Starrah: From the Writers’ Room to the Booth

WHO IS STARRAH?

She may be best known for the hits she’s co-written for other artists, but Starrah is a force to be reckoned with by herself. The Delaware artist born Brittany Hazzard has spent the last decade making music of her own, featuring on other artists’ tracks, and writing some of the biggest hit songs in recent memory. Three of them have topped the Billboard Hot 100: Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” remix with Beyoncé; Camilo Cabello and Young Thug’s “Havana”; and Maroon 5 and Cardi B’s “Girls Like You”. That said, she’s developed a strong reputation in her own right as a rapper and singer. 

So how did Starrah develop such a gift for music and for songwriting, especially for catchy melodies and hooks? Let’s take a deep dive into how she got to where she is today, her music and songwriting, and what she’s got planned for her own career as lead artist.

HOW STARRAH GOT ON THE MAP

Born in June 1990, Starrah grew up as part of a big family in a small Delaware town as the youngest of nine siblings. She’s a notoriously private person and not much is known about her personal life beyond that — in fact, many of Starrah’s photos depict her covering her face with her hand and/or with an emoji over top. Prior to writing her own songs, she learned how to write poetry and short stories, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue music full-time after graduating university. Her manager, Nick Jarjour, found her from a single song on SoundCloud playing on a German college radio station. He reached out via email and that’s how they got connected, he then started plugging her into the music industry. The first single Starrah would be credited as a co-writer for is Kid Ink and Dej Loaf’s 2015 single “Be Real,” which peaked at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Despite the inherent sense of mystery surrounding Starrah, she’s managed to leave her fingerprints on some of the biggest pop hits of the last decade. Starrah’s work on the “Savage” remix for Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé would help it win Best Rap Song at the 2021 Grammys. She’s had a hand in other rap hits like Travis Scott and Young Thug’s “Pick Up the Phone”, Kevin Gates’ “2 Phones”, and featuring on Big Sean's “Bigger Than Me”. Other credits of hers include songs for Calvin Harris (“Feels”), Charli XCX (“Dreamer”), Drake (“Fake Love”), Halsey (“Now or Never”), Madonna (six songs on her 2018 LP Madame X), Nicki Minaj (“No Frauds”) and Rihanna (“Needed Me”), among others.

She’s also a hugely talented artist in her own right, but one from whom we’re still waiting for more new music. Though she’s been making her own songs since 2014’s “Low” (produced by 40, aka Drake’s longtime producer), she’d only released eight singles in total before the end of 2020. Her debut album, The Longest Interlude, dropped in 2021, which featured contributions from James Blake, Skrillex and Nile Rodgers. It remains her only full-length project to date.

STARRAH’S KEYS FOR SUCCESS

A big reason Starrah has gotten to where she is now is undoubtedly thanks to her prowess with a pen and paper. But it’s far more than just that: she’s become incredibly well-connected in the industry thanks to her impressive resumé. Having a famous co-sign from Diplo after signing her to his label Mad Decent is also a huge factor, and the two would even release a collaborative EP, Starrah x Diplo, in 2017. She’s also a featured vocalist on Skrillex and Four Tet’s 2021 single, “Butterflies”, and Skrillex was featured on Starrah’s debut album The Longest Interlude that same year.

Starrah’s got a go-to songwriting technique down, as she comes up with lyrics first before eventually figuring out production, instrumentation and melodies. That may sound counterintuitive, but it’s brought her a great deal of success. Streaming has also gone a long way in helping Starrah’s audience grow, with her most streamed song as a featured artist being G-Eazy’s 2020 single “Order More”, boasting more than 105 million Spotify streams. As lead artist, she still has some catching up to do, with her most streamed song being “Miss This”, at just under 526,000 on Spotify.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR STARRAH

Though it’s not clear when Starrah will be releasing music of her own any time soon, she shared some snippets of an unreleased song on her Instagram account back in February. In the comments of one of those posts, she responded to a fan who asked if a sequel to The Longest Interlude was coming, to which she said:

"lmfao it’s not going to be another interlude. 😂 but it’s coming though. June.”

Since we are now entering the month of June and there's still no announcement, it’s hard to say definitively if Starrah’s next batch of music will still drop when she’d intended. Nonetheless, you can keep up with Starrah’s future releases and career plans on her social media accounts like Instagram or Facebook, as well as on her SoundCloud or any streaming platform.

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FAQS ABOUT STARRAH

Where is Starrah from?

• Starrah hails from Delaware. Though it’s not known exactly where she grew up, she says it was a small beach town. She graduated from Delaware State University.

How old is Starrah?

• Starrah was born on June 14, 1990, and will soon be 34 years of age.

What is Starrah's real name?

• Starrah's real name is Brittany Talia Hazzard.

Who is Starrah signed to?

• Starrah is signed to 3:02 Records as artist, owns 3:02 publishing with Pulse and is managed by Nick Jarjour

What was Starrah's breakout song?

• Starrah's first single as lead artist was 2014’s “Low”, but her most successful release was her 2017 collab EP with Diplo, Starrah x Diplo, which included the single “Swerve”. As a songwriter for other artists, Starrah’s breakthrough hit was Kid Ink’s 2015 single “Be Real”, featuring Dej Loaf.

Who influenced Starrah's music?

• Starrah has been influenced by female emcees like Nicki Minaj and Eve, as well as author/rapper Sister Souljah. As a kid, she also loved acts like Lil’ Bow Wow, Lil’ Romeo and B2K.

What’s next for Starrah?

• Starrah hasn’t divulged much info as far as new music, but did tease snippets of a new song on her Instagram account in February, where she tells a fan to expect new music to be released in June.

How can I stay updated with Starrah’s music?

• You can keep up with Starrah’s new releases on her SoundCloud or the streaming platform of your choice, as well as her socials like Instagram or Facebook.

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