Asha Banks is having her day in the sun
How much had I achieved by the age of twenty-one? A little — but nowhere near as much as Asha Banks. Stage lights have been her second home since childhood, where she cut her teeth on starring turns in Les Misérables, Annie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as the gum-chomping menace, Violet Beauregarde. “I wore this purple velour tracksuit and got blown up like a blueberry onstage,” Banks recalls as we chat transatlantic-style over Zoom. “I had an air canister in my backpack and pressed a button to inflate this rubber suit. Totally nuts.” Today, you may know Banks as Cara Ward in BBC’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, or as Noah in Amazon’s high-speed romantic thriller My Fault: London, the first in a trilogy spun from Mercedes Ron López’s bestselling Culpa Mía novels.
Closest to her heart, though, was the multi-hyphenate’s foray into music and the release of her debut EP, Untie My Tongue, earlier this year. With its haunting melodies and folksy shades of Joni Mitchell it’s a confident mission statement from an artist unafraid to tap into more uncomfortable and inconvenient emotional truths. Its follow-up, How Real Was It?, arrives in November, recorded between London and Los Angeles with producer Josh Bruce Williams. “It’s definitely a mix of daunting and exciting,” Banks tells me. “The first time I released something, it was terrifying — it was mine, and then suddenly it was everyone else’s. But seeing how people connect with my songs is just the best part.”
For the sophomore EP, Banks has pushed her own boundaries while flirting with the shimmer of pop, determined to chase her sound to its outer edges. “I’ve been exploring how those worlds can play alongside each other,” she explains. “The first one felt really organic and raw — and this one still does — but it also has some fun moments intertwined that feel a bit different.” Back in LA, still shaking off jet lag, Banks is headed straight for the studio, but not before divulging the secrets of her dizzying balancing act between actor and burgeoning singer- songwriter.
Ciarán Howley: Where to start? Let’s go back to the beginning — who were your biggest musical influences growing up?
Asha Banks: I’ve kind of realised recently that so much of my music taste just came from my parents. My dad was always playing Take That in the car, and my Mum loved Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell and Janis Ian. I didn’t really choose to listen to those artists, but they absolutely influenced me. And Jack Johnson — such a dad artist, right? I do wonder, like, if they’d been heavy-metal heads, my
career would probably have been completely different.
CH: 2025 is a big year for you — your debut EP Untie My Tongue arrived at the start and How Real Was It? lands in November. How does it feel to put out such raw, vulnerable work — and so much of it?
AB: It’s definitely a mix of daunting and exciting. The first time I released something, it was terrifying — it was mine, and then suddenly it was everyone else’s. But seeing how people connect with my songs is just the best part. I’ve played a lot of these songs live already, so I’ve had a glimpse of what people like, but hearing it all fully produced is such a different thing.
CH: What can we expect from the new EP? Is it a complete sonic departure or more of a natural progression from the first?
AB: How Real Was It? is definitely a natural progression. If the first EP was very present and in- the-moment, this one feels more reflective. Some of the songs I wrote at the same time as the first EP, and some I wrote in LA, which was my first time writing there. Just being in the sun made a massive difference — like, I swear it infiltrates the music. So a few songs have this sunnier feel, but it’s still rooted in my sound.
CH: You’ve been performing since you were seven. How do you feel about the whole ‘theatre kid’ discourse?
AB: I’m absolutely a theatre kid. I don’t think it could ever be an ick! To be honest, I feel like it’s swinging back around; it’s kind of on the up — like with Wicked, I think that made a massive difference. People are starting to realise, Wait, I kind of love theatre. That’s where I found my love for everything I do — acting, music, songwriting. I remember watching writers stand around the piano and workshop new material. It’s my main point of inspiration.
CH: Moving on to the silver screen, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder just got renewed — how was it stepping back into the role of Cara?
AB: I’m so excited. I just wrapped filming on the second season, and working with [co-star] Emma [Myers] again was beautiful. Holly Jackson, the author, was the lead writer this time, so it felt really special knowing it was coming directly from her.
CH: And then there’s My Fault: London. You’re leading this massive adaptation into a trilogy, based on the bestselling Spanish novels. Did you feel the pressure?
AB: Definitely scary. The Spanish version was so beloved, and stepping into that was daunting. But everyone was amazing, and now that we’ve seen how well it was received, I’m just so grateful. Filming the second one was less stressful — we were more comfortable. But now there’s the pressure of expectation, because people do love it.
CH: The movie boasts some pretty high-voltage drag racing scenes. Did you actually get to drive in many of them?
AB: Some of them, yeah! There’s a stunt team for the intense stuff, obviously, but I did get to drive. The weirdest bit is the soundstage, though — you’re sitting in a car on sandbags with a three- hundred-and-sixty-degree screen and pretending to race. It’s like a video game, and it feels ridiculous until you see it on the monitor and you’re like… Okay, magic. Now I can’t think of those scenes and not imagine myself driving. I’ve convinced myself that I actually
did it when I absolutely didn’t. It’s a Mandela effect.
CH: You collaborated with indie songstress Holly Humberstone on a version of her song ‘Dive’ for the film. How did that come about?
AB: I’m obsessed with her. I posted a story with the song while filming the movie, and the editor saw it and thought it’d be great for the credits. Then the directors were like, Yes! So they put it in — right before my song ‘Feel the Rush’. And then Holly and I ended up writing together and she asked me to be on the new version. I must’ve manifested it.
CH: Let’s talk wardrobe. You always look incredibly polished but your personal style tends to carry a more playful touch.
AB: I always say my style is somewhere between a twelve- year-old boy and a chic grandma. If I land there, I’ll be happy. I’m also obsessed with Pinterest. I make mood boards for everything — songs, characters, outfits.
CH: We’ve established that you’re a triple threat: acting, singing, songwriting. Is there one discipline that feels most like home?
AB: Honestly, they all do. My love for one only amplifies the others. I’m really interested in how they overlap, and I’ve been so inspired by directors I’ve worked with — Dani [Girdwood] and Charlotte [Fassler] on My Fault: London were so collaborative, I felt like we made the film together. Directing is definitely something I’d love to explore.
CH: So, what’s next for Asha Banks?
AB: I’ve got a headline show coming up at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in September, which I’m so excited for. My brother did shows there as a kid, and
I was always jealous. Now I’ve finally put myself on that stage. And I’m in LA right now finishing the How Real Was It? EP and doing more writing. I’m also going on tour later this year. So, yeah — lots happening.
How Real Was It? is available on streaming services from November 14th.
- PhotographerRankin
- StylistLucy James
- WriterCiarán Howley
- Make-Up ArtistLucy Wearing at Forward Artists
- Hair StylistLewis Stanford at Eighteen Management using BOUCLÈME
- Photographer's AssistantJoshua Bentley
- Fashion AssistantLily Bonesso, Miriam Oblong, Faye Carlon
- RetouchingAlice Constance
