Sasha Lazard uses her training as an opera singer in an eclectic pop style that combines dance music, Russian folk, and classical vocal music. She was selected to perform the theme song to the 1997 animated film classic Princess Mononoke before making her full-length recording debut with 2001's The Myth of Red, which landed her on the classical and dance charts. By 2014's Lumiere, she had settled into an ethereal adult-alternative sound that still crossed genres. Born in New York City and raised mostly in Paris, Lazard got involved in the classical music scene soon after graduating from Bennington College and enrolling at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She had worked as an opera singer in San Francisco and New York by the time producer Anthony Vanger enlisted her to sing on an ambitious project that combined opera arias, Russian folk songs, and drum'n'bass music. The project, which also involved producers Mark Kamins and Joey Moskowitz, found fans among both classical and electronica fans, as she took the act to nightclub hot spots like New York, Los Angeles, and Ibiza. Lazard quickly established ties to the fashion industry, where she became a go-to for special events and advertising campaigns in the years to follow. She raised her profile further when she was selected to sing the theme song to the Japanese animated movie Princess Mononoke. The song was composed by Joe Hisaishi and featured lyrics by writer/director Hayao Miyazaki. Two years later, her interpretation of "Ave Maria" appeared in Jane Campion's film Holy Smoke. Lazard signed with Higher Octave Music/Virgin Records in 2001. Produced by Frank Fitzpatrick and co-produced by Mark Raskin and Dale Wardlaw, her debut album, The Myth of Red (which included the Princess Mononoke theme), followed in mid-2002 and reached number 13 on Billboard's classical crossover chart. At the same time, remixes of a pair of the tracks landed on the Dance Club Songs chart. A collaborative album with Emily Olin and Noah Hoffeld, the self-released Moonfall, followed in 2005 before she teamed up with Shawna Stone and returned to the studio with Fitzpatrick along with producer Peter Asher for 2007's Siren. Released by Manhattan Records/EMI under the moniker Sasha & Shawna, it included opera favorites as well as covers of James Taylor, Sting, and Radiohead. The solo EP Miles Away also appeared in 2007. Meanwhile, Lazard turned up on more film soundtracks, including Kettle of Fish (2006) and The Lodger (2009). Five years in the making, the studio album Lumiere arrived in 2014. It was dedicated to the memory of Lazard's longtime manager, Steve Kurtz. She then co-produced the soundtrack for the 2018 romantic drama Blind, which also featured several of her songs. In 2020, Lazard released the protest song "Atonement," with proceeds benefiting environmental protection. ~ Marcy Donelson