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In season 21 of “The Voice,” a group act won the NBC singing competition for the first time. Girl Named Tom were definitely trailblazers. But there was another non-solo act that broke new ground in season 21 – Jim and Sasha Allen. The father and son duo and their folky sound won over the hearts of America while busting through barriers that had long been in place.
First, they were one of the few duos to make it to the semifinals in “The Voice” history. Second, Sasha Allen was the first transgender contestant to make it to the top 10. Then, Sasha signed two record deals in the same year, one as a solo artist, and one as part of a duo with his father, Jim.
Now, in another landmark moment, Jim and Sasha Allen have released their first EP, “16 Borders.”
Sasha Made the Announcement on Instagram
On September 10, Sasha took to Instagram with the following news: “september 23 my dad and i are releasing our first ever EP, 16 Borders ! my dad is one of the most gifted songwriters and musicians i know, and getting to record these songs with him was such a gift. presave link in bio :)”
The post shows a picture of the album cover, which depicts Sasha sleeping in his father’s arms as a baby.
True to the first announcement, Sasha posted on Instagram on September 23 that the EP had indeed been released. The second post shows Sasha and his father singing on stage together, and there is a second photo of the duo with their “Voice” coach Ariana Grande. The post was captioned with, “our debut EP ’16 Borders’ is out now on all streaming platforms ! thank u to everyone that supported us on @nbcthevoice and beyond !”
Sasha went on to say, “this past year has been so beyond incredible and im so happy we get to share these songs with you. biggest thank u to @arianagrande for giving us so much incredible insight, guidance, and support throughout this entire journey. u hav been instrumental in everything we have done since the show and i cant thank u enuf 🤍 thank u to everyone that helped this music come to life, i grew up listening to my dad writing these songs, and i hope you all love them as much as i do. love u 🤍”
What to Expect
According to Talent Recap, “The four-song project has an amazing folk sound, reminiscent of classic singer-songwriter acts such as Simon & Garfunkel. (Fans may remember the duo covering “Mrs. Robinson” on The Voice.) Jim and Sasha show off beautiful harmonies backed by simple acoustic guitar.”
The four songs, which were all written by Jim, are:
- 16 Borders
- Lindytown
- Priority Gal
- Backyards of the Brave
In a September 23 interview with their local paper, The Newtown Bee, Jim explained, “We’re an American singer-songwriter duo, so there’s a lot of tradition. At the same time, we’re father and son. The relationship makes what we’re doing different — it’s important to the sound. For me, it’s such a gift to collaborate with Sasha.”
Sasha added, “Playing with my dad is really fun, because anywhere I fall short, he makes up for it or fixes it. He comes up with harmonies and approaches that I wouldn’t. I do the same. It’s an incredible partnership.”
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Groundbreaking ‘Voice’ Artist Drops First Album: It’s ‘So Beyond Incredible’