Today we’d like to introduce you to Satarra.
Satarra, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Hey, I’m from Ohio originally, land of funk music, that’s where my family is still located, but my mom moved us to Atlanta when I was five, so I grew up there and consider Atlanta home. My extended family is really deeply rooted in the West Coast Funk/Ohio Funk scene in Cleveland/Dayton.
They’re in band called Zapp! And they’re definitely people I looked up to and just knew I wanted that, the tours and the studios and all of that and the creativity… I grew up listening to all of the Prince, Chaka, Stevie, but India. Arie is a huge inspiration and family friend who I am grateful to have grown up watching from the sidelines along with a ton of other amazing Atlanta based artists and creatives.
So I grew up in the West End, in an eclectic world of house, experimental and neo-soul. Atlanta is really an incubator of alternative and brilliant black creatives, so I’m lucky to have gotten in from “the blood and the water.” I’ve always been a songwriter and a psychic. I’ve been “prophesizing” as old folks would call it since I was around five, and I wrote my first song around the same time. It was a rap about being the best and achieving goals, so I guess you also say I’ve also always been clear about wanting to be successful. I also have always been a huge book nerd, so my at home education meant a lot of reading about religion and metaphysics, and social justice while my external education was around music and activism.
Growing up, I probably could be found flipping tarot cards or playing cards in the back of the band bus on the way to a competition or reading French philosophy or Kemetic teachings, with Bob Marley or Beyonce on in the background… that’s still kinda what my day is like. I’ve always been interested in what it meant to inhabit this body in this space and time as an artist and a spiritual worker. And so I’ve done a lot of cool things that combine the two. I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by a crew of women that have always uplifted and supported me throughout my creative and healing processes and so really I am just a vessel. For ancestral knowledge expressed through wisdom and art and focused toward radical change always.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I make music first and foremost. I am a songwriter, who trained as a bassist in high school and college, but as a spiritualist and psychic it’s always always spirit driven first. I recently had a “dark night of the soul” as some would call it, that forced me out of some complicated situations at home and in my work, and lovingly and intensely relocated me to California. It was a reminder that I needed to be spirit led first in my art, which was difficult because I work in such an ego-driven industry. So I’ve had to learn to structure my art intuitively and to always be honest. My first project “Self Care EP” is raw that way, just three songs, bass and voice, that’s it. It was really important that I was vulnerable and I think you can hear a lot of searching on those records, just like searching for answers.
Currently, I’m working on a new project that feels a lot bolder in terms of subject matter and production style, and I also want to incorporate my love of the graphic novel form. It’s a concept album that takes place in a spiritual, very black future. I’ve always loved Octavia Butler and I found answers for a lot of the spiritual experiences I was having as a kid in her work, so I hope to pay homage to her. I prefer that the listener experience my work from a place of openness. So listen! With your heart! I also work with an amazing nonprofit called Nvak that focuses on women in the music industry and creating access and opportunities across international and sociology-political borders. I have a lot of fun there as well. So my days might be spent rushing to sessions with other artists, rehearsing or writing my own projects, hopping on calls with the nonprofit team, and then taking spiritual work sessions after a meditation and a nap. 🙂
The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
Don’t be afraid to be of service and to utilize your gifts. I make music of course but I also offer my spiritual work because it’s a gift that I’m required to share. I’ve found that I’m in constant battle with my ego around how to feel truly validated in my work, but ultimately I like to think of my music and my spiritual work as one and the same. There’s healing on that record ya know? And if I let myself get too caught up in the material, I tend to feel ungrounded and out of control. At the same time, be rational and patient. I’m still finding my footing and independence financially for sure and so I’m not too big for a side hustle. I think there’s no shame in working toward your dreams and the resources you need to accomplish them.
We all deserve prosperity and sometimes our capitalist rat race can make that hard to see. Be easy on yourself handle your responsibilities and always work with what you have. My laptop just kicked the bucket, so I’m doing a lot of toplining with tracks from other producers at the moment. Instead of being upset that I couldn’t do my normal flow of producing/writing simultaneously or working acoustic, I’ve just welcomed a new creative endeavor. It’s been fun! Always have fun. Find the fun and be responsible.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can find the Self Care EP on all platforms where you find music to stream or on my website www.satarra.com. That’s also where you can find my spiritual work schedule and availability. Currently, I work with individual clients and sometimes corporations and small business to provide clarity and relay ancestral messages through divination. I meditate and call down spirit before each session so that I can communicate directly with your ancestral bodies and spirit guides as they direct your individual path. It’s been a lot of fun and very fulfilling work, so I always make availability for it when I can and my schedule with music isn’t too busy.
You can support me as always by following my social media, (@iamsatarra) listening and sharing my music and partnering with me directly around spiritual work and development or catching a show and coming and saying hi! A few months ago, I released a fun cover/mashup that I arranged and co-produced with my friend Ryan Kimbrell. It’s Say A Little Prayer and Love Lies mashed together as an Aretha Franklin tribute and cuz I love Khalid and Normani together. You can find it on my Soundcloud!
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.satarra.com
- Instagram: @iamsatarra
- Twitter: @iamsatarra
- Other: https://m.soundcloud.com/iamsatarra
Image Credit:
Bigtaste with disposable camera, Afropunk ATL
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