Sadie Brown Unveils Dreamy Indie-Pop Single "Counterfeit," A Tale of Love and Escape

Photo provided by Sadie Brown

By: Staff

British singer-songwriter Sadie Brown is back with her latest single, "Counterfeit," a dreamy pop anthem produced by Cashybear (Tim Ross, formerly of Cash+David).

This captivating track is an exciting shift in Sadie’s musical journey, blending soft but powerful storytelling with lush indie-pop soundscapes. Collaborating with guitarist Jimmy Sims (George Ezra), "Counterfeit" brings a retro vibe to modern pop, creating an ethereal atmosphere that swirls around Sadie’s enchanting vocals. With the song building to a sweet yet crashing crescendo, "Counterfeit" is sure to captivate listeners. As she channels influences from artists like Camera Obscura, Kate Bush, and Lana Del Rey, Sadie is gearing up for more exciting releases in 2025.

Don’t miss out on Sadie Brown's mesmerizing new single "Counterfeit." Stream it now on all major platforms, and stay tuned for more incredible music set to drop in 2025!

We also had the chance to catch up with Sadie Brown for an exclusive interview in "The Cage" Music Blog.

Here’s how it went:

Begin Interview:

We read “Counterfeit is a dreamy pop moment that talks of running away with the one you love.” Does this message of the song come from a particular single experience or over time and multiple experiences?

Counterfeit is about someone I loved very much, for many years, who was stuck in an awful situation and I wanted to pull him out of it. To literally take him away, make him happy and just be on our own.I named it Counterfeit because he wasn't being his true self in that period but I knew he would, and did get himself out in the end.

We read that this song came from the period of lockdown and we wanted to know if you could describe what was the most difficult part of this for you?

Honestly - I loved lockdown. I'm a super spiritual person and I had my Kundalini awakening in the July of 2020 and I wouldn't change a thing. You could literally call me "Sadie sequester", because I crave solitude and space. I think to write, you need aloneness so I can become a hermit when I'm writing, in any genre, so lockdown wasn't a huge shift for me personally in that way.The original song was written pre lockdown in the summer of 2019, but I met Tim during lockdown, and we started reworking the song together around that time. We really changed it a lot too and Tim set me some tasks to make it hit the listener quickly using his wonderful magic and many years behind the desk.

What was the essence and feel you wanted Jimmy Sims to deliver to the project?

Jimmy was so much fun! I loved his vibe and energy from the off and it was Tim who brought Jimmy onto the project as they collaborate on music together. I had some quite unusual guitar sounds and references that I shared with Jimmy, and he just ran with it and really made it his own and captured exactly what I had imagined.

For someone who has never been to London, can you tell us what the music scene there is like?

OMG You have to come! London is my home town and absolutely one of the big loves of my life. Camden, North London was the start and centre of my life as a young artist, like many others. I played my first shows there in iconic venues that have a place in the UK's music history - it was just magic, with all kinds of people, styles, influences and breaking new artists. It's still alive with that irreplaceable Camden spirit too. Camden forever.

We read this “Sadie Brown had a stint fronting a glam-rock band”. We would love to hear the evolution and how this affects your current musical creations.

Should I have picked any easier question? I would say, my roots and voice naturally sit within more rock/guitar music. And yes, I did front a glam rock band for a year or so in my East London days. However, as I've evolved and grown as a woman and an artist my personal tastes in music have changed and my writing shifted towards more storytelling and a lightness, which feel right for me today.I'm just happier and more at peace with who I am, so I want to write and sing beautiful, catchy songs that hopefully make other people happy too.

Ok…. so your accomplishments have no end! We read, “In a musical hiatus, she carved out a successful turn screenwriting, and as an indie actor. She co-wrote and co-starred in several indie shorts and wrote her first feature script which played at Raindance, the Edinburgh Film Festival and was released in cinemas across the UK.

WOW! Congratulations. Can you tell us how this felt and which career you prefer? Did you learn anything that affected your ideas on music?

Always music first and forever. However, I love writing in all its forms, and I'm always working in different ways on different projects to keep the money flowing and that's actually a very real factor to the choices I have to make when it comes to my creativity. But if I had to choose one career forever it would be music, and acting second. I love that too.

How long have you been making music?

I wrote my first song at 8 years old, it was called "Until I find you", and I remember every word like it was yesterday. It wasn't.I've been making music for a really long time, and I've been in and out of it. I took 10 years out, and it was absolutely the right thing to do. As was going back in. And honestly, the songs I'm writing now and my feeling towards music is the best it's ever been.

What emotion do you feel inspires your desire to start a project, ie sadness, worry, happiness etc.?

Always the need to express what's in my heart around love and those experiences. It's definitely my driver and always has been. I have put those hard times, heartbreaks and also the highs that come with loving someone into words and a melody and make my feelings known.I also think, like poetry, no one can tell you what to write in a song, it's your space to be 100% honest and I've always loved that freedom.

Where do you see your sound and artistry heading in the future? Are there any exciting new directions you're exploring?

Lots! I had a lot of beautiful and unexpected changes happen to me this year, and it's led me to write all new songs, one of which is my favorite song I have ever written...for real! I just love it. It's so different, and it's inspired by a beautiful person who impacted in many ways including musically.So I'll be working on those, and possibly releasing a collection as an EP. I also have a few non-musical related writing projects going on too so I'm spinning all the creative plates and I cannot wait for 2025 tbh.

Was there ever a time when you emotionally felt, “I can’t do this anymore”? How did you find the strength to continue?

So many times! But as I said earlier, I've walked other creative paths in life and I'm sure more will come, but music is like a glue in my soul that is central to who I am in this life and I always return to it. So I think for me, having other experiences and routes in life make everything seem more balanced and like you're not dependent on one thing.Of course I can say this now, as I'm older - when I was in my teens and twenties music was the only thing I saw myself doing, but life has many surprises in store for us! And you've got to roll with them.

What advice would you give your younger self?

That nothing is gonna turn out how you think, but it will be absolutely right for you. You just can't know that when you're younger.Hang in there, and never stop doing anything you love that brings you joy. Listen to your intuition only, not other people, and it will never lead you away from where you need to go.

Most people love or hate social media, where do you land?

Adore! I was always the first of my friend group to get on the latest app, but I also have a super healthy relationship with my phone; I check it when I want to and I live on DND.So it's on my terms, and I can't live with memes. Who can?

When you reach the stage where you have the admiration and respect of other world-known artists, what band or artist would you love to call and say, “Let’s go on tour together”?

Ah, so many incredible artists and bands who inspire me every day, but I think I would say, Zella Day. I think she writes the most perfect pop songs, I love her voice and her other project with her husband, Chaparelle. It would be my honor to share space with her.

Sadie Brown, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!

End Interview

We’re happy to have shared Sadie Brown’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.

Now, click the links below to experience their incredible work firsthand!

Check out this latest release and listen to more of Sadie Brown on Spotify & YouTube.

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