Shelby Natasha's 'It Was Mine' EP is an Ode to Family and Springtime

Shelby Natasha's sound is a breath of fresh air in a cluttered space. Blending elements of Chinese folk, R&B, lo-fi beats, and serene vocals, Natasha offers a new way to call love in and also pay tribute to the love that came before.

Meditative and poignant, her new EP, It Was Mine, feels like drifting on a lake or a stroll among the cherry blossoms. It's the epitome of springtime. The artist's work is soothing and soulful, and indicative of a peace and inner knowing that comes from the experience of love and loss. From start to finish, Natasha takes listeners on a vulnerable journey of her life.

The album opens with the flowing waters and birdsong of "Salmon Song," a dreamy ode to the poetry anthology I Sing the Salmon Home by Washington State poet laureate Reina Priest. Off the bat, Natasha leads listeners in prayer with her lyrics,

I was raised by a garden
I pray to the willow trees
In the schoolyard of silence
There’s music in everything.

After that, the music continues to flow with "spring," which centers on love in an apocalypse. Aren't we in the middle of one now? Then, with "pirates," Natasha memorializes her late brother through interspersed audio of childhood movies and her haunting voice. Natasha also sprinkles in nods to her brother's love of Motown classics.

The title track, as the album's centerpiece, unites the sound of the Guzheng with the cello (Clark), upright bass (Jordan Tan), guitar (Marco de Carvalho), and drums (Josh Pehrson). Created through Seattle's Bushwick Book Club, an organization that crafts songs inspired by books, "It Was Mine" was derived from Violeta by Isabela Alonde. The song processes the passing of Natasha's grandmother, and according to the artist, "almost every line is a mix between a prayer and a promise to myself."

Violeta, at its core, is through the eyes of a resilient woman "whose unforgettable passion, determination, and sense of humor will carry her through a lifetime of upheaval." The entirety of It Was Mine embodies this spirit and is a major promise of what's to come, even if rough waters are ahead.

In "Salmon Song," Natasha reminds us that there is music in everything. Her capacity to transmute her own experiences, literature, and nature into song is something to behold, making her an artist to watch.

The It Was Mine EP is now available on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms as of April 3rd, 2026.

Natasha's next show will be at Washington Hall, on April 17th (Tiered ticket prices; tickets HERE).

For more information about Shelby Natasha, visit her website.