Nicole Ash Releases "Never Finished"

Saving the heaviest and hardest-hitting tracks for the ‘Never Better’ EP release, Nicole Ash starts 2026 with an unexpected, screaming, rebellious anthem, “Alter Ego”. Right out of the gate, “Alter Ego” sets the tone for how frustrating a lifelong internal conflict can be delivering amplified energy. The highly relatable songwriting reveals a division between two worlds, where Nicole Ash often feels torn between “the creative, emotional, rebellious side of herself, and the more polished, business-driven version that shows up in professional spaces.”

Nicole shares, “The song isn’t about being authentic, but rather about self-protection. I’ve learned to show different parts of myself in different rooms because not every space feels safe for all of me.” 

The intensity of “Alter Ego” is infectious, carrying the listener through a darker, more intimate experience, with massive guitars, an angsty chorus, an unexpected screaming bridge, and gritty production. Lyrics like “be yourself, but not too much, ”reflect the pressure of being misunderstood and the instinct to hold back the pieces that matter the most.

“Alter Ego” explores a familiar push and pull between being a creator or artist, navigating dual identities while questioning if you’re ever fully understood.

The ‘Never Better’ EP comes to a close with “Better Off Alone.” Nicole Ash describes it as the most vulnerable song she’s released to date, writing it during a period of upheaval.

“Better Off Alone” touches on feelings of watching yourself slip away, feeling disconnected from what you love, and coming to terms with depression. Nicole recounts, “What usually connected me suddenly made me feel more distant from myself. This song became the moment I admitted I might be depressed...that maybe I really did feel better off alone.”

“Better Off Alone” suggests that not everything needs an immediate resolution. It’s an acceptance of where you are, even if there isn’t a clear path forward. The earlier releases from the ‘Never Better’ EP explored themes of love, confusion, anger, and longing, while the EP closes on the revelation of deeper, more internal struggles.

‘Never Better’ addresses the chaos and turmoil in between seasons of your life, as you grow, let go, and learn to honor every version of yourself, even the ones that feel unfinished.

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Nicole Ash is a solo artist originally from New Jersey and now based in North Carolina. She started her musical journey as a songwriter and guitarist, gaining recognition for her guitar covers on social media and her band, Wayne Avenue. Her social media following has now surpassed 85k followers, thanks to her signature energetic guitar covers and alluring performance personality. In 2022, Nicole took a bold step into singing with her solo project, a true testament to her dedication and artistic evolution.

Her influences of pop punk and alternative rock are evident in her music, particularly from artists such as Avril Lavigne, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, and Blink-182. Nicole is set to release her debut EP in 2025, a milestone in her journey, and hopes to inspire others with her mantra of relentlessly following her dreams.

Be sure to look for her other appearances on Section 36!

Sofia Devitt Talks About “Letter to Lydia”!

It's here! Today Sofia Devitt released her latest single, "Letter to Lydia". If you haven't streamed it yet, you really need to do that naw. As with every hit song, I find myself wanting to learn as much as I can about to release. Luckily, sofia was nice enough to answer some questions for us about "Letter to Lydia".

Let's see what she had to say!

What do you want listeners to know about “Letter to Lydia”?

"Letter to Lydia" is a song about a difficult situation that was made and recorded with so much fun and love. I hope listeners that relate to this song, or are going through a similar situation are able to dance and sing to it with their friends, just like my friends and I did in the studio!

What was the biggest challenge when creating the song?

The biggest challenge when creating this song was writing the bridge. The verses and choruses fell into place very naturally and quickly, but I struggled with writing a bridge that contrasted the feel of the previous sections. I wanted to say something new in the bridge, and I found it hard to land on an approach. I ended up taking a break from the song for a day, and picked up my guitar the following morning. All of a sudden the bridge came almost effortlessly, and the song clicked. The bridge actually ended up being one of my favorite things I've written!

Do you have any favorite memories of the recording process?

My favorite part of the recording process was the first day. As a foundation for the song, we recorded my vocals and acoustic guitar with Ruby DeGoursey on Bass and Julian Zerwekh-Reardon on electric guitar at the same time. I had never done a studio recording with instruments playing at the same time, and it was so much fun! I wanted to capture how this song felt live, and I feel like our chemistry as a band playing together is integral to that. Sometimes the recording process can be daunting and frustrating when you're recording alone and fixating on what you're playing. But this felt like a fun jam session with friends, and I think you can hear the chemistry between the instruments in the recorded version.

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I want to thank Sofia for taking the time to share this look at her single with us. 

Be sure to follow her on Instagram, and Spotify to be sure you won't miss anything! You'll also want to check out every other time Sofia has appeared here on Section 36 Music!

Thanks again Sofia Devitt!

Alicia Sutedja Visits Section 36 Music!

