Messin Around, Sarah Shafey

Oct. 15, 2024 at 5:24 p.m. MDT

The princess and dragon paradigm in literature is the old tired notion that a woman needs rescuing from a larger-than-life male character. Robert Munsch’s 1980 children’s book, The Paper Bag Princess, reverses this narrative, and has earned great acclaim from feminists. In Munsch’s story, the princess discovers her own agency and independence, defying traditional norms. When award-winning Canadian-Egyptian artist and producer Sarah Shafey began her fifth album, Munsch’s book and its empowering message was at the forefront of her mind. Her thought-provoking and hard-rocking new album—aptly-titled The Paper Bag Princess—merges feminist ethos and personal revelation with 1990s grunge. "Messin Around" is the second single being released off of the tight and tuneful 8-song album.