From Toronto to LA, Sarah Shafey’s 2025 Transformation Was Unstoppable

Some albums are sonic statements. Sarah Shafey’s Paper Bag Princess is a full-on declaration of war on stereotypes, on conformity, on the exhausting expectations women carry into every room.

Released in 2025, the project marks a radical shift for the LA-based, Canadian-Egyptian artist: stepping away from the classical piano roots that defined her earlier work and stepping directly into the flames of grunge, distortion, and pure, unfiltered rebellion.

Shafey didn’t just write this record; she fought for it. She picked up the guitar, leaned into the grit, and used a historically masculine space to reclaim her voice on her own terms. The album, co-produced with heavy-hitters Kyle Ashbourne and Grammy/JUNO talent Michael Hanson, pulls from the spirit of the Robert Munsch book that inspired its name.

But this isn’t a retelling. It’s a transformation. A grown woman’s reclamation of agency. A refusal to be shrunk, judged, or packaged into palatable boxes. If there’s one track that embodies this ethos, “New World Disorder” stands tall: a fiery call to burn down old narratives and build something truer from the ashes.

2025 was a year of personal and professional shifts for Shafey, relocating from Toronto to Los Angeles, taking on national leadership roles in equity and inclusion for women in tech, and fearlessly expanding her creative world.

But The Paper Bag Princess feels like the anchor: the album where she stepped fully into herself. It’s loud. It’s vulnerable. It’s disruptive in all the right ways. And as she heads into 2026, preparing a new EP blending Futuresynth, Metal, and Grunge, planning to storm West Coast stages, and forming new partnerships, the energy is clear: this is an artist done with compromise. An artist building her world brick by brick. An artist making noise with purpose.

For anyone who’s ever felt underestimated, boxed in, or told to tone it down—Sarah Shafey made this record for you.

2025 marked a huge shift for you. From relocating to LA to releasing The Paper Bag Princess. What personal experiences from this year shaped the energy of the album the most?

This past year brought a significant shift toward self-acceptance and free expression. Relocating provided the final necessary push. Releasing The Paper Bag Princess was a bold statement of my identity, marking my complete creative and personal sovereignty. I felt more bold and free at the onset of 2025; a change you can hear in the album.

Looking back, what was the defining 2025 moment that pushed you toward grunge as the vehicle for your message of rebellion and self-worth?

The defining moment was when I chose to actively silence the mental noise and clutter that was stifling me. That happened pretty early on in the year. I use grunge as the vehicle because channeling the guitar's energy and vocal prowess provides the immediate release I need to achieve that core sense of peace. This peace is the source of a more effective rebellion, far beyond disorganized rage.

You led several national equity and inclusion events for women in tech in 2025. How did that work fuel your confidence and perspective while creating this record?

I'm so glad you asked; the parallels between parity for women in music and women in STEM are impossible to ignore. My work advocating for women in tech, focusing on their confidence and self-advocacy, directly fueled my perspective for the record. This cross-industry passion translated into powerful lyrics that are all about standing up for yourself, no matter the field.

How did the move from Toronto to LA in September 2025 affect your mindset, your sound, or the way you see yourself as an artist entering a new era?

100% new era energy! Relocating to LA was a successful mission, driven by the desire for access to this city's intense creative power. I've started to set the groundwork to make magic in 2026, which ensures a massive level up to the next, hyper-charged version of my grunge-electronic sound. I am excited.

You’ve called this album a declaration of independence. What part of yourself were you finally ready to unleash that past projects didn’t showcase?

This declaration of independence is simply the consequence of getting older, wiser, and clearer on my purpose. I no longer have the patience for hiding. Where past projects used more lyrical riddles, I am now more committed to approaching my lyrics and sound with candor.

You’re merging Futuresynth, Grunge, and Metal for your next EP. What emotional world are you trying to build with that fusion?

Neon Dreams. 80s Night Drive Escapism. Femme Fatale Power. Big Hair. Surf Waves. Zero Subtlety.

If another woman artist felt boxed in, underestimated, or stripped of her narrative, what truth would you want her to take from The Paper Bag Princess?

Let being underestimated become your fuel. Your story, your truth, and your voice are the only authority that matters.