Sirah (rapper)
| Sirah (rapper) | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Sara Elizabeth Mitchell[1] |
| Also known as |
|
| Born |
July 28, 1988 (age 27) Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | New York City[2] |
| Genres | Hip hop, pop,[3] moombahton[4] |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts |
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| Website |
www |
Sara Elizabeth Mitchell[1] (born July 28, 1988), better known by her stage name Sirah /ˈsaɪrə/[2] is an American hip hop recording artist based in Los Angeles.[7] She is well known for her collaborations with Skrillex, including "WEEKENDS!!!",[8] "Kyoto"[9] and the hit single "Bangarang".[9]
Background
Mitchell was born in Long Island,[10] to a bluesman and an artist.[11] Her youth included poverty, homelessness and alcoholism.[12] She was repeatedly caught creating graffiti; she stopped after being arrested for it.[4] She moved to Washington with her father at age six, but after he died of an overdose,[11] she ended up returning to New York. There, she was arrested several times and eventually absconded to Los Angeles rather than be placed in foster care at age fifteen.[11] For a while, she considered Union Station her home before purchasing a Jeep Cherokee and living in it[11] in a garage in East Los Angeles;[4] in an interview, she stated that she lived out of her car and felt safe in doing so.[4]
Musical career
Mitchell moved from singing to rapping after her mother gave a negative review of her voice,[2] and mentioned that the turning point for her was when she heard Big Pun's Capital Punishment.[2]
After moving to Los Angeles, she booked her own tours in such countries as Germany and Romania, sleeping on floors and collecting money from fans.[13] Her first EP, Clean Windows Dirty Floors, was produced by DJ Hoppa.[11] Her first LP, Smile You Have Teeth, was never released. Prior to its intended release, Mitchell's manager sent her a contract demanding $30,000 from the LP's proceeds. She subsequently decided to abandon the album and start anew.[11]
Mitchell met Skrillex after she was contacted by him on MySpace, commending her work and requesting that they work together.[14] The first track, WEEKENDS!!! was the result of Skrillex asking her to rap into his laptop the lyrics she was working on.[8] Their second collaboration, "Bangarang", happened after he called her while he was on tour and asked her to record 16 bars[8] about the Lost Boys.[14] She forgot to close the window before recording it,[14] and thus birds are audible in the recording.[8] Mitchell has also released a mixtape, C.U.L.T: Too Young to Die.[14] After that she released another EP, Inhale.[15]
Influences
Mitchell is influenced by Joni Mitchell, Big Pun, WHY?, Qwel, Black Thought, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Jewel, and Cat Stevens.[3]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Broken Complex (with Broken Complex) |
|
Mixtapes
| Title | Details | Tracks |
|---|---|---|
| C.U.L.T. Mixtape |
|
|
| C.U.L.T. (Too Young To Die) |
|
|
EPs
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Clean Windows Dirty Floors (with DJ Hoppa) | Broken Complex |
| 2011 | Trick'd | Unsigned |
| 2013 | Inhale | Pulse Recordings / Atlantic Records |
Singles
| Year | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "God's Grace (with DJ Hoppa)" | Broken Complex |
Other appearances
| Year | Song | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "WEEKENDS!!!" (Skrillex featuring Sirah) | My Name Is Skrillex | Big Beat |
| 2011 | "Kyoto" (Skrillex featuring Sirah) | Bangarang | Big Beat / OWSLA |
| 2011 | "Bangarang" (Skrillex featuring Sirah) | Big Beat / OWSLA | |
| 2012 | "Survival" (Alvin Risk featuring Sirah) | Infinity | Ministry of Sound |
| 2013 | "Speakerbox" (The Juggernaut featuring Sirah)[16] | TBA | TBA |
| 2014 | "Lilies" (Lupe Fiasco featuring Sirah) | Lost in the Atlantic | TBA |
| 2015 | "Visionary" (Rain Man featuring Sirah) | TBA | Buygore Records |
| 2015 | "Waitin for You" (Demi Lovato featuring Sirah) | Confident | Island Records, Safehouse, Hollywood Records |
| 2015 | "Memories" (KSHMR & Bassjackers featuring Sirah) | Single Release | Spinnin' Records |
| 2015 | "Hotel Confidential" (Max Schneider featuring Sirah) | "Ms. Anonymous" | DCD2 Records |
References
- 1 2 Bangarang (inlay). Skrillex. OWSLA. December 23, 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 "HC Exclusive: Interview with Female Rapper, Sirah". Her Campus.
- 1 2 "Sirah". Facebook. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
- 1 2 3 4 Rebecca Haithcoat. "Sirah: Your New Favorite Female Rapper Indie Pop Princess". L.A. Weekly.
- ↑ "SXSW 2013: A surprise in Azari & III, a potential local star in Sirah and a major misstep by Icona Pop". latimes.
- ↑ "Mighty Mike - Pulse Recording". Pulse Recording. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
- ↑ "Exclusive Q&A with Female Rapper Sirah on Lana's Land's Blog - Buzznet". buzznet.com.
- 1 2 3 4 "INTERVIEW: Sirah Talks ‘Cult'; Explains How She Recorded Vocals for Skrillex’s ‘Bangarang’". ralphieaversa.com.
- 1 2 "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". officialcharts.com.
- ↑ Article on Sirah, from Thesource.com
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Downtown Music Services". Downtown Music Services. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
- ↑ Ali, Reyan. "Salt Lake City Music - Music Articles: Sirah". Cityweekly.net. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
- ↑ "Sira One & DJ Hoppa Present: Clean Windows Dirty Floors - Sirah One,Sirah & DJ Hoppa | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. 2007-11-27. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- 1 2 3 4 "Sirah: Rap, EDM and "Fun Dip" | Life+Times". Lifeandtimes.com. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
- ↑ "Sirah's 'Inhale' EP: Exclusive Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
- ↑ "Resurrection Mix by THE_JUGGERNAUT on SoundCloud". SoundCloud. 2013-04-08.
External links
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