For artists who begin their careers with acting, stepping into their own voice can feel vulnerable. For Asha Banks, stepping into music didn’t replace her work as an actress, it built on it. I had the pleasure of speaking with Banks, whose insight, creativity, and authenticity shone through immediately. Her debut EP, How Real Was It?, reflects the self-examination she honed through years of playing other characters.
When asked whether acting helped her understand her identity or if music reshaped it, Banks framed the two as inseparable. Acting, she explained, “forced [her] to dive deep.” By dissecting the emotions of the characters she played, she learned to analyze her own feelings more deeply and make time to be fully herself. This allowed her to strengthen her sense of self and recognize music as a space to dive into her own identity.
That intention is woven throughout How Real Was It?, a project Banks describes as “looking for connection… something so yours it can become someone else’s.” The EP centers on feeling, how moments land in the body and linger. Truth-telling was her priority while writing, creating a record that honors and explores the emotions behind her experiences. “The more I write,” she shared, “the more I learn about myself.”
The question posed by the EP’s title, How Real Was It?, is one Banks asks herself often. Her music isn’t meant to answer it, but to sit with the uncertainty. The songs turn inward without being closed off, reflecting her intention to keep exploring these emotions in her writing. The closing track, “Headstart,” felt like the right ending because it leaves her feelings open, unfinished, and ongoing. Banks describes the song as cyclical, an ending that points to continuation rather than finality.
While writing remains the most vulnerable stage of her process, performing offers release. “The scary bit is writing,” she said. “The performing is the rewarding bit.” That reward is already unfolding on her headline tour, which will continue in the UK and Europe in March 2026. Though her music is introspective, she hopes listeners leave feeling “elated and inspired.”
How Real Was It? is not a statement of arrival, its a journey of growth shaped by self-examination and the courage to sit with unanswered questions. For Asha Banks, emerging into music is not about leaving acting behind, but about using everything she has learned to tell the most honest version of her own story, and I can’t wait to see where it leads next.