The Story Behind "Familiar Places"

I just love the recent single from Aasmi, "Familiar Places". As someone who enjoyed her previous release, "KHOJ", I had high hopes for her next offering...and it didn't disappoint. If you're anything like me, when you love music you want to learn all you can about it. Luckily, Aasmi was willing to help us all out with that by answering some questions about the release for us. 

Hope you enjoy what she has to say!

I love your recent single, “Familiar Places.” What can you tell me about it?

“Familiar Places” is a song about nostalgia, those moments when a place, a smell, or even a passing memory brings you back to a time you thought you’d outgrown. It’s a reflective piece about how the places we’ve been continue to shape us, even as we change and move forward.

Did you have a favorite part from the recording process?

Definitely the layering of the harmonies. There’s something magical about watching a song fill out sonically, hearing it transform from a simple idea to something immersive that feels alive.

How did you come up with the name for the song?

The title came pretty naturally. As I was writing, I realized the whole song revolved around the way certain places hold memories like bookmarks in a story. “Familiar Places” felt like the simplest, most honest way to capture that feeling.

Do you have a favorite lyric from the song?

The song is pretty minimal when it comes to lyrics; it’s meant to feel almost like a passing thought or memory rather than a full conversation. One part that resonates with me is:

“I breathe you in me
though I cannot remember your name
and even if I try you could never stay.”

Those lines capture the fleeting, almost ghostlike feeling of remembering someone or something you can’t quite hold onto. It’s about how memories can feel close and distant at the same time, which is really at the heart of “Familiar Places.”

How did you come up with the cover art?

The cover feels like a snapshot of the song itself, nostalgic and a little dreamy. It’s styled like a postcard because I wanted it to feel like a memento you might tuck away in a drawer, something you’d rediscover years later and feel everything all over again. The candid shot at the playground mirrors the theme of finding beauty in simple, familiar places.

Do you see more releases in your immediate future?

Absolutely! “Familiar Places” is just the start. I’ve been writing a lot, and there are more songs. works that explore different sides of my sound. I can’t share too much yet, but new music is definitely on the horizon.

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Be sure to follow Aasmi on Instagram, and stream Familiar Places to be sure you won't miss it! Also, be sure to check out all of her appearances here on Section 36 Music!

Thanks again Aasmi!

My First Show

By Isa!

My first show as an original artist was such a memorable moment for me. To finally be able to bring my own music on stage was really incredible, especially if looking back on my evolution from being only a drummer other people call into a songwriter who writes her music and leads the band.

I knew this one was going to be special from the very beginning: I was invited to play by my dear friend Simo, who manages the jam sessions at the famous Rock’n’Roll Club in Milano: I’ve been going to those jams for three years now and that really gave me my confidence and presence on stage, plus the community there is so welcoming, they’re my second home, they’ve seen me grow, play, turn 18 (I had my birthday party there!!), prepare for Berklee and then leave to study in the US. So needless to say it was just going to be full circle to play my first show in such a special place for me. And when I saw another friend of mine in the lineup I knew it was going to be awesome!

Preparing for it was challenging but overall everything went smoothly, I am glad for my previous experience I’ve gotten over the years. Once you send clearly organized charts and demos and you make sure all the questions are tackled most of the work is already done! Plus I had also called really talented musicians so I knew I was playing it safe! Fitting rehearsals in everybody’s schedule was difficult, but this only means that you got good, busy musicians!


As the leader it was on me to take care not only of the music but also of everything else too: promotion, merch (which I crafted myself!), outfit and cohesion… every little bit was a huge lesson for me, I am so glad everything teaches me.

I will forever remember the show itself. This was my first time properly handling a show by myself as a drummer and a singer: this meant constantly having to switch between drums and front of the stage, interacting with the audience, checking on everyone and directing the ensemble when needed. It was challenging, but I am so glad for the feedback I received from those who were there! Lots of people really appreciated my presence on stage and compared the performance to a musical, which is such an awesome compliment for me because that is in a way how I perceive my music, as a soundtrack to my life and those of others. I guess I see life as a musical, so might as well act it out in my concerts! I am also glad that my introductions to the songs were appreciated, it was my first time properly introducing the full set but I was told it felt perfectly fit, so we got that! For my next shows (which are going to be next Friday and next Sunday, I am so excited!) I will prepare and refine my speaking bits even more, to have the full performance come together!

I am also extremely grateful for all the little things that went wrong, which may sound weird, but it really isn’t! This show was, as I said before, literally a home game for me: it was the most welcoming and forgiving environment I could have ever wished for, so I could figure out and learn how to deal with technical mishaps and misfortunes without the judgement of bigger shows. You only learn through mistakes, the best thing that can happen to you is to be in a relaxed environment that is by your side when they happen. I am now stronger, a better leader and more prepared for my next concerts!

Music is all about relationships, and this concert was a perfect representation of that. Everyone in my band had a special relationship to me somehow: some people I met at the renowned Berklee Clinics at Umbria Jazz, some I had seen once in my Conservatorio admission last year; some I met in Berklee (despite living in the same city!), some I met for the first time in rehearsals, but the vibe was just perfect. It’s all about relationships. Having all friends in my band is awesome, it becomes something more than just having people play for you. And seeing the audience resonating with what you’re singing, seeing them enjoying themselves and forgetting about the hardships of life for a moment and being there blissfully is priceless. I look at them, and I know them personally, it’s my family, my closest friends, and I can read it in their eyes that they are full of hope and that they believe in me. In a way, I am the chance they may never have gotten. And I am very well aware that even though they may not physically be with me in Boston or wherever I will be, they are still with me, their presence and trust and faith is with me and gives me strength. So with my playing and my music I am there to bring joy and hope. This is what is behind every show.

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Be sure to follow Isa! on Instagram, and stream her debut single The Flow! Also, be sure to check out all of here appearances her on Section 36 Music!

Thanks Isa!

Elle Sera Talks About "All Over Again"!

I love being able to go behind the scenes on anything, and see what's going on behind the curtain. I especially love the stories behind songs. Where they came from, what they mean, anything. So I was thrilled when Elle Sera wanted to share the story behind her recent single with us. Let's see what she had to say!

“ALL OVER AGAIN” has served me a few different story lines and inspiration points through the life it’s had since inception so far.  While it may have had some roots in the “I’ve got to get over this person” vibes in the impetus it certainly took a winding road with me as my internal landscape evolved when thinking about love, relationships(of all kinds!) and how my body & brain processes it all. 

There were some big lessons that surfaced through the ability to just get this song out of me and written.  Took me a few years to sit with the feelings and have enough rear-view-mirror perspective that freed me to pen it and seemed effortless in the task when it did push through, gratefully.  I’d say this song even helped me understand why I had to process with a fervor of replaying scenes, words and moments to the point of overwhelm.  And it started to seem like a chore to put so much into keeping my mind on a merry-go-round. So rather than beat myself up for that and with that I looked at what my brain was doing and why it felt it needed that.  Putting on a different hat to birds-eye view it all allowed some space to process how I WANTED TO think and not be bound by the patterns, habits and poor conditioning I’d been programmed with as a child. 

I began to look at love and relationships and the relating to my own thoughts with a whole other perspective that was SO refreshing.  I’d like to think of myself as moving from “over-thinker” to “active deep thinker”.  So this song is for anyone who might do the whole “replay a scenario” over and over in your head. While in itself it can be a gateway to processing, just know the point in which it’s not serving your highest interest. 

Thanks for listening!