Professional hit song maker, Starrah (born Brittany Hazzard), can trace it all back to when she was four years old. For the songwriter, who has since gone on to co-write tracks like Camila Cabello’s “Havana,” Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” inspiration first hit when she heard the 1994 song “Candy Rain” by the group, Soul for Real. More than the music, though, she was struck that the singing group included a kid in its ranks. This was an early light bulb moment—you didn’t have to be an adult to participate in music. Just a few years later, around 10 years old, the songs began to come. Starrah was on her way. She began recording with a rudimentary app on Microsoft Windows, recording herself over herself. Now, all of that inspiration and hard work is paying off. This month, Starrah has released her debut solo LP, The Longest Interlude, and the new album marks the beginning of yet another fruitful era in Starrah’s already illustrious career.
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“You know what?” Starrah says to American Songwriter, “I actually don’t think I’ve ever even said this to anyone. But the song ‘Candy Rain’ by Soul for Real, there was a kid in that group and he was a good singer. Ever since then, I knew that kids could be involved in music. That’s what I wanted.”
As she got a little older, the burgeoning artist saw more young people in music, including rappers like Lil’ Bow Wow and Lil’ Shanice. Early on, she gravitated to MTV, BET and VH1. She wrote poetry and rhymes. She was inspired by a DJ who lived down the street. She wanted to get on his record one day and though she never did, the inspiration drove her more. Later, around 17 years old, Starrah realized a friend of hers had written a song for professional singer, Chris Brown. Starrah began to internet sleuth and eventually found some contacts through that friend that she used to help elevate her career, including an A&R rep.
“I’d send him my music,” Starrah says. “He’d critique me and let me know how to become a better writer. He taught me how to punch in because before then, I was doing everything in one take.”
Often, the reason aspiring musicians don’t achieve their goals is because they’re afraid to reach out to others in the industry. Thankfully, for Starrah, she eschewed that fear. Soon, contacts led to more contacts, collaborations led to more collaborations. Eventually, she found herself in L.A. in Grammy-winner James Fauntleroy’s studio, watching him make music. For Starrah, who grew up in Delaware, this was a big change. But it also fit like a snug glove. From those experiences came her first releases, including “Be Real,” which was recorded by Kid Ink (featuring Dej Loaf) and now boasts over 34 million views on YouTube.
“My achievements,” Starrah says, “have taught me that if I trust in my vision and continue to stay on my path that I know is right for me, then that’s when I end up with those results. I always like to trust my gut.”
Starrah recalls the time she decided to work with Cabello on the now-giant hit, “Havannah,” which has earned nearly one billion streams on YouTube.
“A lot of times,” Starrah says, “people listen to the music and think they need to make music like the popular songs on the radio or work with a person because they’re poppin’ now. But I worked with Camila not because she was a popular singer but because I met her and liked her as a person.”
To date, Starrah has garnered some 15 billion streams thanks to “Havannah” and her work with other stars like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Drake, The Weeknd, Halsey, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, Pharrell, Katy Perry and Diplo. But, Starrah says, while it might be easy to feel driven by these fast-rising numbers, what she’s driven by is a much deeper idea, something philosophical and personally impactful.
“When the word ‘numbers’ comes up,” she says, “I think of something Drake told me. He said, ‘Don’t worry about numbers. Worry about the impact you have on the culture.’ That’s what matters at the end of the day. If a kid who wants to do this hears something I created and it jumpstarts their career, then I’m happy about that.”
To name a few more accomplishments, Starrah was the first woman to win ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year award in nearly 20 years and she’s also graced the cover of Billboard. She’s a Grammy winner, and this year Starrah is enjoying the release of her critically acclaimed debut album, The Longest Interlude, which includes sticky, bright tracks like her new single, “Love Mania.” It’s a lot for the artist who still has much ahead of her. So much so that the ticking clock has become a central theme.
“I spend a lot of time obsessing about time,” Starrah says. “So, that’s basically what the album is about.”
For Starrah, the words come first when she’s writing a new song. Those are the most important. Those indicate the message and the meaning. She focuses on how to pack the most emotional impact into the fewest amount of words. Sometimes, meaning can even come in a sound, a grunt or a sigh. For the artist, the music is so paramount that she doesn’t even care to be photographed. When she is, she covers her face. While most people want the fame, want to be the face of something, Starrah is all about the pure composition. In fact, doing so keeps her hopeful as she continues to write, work and evolve into the future.
“I feel like the focus should be on the music,” Starrah says. “Not necessarily the personality of the person writing it. You don’t visually listen to music, you use your ears to listen. That’s what I feel like is most important. Do you like what you’re hearing?”
Photo credit: ABOVEGROUND