Alicia Sutedja is the latest visitor to Section 36! Alicia is a talented composer currently working on several interesting projects. She was nice enough to visit with us to discuss her work, inspirations, and challenges. I'm sure you'll love what she has to say.

So let's see what happens when Alicia Sutedja visits Section 36 Music!

As a composer, what do you enjoy most about creating a score?
What I enjoy most is the moment when everything starts to click — when the ideas in my head translate exactly the way I imagined them. Especially when there’s a strong melodic theme that really lands emotionally, it’s incredibly satisfying to hear all the elements come together and support the story in the right way.

You graduated from Berklee College of Music. What is the biggest thing Berklee did for your career?
The biggest thing Berklee gave me was community. The friendships and connections I made there have been invaluable, especially now that I’m based in Los Angeles where the industry is so saturated. Having peers in the same line of work who support each other, collaborate, and grow together has been a huge blessing.

You are currently working for Endless Noise. What sorts of projects do you get to work on there?
As a longtime fan of reality television, it’s been surreal to work on shows I grew up watching. At Endless Noise, I work on series like Below Deck, Below Deck Mediterranean, and Vanderpump Villa, as well as true-crime projects for HBO Max such as A Killer Among Friends. I also get exposure to the advertising world, which has been an exciting and creatively challenging experience.

Who or what would you say is your biggest musical inspiration?
Michael Giacchino. His ability to write emotionally resonant, memorable themes while still serving story and character has always been incredibly inspiring to me.

What would you say is your biggest career challenge?
One of my biggest ongoing challenges is managing deadlines while maintaining a healthy personal life. The nature of the job often means last-minute requests — like receiving a picture-locked trailer and needing to turn something around the same day. Learning how to balance those demands while still taking care of myself has been an important and evolving lesson.

What are your immediate musical goals?
My immediate goals are to continue building my work in reality television while maintaining a sustainable pace. I want to keep hustling creatively, but also make space for my personal life, my partner, my friends, and life outside of work.

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I know that work-life balance can definitely be a struggle for me as well!

As always, I want to thank Alicia for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview. 

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her on Instagram to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again Alicia, and good luck reaching your goals!

Introducing "Never Better"!

If you remember the amazing recent single from Nicole Ash, "Stitch the Thread", then you know that was the third single off an upcoming EP. Well, that "upcoming" timeframe is now considerably shorter! Nicole will be releasing her first EP, "Never Better" in just one week! You definitely won't want to miss it.

In order to let us all learn a bit more about the release, Nicole was nice enough to answer a few questions for it. I hope you love everything she had to say as much as I did.

What do you want listeners to know about the EP?

"Never Better" is an ironic title for an EP that taps into nearly every emotion (love, confusion, anger, resentment, confused, hidden, greif, depression, etc.) that you feel in tumultuous times. It tells a story of losing yourself, even when you're not sure how to re-discover yourself. The final track "Better Off Alone" really locks in the uncertainty and is meant to leave the next chapter open for myself and the listener, showing that you don't need to have everything figured out to move forward.

How did you come up with the EP cover artwork?

I'm actually pretty into tarot and would practice reading the cards in my free time. I always loved the art and deeper meaning in it, especially with custom decks. I had the idea of each song being represented by its own card while not saying the title. It seemed like a really cool and unique way to represent the full collection of songs. The cards read "the city" "the grave" "the mask" "the needle" and "the ghost", showing an artistic glimpse into the story of the EP from the cover art. I asked an artist in my network to design the cards and knew they would be the focal point.

Do you have any favorite memories of the recording process?

One of my favorite memories was creating the music video for appreciating the good moments together, even when the friendship had ended. We ordered pizza, blew up balloons, and pulled out every nostalgic item we could find including an old TV, gaming consoles, and VHS tapes. It completely encapsulates the song, and was such a fun video to create with friends.

What was the biggest challenge with creating the EP?

The biggest challenge is probably releasing the final 2 songs. I have no problem writing incredibly vulnerable music, but these are my first releases truly diving into mental health and the uncertainty I tried to hide, even from myself. At the same time, these songs are the ones I feel like need to reach people the most because of the story behind them.

***

Nicole Ash is a solo artist originally from New Jersey and now based in North Carolina. She started her musical journey as a songwriter and guitarist, gaining recognition for her guitar covers on social media and her band, Wayne Avenue. Her social media following has now surpassed 85k followers, thanks to her signature energetic guitar covers and alluring performance personality. In 2022, Nicole took a bold step into singing with her solo project, a true testament to her dedication and artistic evolution.

Her influences of pop punk and alternative rock are evident in her music, particularly from artists such as Avril Lavigne, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, and Blink-182. Nicole is set to release her debut EP in 2025, a milestone in her journey, and hopes to inspire others with her mantra of relentlessly following her dreams.

Be sure to look for her other appearances on Section 36!

