ssa lin has been making a local splash like a rockin’ rainstorm after a record-setting blizzard, since releasing her first single, “tallboys,” at the end of 2025. The feedback has been good, and she has been growing her fanbase through local performances and social media presence, as she gears up to release her debut album, baby, at the end of May.
“I’m really thrilled to share that baby is done and ready and will be released at the end of May (if vinyl production goes on the projected timeline),” she says. “I am so excited for everyone to hear it.”
ssa lin was nicknamed “Baby Ssa” (pronounced “suh”) as a child, which eventually was shortened to “Ssa.”
“Everyone in my family or people who have known me since childhood call me Ssa, so that’s where the artist name ssa lin comes from, the last three letters of my first and last name plus the play on the word “sullen.”
She’s been singing for as long as she can remember and took a few lessons on multiple instruments before gravitating towards songwriting. She went to college for singing (with a focus on classical music) while continuing to write her own songs. After graduating, she pursued any possible gig in order to get people to hear her original music.
“I started writing songs when I was 8 or 9 and then more seriously as a teenager in high school. By the time I was 15, I knew that this was ‘it’ and accepted that I had found my purpose in being a singer and songwriter.”
ssa lin writes on guitar and keyboard. Her songwriting process differs from song to song. It could start with a line or phrase that sits in her notes app for a time before she develops a melody. Other times, she’ll record a melody and lyric into a voice memo and expand on it when more motivation strikes. There are also times when the universe drops a complete song in her brain and she knows that it’s a keeper.
“For this current project, when the song feels ‘done,’ I share it with my producer and best friend, Richard Farrands,” she says. “We start the pre-production process to get the full arrangement of the song tracked. He is an incredible producer and has a real gift for creating parts to songs for the instruments I don’t play (drums and bass), and we work through the layers of the song together until we know what the ‘studio’ version of the song will look like.”
“The studio process for this album was one of the greatest joys of my life,” she continues. Working with Richard through pre-production was the most inspiring process. We recorded everything in our apartments over eight months and used midi-drums to get demos. We then took those demos to Ghost Hit Recording in West Springfield, MA, to record with Andrew Oedel (owner/engineer). We re-recorded bass and drums with Zack Rego, vocals, and some guitars with Andrew over the course of two beautiful days and one long all-nighter.”
ssa lin found this recording experience to be more of an artist retreat than other sessions, which had been intimidating. The arrangements on baby are mostly full band, while the live versions are currently stripped to keyboard and guitar.
“Richard and I are crafting a full band lineup to bring these songs to the stage in a truer form to how they were recorded,” she notes.
ssa lin actively uses social media to grow her brand and connect with her fans. It helped “tallboys” gain an incredible buzz before the single was released, and has done the same for the recently released “downtown” and soon-to-be-released “in the red.”
ssa lin also has a Patreon that offers free and paid memberships, giving her fans more exclusive access to her and her art. “The paid membership offers early releases of music and videos, as well as full-length, live videos of songs,” she says. “In an age where music streaming services are so predatory to small artists and don’t offer much ability to make any money off of music, I opened my Patreon to give myself a place to be more open and to share more of what I’m working on with people who really care about me and want to contribute to the project.”
ssa lin is enjoying the moment and looking forward to the next few months. She was nominated for three Motif Awards (Favorite Pop Act, Favorite Song, and Favorite Video) and has a single coming out later this month. She has shows lined up for the next couple months, and is planning her album release party. She’s working on summer gigs solo and with a full band. She’s ready to put in the work and understands that it takes at least ten years to become an “overnight success.”
“While I have been writing music for nearly my entire life, and I’ve released music with a band (Melissa Chaplin Family) in my previous lifetime, this artist name (ssa lin) is brand new,” she says. “I am utilizing quite literally every tool in the shed to get more exposure, whether that is through all the social media platforms for discovery, email campaigns (join my email list!), patreon, or making my music available and accessible literally everywhere (despite how unethical some of those platforms are!) in order to get it in as many ears as possible. I couldn’t shut up about this album throughout its creation, and I won’t be shutting up any time soon.”