With her single, “prizepicks,” out now, we took some time to hear from Saara. Read below to learn more about Saara, the story behind her single, and what’s to come.
Hi Saara! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
Hello! My name is Sara, but my family and all my extended family in India pronounce it as ‘Saara.’ I’ve always thought it was pretty and meaningful to me, so I wanted to pay homage to that.
What city are you from and where are you based now?
I was born in LA, but moved out to Vegas when I was young and grew up here. I’m still based out in Vegas currently.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
I loved music since I was young – I always loved to sing and could never really imagine myself doing anything else. My brother bought me my first keyboard when I was like six years old and taught me the first few notes to ‘Fur Elise,’ and I was glued to that thing for years after. Singing came soon after and it became a lifelong passion of mine.
Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today? If so, how?
Yes, absolutely – I was raised by a single mother. The strength, grace, wisdom, and feminine energy I was so lucky to witness and experience in my upbringing became absolutely integral to who I strive to be as a person and how unafraid I’ve become to use my music in order to give a voice to the female perspective. I use my music to be as honest and authentic as I can be, and to help me walk myself through powerful emotions that might otherwise be too overwhelming to bear. I think that I learned that kind of bravery from my mom.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
I would definitely describe it as R&B and Soul, with a bit of an emphasis on Alternative and/or Indie-R&B. I like to do a lot of different things and play with a lot of different sounds, but I think the heart of my music lives there.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
While I have to admit that music does take up a majority of my time, I am a bit of a bookworm. I’ve always loved to read. Admittedly, I lost touch with that for a bit, but it’s something that I’ve been recently trying to revive in my life. I think the simplest things help me stay creative. Something that always helps me clear my head and get in the right mindset to work is a good walk in the morning. I feel like I sound like a little old lady when I say that, but it’s true!
Who are some of your main musical influences?
I think Cleo Sol, SZA, and Frank Ocean are the bedrock of my inspiration as a singer and a lyricist – I’ve been sooooo inspired by Doechii, Ravyn Lenae, Jean Deaux, Smino and Destin Conrad in recent years though. I don’t think our sounds are even remotely similar, but I am just a huge fan and they inspire me a lot as an artist.
What are some of your future music career goals?
I’d love to be able to sell out a country-wide tour one day. A Cleo Sol collab would make me feel like I could die happy. On a world level, I hope my music has the ability to help heal a lot of hearts one day, and on a personal level, I just wanna be able to retire my mom through doing what I love. Whatever means or level of success gets me those two things, I would be content with.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
I joined one of Timbaland’s TikTok lives one day and he listened to my music, said I was dope, and followed me. I grew up listening to Timbaland with my older brother, so that moment was so surreal and beautiful to me, and I think about it often. I called my brother right after and cried my eyes out because it made me feel like I was doing something right.
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
I think the greatest lesson that I’ve learned is how important it is to be honest. Not to say that I was ever a liar, but I am a recovering people pleaser. And, as much as the goal is to help others through my music, and I’m inclined to think about what other people might need or want to hear from me, the only way that I can truly help anyone is through being as honest and authentic as I can be with myself first. It has to start with me before it can even begin to resonate. Having big emotions and sitting with them can be scary. That’s where the work begins. But, once I’m able to do that, to be honest about what I’m feeling, I can learn to navigate it, and music is my own personal tool in doing so.
Now onto your release, ‘prizepicks.’ What inspired this song?
A nonchalant man. I am a victim of the nonchalant man apocalypse.
What is ‘prizepicks’ about?
I was in a bad relationship. I put my whole heart and soul into loving somebody who just did not even remotely reciprocate that. And, I wrote the song while I was with him because as much as I tried to (lovingly) communicate that, nothing got better! So, I turned to music to vent. I think I muted my anger a lot in that relationship because I wanted to communicate and handle things as healthily as I could, but that can only take you so far when you’re fighting an uphill battle by yourself. So, ‘prizepicks’ was me giving myself the space to be angry. It was me stepping back into my power. You shouldn’t have to beg anybody for the kind of love you know that you deserve. But, you definitely can tell somebody where they got you f*cked up at.
What is your favorite lyric in ‘prizepicks’ and why?
It’s a tie between ‘Tell me how you feel or get the f*ck out’ and ‘I hope they never hit’ because those two are the ones everybody (myself included) yell along to when they listen to it. I talk about a man being more focused on their parlays than the relationship, so yelling out, ‘I hope they never hit,’ is sort of like a battle-cry type response to that. It’s this idea of no longer trying to take the high road. And, it’s a metaphor for just no longer wishing the best for somebody who didn’t even remotely consider you. Why should you? Plus, if you have $10 to put on a parlay, you got money to buy that girl some flowers. I know you do.
What message do you hope fans take away from your music and from ‘prizepicks?’
I hope they feel empowered. Genuinely, that is my biggest hope for ‘prizepicks’ and for my music as a whole. I hope they feel empowered in their own truths. I hope they know it’s okay to feel how you feel, and to stand on how you feel. Our greatest power lies in being honest about how we feel. It can be the most beautiful bridge to connection (to ourselves and to other people), and can be the most powerful sword in severing ties with the people and situations that no longer serve you.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
A lot of new music! We have my next release set for May or June that you should definitely be on the lookout for – I haven’t been this excited for a song of mine in a long time so I hope it resonates with people. The rest of this year is gonna consist of a lot of singles that I was working on all throughout 2024 that we’re finally putting out, and I’m really looking forward to it. I have a tentative performance in July, but no solid details ironed out yet; however, when we get it sorted, I’ll definitely be mentioning it on my social media! Instagram is the best platform to go to in terms of show announcements.
Where can we follow you on social media?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saaranishat/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@saaranishat
Twitter (I’m not calling it X, you can’t make me): https://x.com/saaranishat_
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7HQe9Y67wT5WNxMXFqnQza
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/saara/1627767397
Before you go, let’s ask you some random questions:
What is your favorite food?
I love a good seafood boil, I am not even gonna lie to you.
Do you have any pets?
I have a cat named, Raja, that I named after the tiger from the movie Aladdin – he is the light of my life, and my pride and joy.
Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
