As part of our Digital Native Artists (DNA) programme, young people taking part in songwriting and production sessions have written some questions to ask members of the team. Next up, introducing Sara!

Sara (She/Her) joined Southampton Music Hub in February as our Youth Voice Engagement Worker for Southampton, as part of the South West Coastal Hub Alliance. Sara will be running an in person 10 week music production club for young women and girls. Find out more about the Girls Make Music: Production Club here.

How did you get started in music and with writing music, and how did that get you here?

I started making music by writing rap lyrics when I was about 18, it wasn't until I was about 23 that I decided I needed to learn how to produce so I went back to college to get a diploma at DBS in Bristol and then onto get a degree in Music Production from BIMM London University. I then moved down to Southampton in February 2022 and was signed off for a year with anxiety, I slowly started volunteering and getting out there more over the year and I emailed the MAST Mayflower Studios to see if I could volunteer with them to get some experience working in the industry, and they said they had this position available and I should apply so I did and here we are!

What genre(s) of music do you create?

It's kinda experimental trip hop sort of stuff, I take a lot of influence from Portishead and Massive Attack. I love the heavy drums they use and the eery melodies that accompany them. I'm a very positive, upbeat person most of the time but my music has a lot of darker undertones.

What instruments and tools are you using for recording?

So I mainly just program virtual instruments in logic or use samples, I don't really play any instruments and I've never got too into music theory to be honest. I also sometimes like to take a field recording of some environment or non musical sound and process and edit it in Logic into a form of music.

Which other artists inspire you?

I accidently sort of already answered this question! But i'll expand a bit more, so trip hop, hiphop/rap and soul are my main influences but artists in any medium that are super authentic and original in their expression are really inspiring to me. I love people that aren't afraid to push boundaries or carve their own path.

What inspires you when you create music?

Everything and anything to be honest, it can be a feeling I have or a phrase that came to my head, it can be a passing strangers conversation or some experience I’ve had in my life. Literally anything.

What's the most important piece of advice you have for aspiring musicians?

Don't follow the crowd, be original, be unique, be bold and daring and don't be afraid to be the authentic truest version of yourself. Also be consistent, don't expect things to happen over night, good things take time and great things take even longer. Belive in yourself to the point of delusion and you'll succeed.

Check out some of the tools in our ecosystem of music hub to find out more about making music your career.