Sshh Premieres New Video For “Extra Extra” + Talks Media Consumption
Tired of new, depressing headlines hitting your inbox (and/or timeline) every day? You might get a kick out of British band Sshh’s new single, “Extra Extra.”
“In an age when the world’s answers are a click away, why is it still so difficult to find out fact from fiction?” Asks Sshh Liguz, “How has the truth become so distorted?”
We talked to Sshh all about their latest single, their quarantine routine, and more. Check out their new track, “Extra Extra”+ its brand new music video here.
Your latest track “Extra Extra” is about the media and some of the misleading information out there. How do you ensure that you’re getting the most unbiased information when learning about what’s going on in the world?
That’s kinda the point, I don’t know! “Fake News,” is not a new thing. It’s called propaganda, but maybe that’s too many letters for a Twitter post! Ha! In this internet age though, it really is quite difficult to decipher. With all its algorithms & click bait, hashtags & trending. Based on my search engine/browser history etc., the version of news stories/highlights that I see is can be different from someone who has a different p.o.v whether it’s politically, spiritually, ethnicity, ethically—whatever! We can get the same story, but just from different angles.
There is a great saying, that there are “3 versions of the truth. There’s one sides perspective, the other sides view, & then there’s what actually happened.” Unfortunately, both the right & left wings have become so extreme that there’s now no conversation or compromise. We need to learn how to live together on this planet we call home. And that is something positive that has come from the tragedy of this Covid 19 pandemic—the world is working as one against this common enemy. I just hope that we, humanity, can learn from this & together continue to battle global issues, but most importantly, the climate crisis & the mass extinction event we are facing.
You can’t fight facts—that over a billion animals were killed in the brutal fires in my homeland Australia, 18.626 million hectares (46.03 million acres) of old growth forests with biodiversity unseen in other parts of the world. Very similar to the amazon in Brasil, just a lot bigger. But even then, when we were touring Brazil at the beginning of the year, I was talking to a woman who dismissed them as “fake news,” & that there’s not enough animals in Australia for that many to have perished. I gritted my teeth, wished her all the best & walked away before I pushed her in the pool! United we stand. Divided we fall.
Are there any media platforms that are your favorite?
As in social media or as an actual news source? Social Media I’m kind of addicted to Instagram (even though I suck at it, I only discovered gifs not that long ago lol), but yeah a picture can paint a thousand words & then there’s the gift of the memes that just keep giving. I find Sky News to be pretty solid & Al Jazeera. Also, my dad! He sends me some good info.
I know when Coronavirus started making headlines, I was reading every article, but now I’m sort of staying less informed for mental health reasons. Where are you at in your news consumption habits?
Same! Initially we had the news on constant rotation. Alerts on cellphones, all that jazz—like watching a car crash in slow motion. Now I check mainstream news at the beginning and at the end of the day with some social media throughout the day. I also like to follow ‘good news’ accounts too, because amidst the darkness of the unknown there is light. For example, there’s a clip of a NYC crossing guard, Esther Bishop, who has taken upon herself to use her job, to give a little love to whoever comes her way. It’s a really beautiful sentiment/statement & shows there are everyday heroes all around us.
The word “extra” is also a popular slang word adjective to describe someone. Do you define yourself as “extra?” Why or why not?
It depends on the day, to be honest. There are definitely times I can be a bit extra, but it’s better than being basic! I’m really blessed to have friends & family who call me out extra BS behavior (& vice-versa!) To me, that’s when you are being the best kind of friend, when you know that the relationship has the strength to survive, even though we may have a fight at the end of the day, love wins.
How did the name “Sshh” come about?
Because I never shut up! When I had my long braids, I used to tie them together as a kind of gag to stop me talking. it didn’t work! Robbie Shakespeare (From Sly & Robbie – the famed Jamaican producers & Rhythm Section who have worked with everyone from The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley/Peter Tosh, Grace Jones, Bob Dylan) is pretty much the only person who can get me to be quiet! When I was in Jamaica a year or two ago, I was in Kingston & called them to have a hang. They invited me to the studio for an album they were doing with Damian Marley, which was pretty cool, but quite the surprise (for me & Damian haha!) Sorry, what was the question again? Oh, the name sshh! Yep, well there you have it. My name is Sharna Li, but Sshh is like my spirit animal. It was actually Zak’s idea for us to use it as the band name though. It’s kind of a funny paradox, or is it ironic? Either way, it’s appropriate!!
Do you have any other fun nicknames?
Not that I could tell you on here!
What product do you swear by for keeping your hair so vibrant?
Thanks so much. Hairdressers! Ha!
Have you been having difficulty keeping up with your hair during self-isolation?
You could say that! My roots are in desperate need of bleach & the rest of it is so many shades of orange, peach, & even a bit of neon yellow. I might try do a bright orange color rinse tonight—either Bleach London or Bed Head TIGI, but I’ll probably just put it in little buns all over my head, which is what I usually do (or have done since this weird ‘new normal’). Like Bjork or Gwen Stefani. The 90’s called; they want their lewk back.
How are you two passing the time during self-isolation?
Not that different from how we usually operate when we are at home! As well as continuing remotely to run the record label Zak & I Co-founded, Trojan Jamaica & now Trojan Brasil. We are lucky that we live in the countryside just outside LDN & have a recording studio here. So, we’ve been finishing some mixing on some Trojan Jamaica records that needed some attention. And then there’s concentrating the sshh (the band) & the audio & visual content for that. I’ve also started painting & making art again, which has been great to re-visit that part of me. We’ve just not stopped!
