Getting Our Act Right with Sasha Keable’s Act II

Brit Award nominee Sasha Keable returns with Act II, a fierce follow-up to Act Right that  confirms she is not only on a creative high, but firmly in control of her artistic direction.  Released just months after Act Right in August 2025, the deluxe presents as a five-track  

EP serving as disc two — a continuation that shifts focus from sonic exploration to  something far more deliberate, delving even deeper into sapphic love affairs and sexual  intimacy. Where Act Right showcased vocal range, Act II sharpens its vision, presenting  Keable under a more lustful light as she owns her body; her desires, and her power, with  a clarity she has yet to express at this depth. In doing so, Keable expands the emotional  and sensual landscape introduced in Act Right with greater intensity, confidence and  candour. 

Across the project, Keable uses storytelling, tempo and vocal restraint to heighten  sexual imagery without overwhelming it. Tracks like ‘tell me what you want’ embody Act  II at its most unapologetic, while moments such as ‘heal something’ provide emotional  balance. This tension between explicitness and control is key to the EP’s success.  Rather than relying on shock value, Keable’s sexual expression feels purposeful — reinforcing her authority within R&B rather than distracting from it. Act II doesn’t shy  away from erotic exploration; it commits to it with conviction. 

Rather than simply complementing the music, Act II’s visual language operates as a  critical extension of its themes. The cover artwork is effective because it withholds as  much as it reveals. Keable stands centre-frame beneath a small awning in a dimly lit  street-corner setting, evoking the closeness of an after-hours encounter without lapsing  into cliché. Deep greens and warm ambers give the image a nocturnal, cinematic  texture, while shadows do much of the narrative work — suggesting secrecy, control and  selective access. Her styling is overtly charged but rigorously composed: the high slit,  heels and lingerie details are deployed with intention, not excess. Crucially, her posture  and gaze reject passivity. This is not an image designed to invite consumption; it asserts  authorship. In positioning herself as both subject and architect of wanting, Keable  reinforces the EP’s central thesis — that sexuality, when owned, becomes agency rather  than spectacle. 

The EP opens with ‘ceiling fan’, a quiet but resolute goodbye that establishes emotional  closure before indulgence begins. The track captures the clarity that arrives after  recognising a relationship has become cyclical and toxic — where attempts to rekindle  only lead back to the same emotional impasse. Keable reflects on repeated disrespect  from a lover who has “crossed a hundred lines,” drawing firm boundaries with restraint  rather than rage. Lines like “on and off, why won’t you pull the damn plug?” expose the tension between release and attachment, while the image of staring at a ceiling fan  frames the end of one chapter as reluctant but necessary. It’s an effective opener,  clearing emotional space for what follows. 

What follows is ‘tell me what you want’, Act II at its most direct. The temperature rises  immediately, driven by the clarity and descriptiveness of its lyrics, portraying the  untamed and unrestricted nature of proximity amongst lovers. Opening with its titular  question, the track leans fully into seductive expression, detailing desire with  assurance, humour and heat. Crucially, pleasure here is reciprocal — exchanged rather  than performed. If ‘ceiling fan’ represents emotional closure, ‘tell me what you want’  signals the entrance into a new dynamic where Keable feels free to act on her intrusive  thoughts without restraint. Lines like “girl, just wanna thank you for your service”  balance playfulness with affirmation, transforming lust into a statement of command.  It’s here that Keable’s eroticism feels most radical — not because of what’s said, but  because of how comfortably she says it. 

Additionally, ‘nobody’ continues this momentum as a sultry, braggadocious cut rooted  in certainty rather than seduction. Against the backdrop of an ex-lover moving on,  Keable asserts her sexual prowess with unapologetic clarity: “You can go ’head and play  pretend with somebody else / but can’t nobody do you like me.” Liberation here is not in  vulnerability, but what she leverages. The track’s power lies not in jealousy or longing,  but in certainty: a bravado that refuses comparison altogether. 

The fan-favourite ‘Tai Chi’ delivers the project’s fiercest energy. Opening with “Said I  wouldn’t ’til I did it / ’Til I did it to ’em worse,” the track arrives with the poise fans had  been waiting for. Teased long before its release and notably omitted from Act Right, ‘Tai  Chi’ became the subject of intense fan demand, with #JusticeForTaiChi flooding  Keable’s comments. Its arrival feels justified. ‘Tai Chi’ crystallises the EP’s lust-driven  narrative and stands as its most upbeat, anthemic moment. 

The closing track ‘heal something’ softens the project’s edges, offering warmth and  emotional grounding after Act II’s more dominant moments. Rooted in trust and care, it  introduces a quieter, more vulnerable form of intimacy that feels intentionally placed.  Ending the project here is a deliberate choice: lines like “I’m falling head over heels in  my favourite shoes / My heart can’t fulfil its function / My body’s shut down when you’re  not around” reassert that beneath Keable’s allure lies genuine emotional dependence.  While the track’s brevity leaves space for deeper exploration, the contrast ultimately  strengthens the EP, closing it with tenderness rather than triumph.

Taken as a whole, Act II succeeds because Keable prioritises quality over quantity, allowing her to sustain a cohesive arc. The result is a tightly curated after-dark R&B  project that understands exactly what it wants to be — and succeeds in doing just that. 

While the EP moves away from the emotional vulnerability often associated with some  of her previous work, this pivot largely works in her favour. The shift toward sexiness and  dominance feels like a natural progression from the themes of yearning and betrayal  she has long explored. This positions Act II as an exploration of control rather than  detachment, with Keable tactfully choosing how she wishes to architect this new  phase. Yet, her ability to embrace her lustful impulses throughout the project never  signals emotional absence but rather examines what connection looks like when yearning isn’t infused with betrayal or infidelity but instead met with love and care. 

The sequencing is deliberate, the thematic throughline coherent, and the confidence  unmistakable. Rather than attempting to outgrow Act Right, Act II sharpens it, narrowing  its scope to make a clearer, more forceful statement. In doing so, Keable positions  herself not just as a compelling voice in contemporary R&B, but as one of its most self assured architects.

Catch Sasha Keable live at Ronnie Scott’s, and on tour supporting Giveon