Amanda Pascali Finds Home in the In-Between with Roses and Basil

"The academic and artistic collide in fascinating fashion on singer-songwriter Amanda Pascali’s latest album, Roses and Basil…” – KXT

*"Her silky voice and globe-trotting sound might strike a chord with fans of Laufey…" – Dallas Morning News

On September 15, 2025, rising Texas artist Amanda Pascali released Roses and Basil, her most ambitious project to date. Produced by fellow Texan and acclaimed songwriter Robert Ellis, the album is a sweeping blend of folk and Americana storytelling with Mediterranean, Balkan, and Latin rhythms that reflect Pascali’s immigrant roots and cross-cultural upbringing.

Pascali describes the album as a bridge between worlds: “It’s a conversation between past and present, a way of singing about everything from reckless abandon and unrequited love to the quiet moments of nostalgia that connect me to my parents’ journey to the United States.”

The daughter of immigrants — her mother born in Cairo with a childhood split between Paris and New York, her father a refugee from Communist Romania with Italian heritage — Pascali grew up navigating cultures that didn’t always fit neatly together. After her family moved from New York to Texas, she often felt out of place. Music became her anchor.

By age 12, Pascali was writing songs on guitar, and by her twenties, she was revitalizing Sicilian folk music — eventually earning a Fulbright fellowship and recognition from both the U.S. State Department and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Viral performances of Sicilian classics like “La Mafia E Li Parrini” and “Cu Ti Lu Dissi” further cemented her reputation as an artist who honors tradition while pushing it forward.

Roses and Basil is both deeply personal and universally relatable. Pascali calls it a record “for the outcasts, the third-culture kids, the oldest daughters of immigrant families — for anyone who has ever felt the push-and-pull of cultures and identities.”

Highlights include:

• “Wake Up, Baby!” – A fiery reimagining of a traditional Sicilian serenata, told from the woman’s perspective.

• “Amuri” – A love song that begins with ancient Sicilian prose before erupting into a cumbia groove, echoing the Latin sounds of Pascali’s Texas upbringing.

• “Cleopatra” – A tribute to her mother’s resilience, honoring women who cross borders and break barriers.

• “Sweet Sixteen” – Written for her younger sister, the song shifts from tender folk ballad to soaring 70s-inspired rock anthem.

The title track, “Roses and Basil,” captures the heart of the record — the way beauty and hardship intertwine, much like the herbs and flowers that fill her family’s kitchen garden.

While Roses and Basil is steeped in folk tradition, it’s unmistakably modern. Themes of displacement, belonging, and love echo in every lyric, yet Pascali’s voice is firmly of this moment — intimate, confident, and unafraid to challenge the boundaries of genre.

She sees the album as a testament to resilience and the enduring search for home: “I’ve always been caught between worlds. This record is about finding your footing in that space, embracing the power of love, and realizing that home is a feeling you can carry with you, no matter where you are.”

To mark the release, Pascali will perform a special hometown show in Houston at the historic Anderson Fair on October 10, 2025. Fans can expect an intimate performance filled with storytelling, tradition, and the vibrant, border-crossing sound that defines Roses and Basil.