Learning More About "The United States of SARIKA"

Last week, SARIKA was nice enough to answer a few questions for us about the creation of her latest EP,  "The United States of SARIKA". Today she has even more to say, as we dive into some of the specific details of the project. I knoe behind the Scenes is my favorite place to be, and I hope you'll agree.

Here's what she had to say!

How did you come up with the EP cover artwork?

The EP cover is from a photoshoot I did with makeup artist Jordyn Klegraefe and photographer Mayker Duran in Providence! Jordyn and I met on TikTok and knew we wanted to collaborate on a fun makeup look and shoot. I originally didn’t know what I was going to do with the photos, but I felt like it ended up being a perfect fit for this EP between the dramatic pose, the glittery makeup, and the purple lighting (the EP feels very purple to me because of the red + blue = purple metaphor in “Violet” plus the United States references throughout the project).

Do any of the songs on the EP stand out in your mind?

I can honestly say I love them all equally! Each song became my favorite when I finished it, and I think that is super special. 

Do you have any favorite memories of the recording process?

My engineer and I had a lot of fun recording the gang vocals in the bridge of “High School”! I also really liked receiving submissions from listeners for the boarding call at the beginning of “Passport”. It was really cool getting to involve listeners in the creation of the song in a way that I’ve never done before. 

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I want to thank SARIKA for taking the time to share this look at her EP with us. 

Be sure to follow her on Instagram, and Spotify to be sure you won't miss anything! You'll also want to check out every other time SARIKA has appeared here on Section 36 Music!

Thanks again SARIKA!

Shreya Pujari Unveils a Cross-Cultural Folk Anthem Bridging Nordic Myth, Assamese River Songs, and Rajasthani Poetry

Singer, songwriter, and global folk artist Shreya Pujari releases her latest single, a rhythmically daring and emotionally rich song that weaves together Nordic folk tradition, Assamese river music, and Rajasthani lyrical poetry, creating a story of longing, crossing, and devotion across cultures. 

Built in an uncommon 7/8 time signature, the song draws inspiration from Nordic seafaring folk songs, often associated with Viking-era imagery of crossing open seas, while grounding itself in Bhatiali, the river folk tradition of Assam. The song also incorporates Rajasthani lyrical imagery, adding an earthy, intimate dimension rooted in desert folk traditions of waiting, devotion, and romantic certainty. 

At the heart of the song is the recurring call “naoriya”, a plea to the boatman, a figure found in folk traditions across South Asia that symbolizes fate, time, and the passage between separation and reunion. The boatman becomes a shared archetype, connecting the Nordic sailor, the Assamese river guide, and the lover waiting on the far shore. 

“Calling out to the boatman felt universal,” says Pujari. “Whether it is a Nordic sailor crossing the sea or an Assamese boatman navigating the Brahmaputra, the image is the same. Someone asking to be carried toward love, home, or destiny.” 

Lyrically, the song explores waiting for love, emotional distance, and the urgency of crossing obstacles, while the Rajasthani section introduces moments of tenderness and resolve, where longing gives way to faith and belonging. Together, these elements place the listener inside a journey that feels intimate, poetic, and mythic. 

Sonically, the track fuses traditional folk instrumentation like the “Dotara” with modern global pop, allowing regional influences to coexist within a contemporary production framework. 

A Berklee College of Music graduate and Fulbright-Nehru Research Scholar currently based in Assam, Pujari’s work is deeply informed by her research into Indigenous and folk music traditions, as well as her lived experience navigating identity, migration, and belonging. Her music centers global sounds within contemporary contexts, creating space for underrepresented musical languages in modern indie and sync landscapes. 

This release continues Shreya Pujari’s mission to present folk traditions not as relics of the past, but as living and evolving forms capable of carrying deeply human stories across borders and generations. 

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Where to find Shreya Pujari

Webiste

Instagram

Spotify

Apple

YouTube

Facebook

Section 36

New Music From Alexis Bleu!

"Ashes & Embers" - by Alexis Bleu

Release Date - January 23, 2026

What You Should Know: "The Ashes, the Embers, the In-Between… these aren’t places, more like states of being. 

The Embers is where I want to be. It’s a place for those of us who have decided to follow our dreams; the metaphoric candle still burning, lighting the way.

The in-between is like being in limbo. There’s no path, no guiding light, just darkness. 

However, the Ashes is a place for those who have lost their way in life. 

I knew I wasn’t meant for the path I was following but I kept going, anyway. After a while, I found myself creeping out of the Ashes, back to the Embers, and following that light through even the darkest of nights.

I found my light, so I share it with you, hoping you can find your light to guide you, too."

Find It: Everywhere, like  Apple or Spotify

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "Swing and a Pop Up!", "It's 2026 in Section 36", "What 2024 Sounds Like From Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Alexis Bleu Visits Section 36 Music!"