HOME: Hollywood, CA NOW JAMMING: Inhale - EP (Atlantic Records) CURRENTLY: On tour with twenty on pilots and Robert Delong
SCROUNGING FOR CHANGE,
booed off of stage and starting a feminist revolution in another country isn’t exactly a kick-start to a successful career. In fact, it’s quite unheard of, but for Grammy winning hip-hop artist, Sirah, those are just some of the memorable moments in which shaped her career into a successful one. Although Sirah is only in her twenties, the female pop princess has already done a lot of living. She began her career about seven years ago and wasn’t easiest a walk in the park start to get where she is today. The difficult experiences throughout her journey in music is not something she is shameful of or tries to hide, but instead she takes those experiences and molds them into valuable life lessons. “I lived in a garage with holes in the ceiling and a car parked next to me,” Sirah explained about the hardships as her career first started. “I got robbed for my merch in Romania, I signed bad contracts, lost friends, got hit on and disrespected and the list goes on and on, but it comes down to perspective.”
“It’s funny when I was putting it all together I was so confused, listening to the songs on repeat, wondering if they made sense together,” she explained. “That would have to be the difference. All my other releases I was really focused on making them make sense, but with this one I realized I don’t make sense so why would my music.” While this EP will be completely different from what fans have heard from Sirah before, the meaning of Inhale is one she hopes every listener gets. “I think ‘inhale’ is a beautiful word, but more so for me it’s about taking a breath. Breathing in a moment,” Sirah added. Sirah has been working in the music industry for years now and has learned one very important thing about her career choice. “There are around seven billion people on this planet and I am the only me. Embracing yourself wholeheartedly is powerful and it allows others to do the same,” she added. This message is something she wants everyone to get out of her songs as they listen to her album.
Sirah said she walked through all of those crazy situations because she didn’t look at them negatively. Instead, she felt like she was simply “crossing them off a list of shit you have to go through in order to survive the music industry.”
She chooses to stay true to her roots while in the music industry by avoiding peer pressure because to her there is no point and “allowing people to confuse you for even a second makes it hard to find your way out.”
Because she has learned from her mistakes along the way, she makes sure to avoid certain situations. Shortly after Sirah’s Smile You Have Teeth album released, her manager and co-producer contacted her demanding a whooping $30,000 of her earnings. Releasing Smile quickly turned into a frown after the battle was over, having Sirah to walk away from her L.A. record and back to New York.
Sirah is thankful for many things that have helped her stay true to herself and where she comes from. One thing she is the most thankful for in her past, that most find a bit shocking, is the fact that she used to sell drugs.
Even though that situation turned sour, it seemed to be the right move for Sirah and her career. She has been featured in all sorts of songs from one with dubstep act, Skrillex to working with musical artist Young La few years ago. Now when it comes to creating music, she has found it to be a “fine line to walk and possibly the hardest” to not let external sources get in the way of her creativity. “I stay away from people and I now know the game and I think that helps,” Sirah went on to explain. “Everyone tries to recreate someone or something that has already happened and that never works. At the end of the day, I would rather fail on songs that I made and believe in than recreate something that isn’t mine.” Despite her setbacks, Sirah’s journey is far from over. She recently released her new EP, Inhale; which she said she is excited for people to hear it and see how they like it. Much of the EP reflects what was going on in her life while she was writing them, which led to what some would consider darker songs compared to her previous releases.
“I’m so thankful I used to sell drugs when I was growing up because the music industry is run by some Eskobar type people,” she explained. “If you have survived some real things and always remember that the same people you have seen on the way up are the same people you will see on the way down, you will be able to stay grounded.” Although her journey hasn’t been ideal or normal, every rough patch has reminded her how far she has come as well as how successful and respected she now is in the music world. Sirah is currently out on tour with duo, Icona Pop, where fans will be able to catch some songs off of Inhale. “I’m excited to meet my Internet fans who have been supporting me and in return, roll on their shoes and touch them. It always goes back to that.” PHOTO: Ashley Osborn INTERVIEW & STORY: Abby Welsh
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