to make a strong presence on the London live scene, performing at Notting Hill Arts Club, Off The Cuff, Laylow and Paper Dress Vintage. Her latest headline show in the capital will be at The Grace in Islington on 25th May. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Friday 3rd March) at 10am here.
