Sara Haile, better known by her stage name Sa'ra Charismata, is a Swedish singer and songwriter.[1]
Sa'ra Charismata | |
|---|---|
 Sa'ra Charismata at a recording studio in Stockholm, Sweden. | |
| Background information | |
| Genres | Protest Pop, punk, indie pop, hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Labels | Virgin Records Sweden |
Early life
editSa'ra Charismata's parents fled the conflict in 1970s Province of Eritrea in Ethiopia, finding sanctuary in Sweden where she was born and raised. Growing up across three continents, Sa'ra Charismata devoted her adolescent years addressing challenging issues pertaining to racial, economic and gender inequalities through music, field activism and legal practice, primarily in The United States.[2]
Career
editCharismata began her music career in 2004 while she attended college at the University of Northern Colorado. In college, Charismata spearheaded the campus organization The Summit Organizing Committee on Social Justice and Diversity (SOC) and during that time her music was mainly acoustic and political in nature.[3] After college, Charismata intended to continue her political career so she attended law school at Fordham University School of Law in New York City. However, in 2013, once she had earned her Juris Doctor degree, Charismata left the legal field to fully pursue a career in music instead. In 2015, Charismata gave a TEDx talk where she spoke of her journey going from the legal field to fully embracing a career in music.[4]
Having spent the majority of her artist career as an independent artist, in 2015, Charismata signed a record deal with Virgin Records Sweden after she independently released "Mushroom," her most popular song yet, gaining the attention of radio and record label executives in Sweden.[5] In her song "Mushroom", a high-energy punk-pop tune, Charismata uses references to Super Mario Bros. characters like Koopa Troopa to draw comparison to the current social order and political climate, raising the question, who is really in control?[6]
In 2014, Charismata was nominated Rookie Artist of the Year at the Denniz Pop Awards alongside Tove Lo[7] and listed as "a name to watch for" by Sweden's leading music journalist Jan Gradvall.[8]
Musical style and influences
editCharismata described her early style of music as "Protest Pop," a term she coined herself.[9] Afropunk has previously described Charismata as "the quintessential revival of the modern protest song in pop music" and "an outspoken voice that mainstream media may never acknowledge."[10]
Charismata cites the careers of Bob Marley, Bad Brains, and John Lennon as her biggest inspirations.[11] Charismata is also known for her high-energy live performances influenced by the 1980s New York punk scene. She has performed at large-scale festivals such as Roskilde Festival in Denmark and Peace & Love Festival in Sweden.[12]
Whereas Charismata's previous work has been mainly political in nature, her more recent work also includes more personal lyrics.[13]
Singles discography
edit| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Gold Digga | 2014 |
| Sheep (Let Me Go) | 2015 |
| Mushroom | 2015 |
| Big Man (Pharmaceuticals) | 2016 |
| Addicted (To Your Messed Up Kinda Lovin) | 2016 |
| Hypocrites | 2020 |
| Life Is Not About Control | 2021 |
References
edit- ^ Bachlakova, Polina. "Sa'ra Charismata Wants You to Think Your Neighbour Could Be a Lizard". Noisey. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ^ Rundquist, Solveig. "'I was ashamed of not being fully Swedish'". The Local. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ^ Wahl, Donnae. "Weighing in on diversity: Students ready for progress, change at UNC". The UNC Mirror. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
- ^ "Use Your Voice Uniquely, As Only You Can". TEDx Talks. TEDx Stockholm. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Sa'ra Charismata signar med Virgin Records Sweden!". Mynewsdesk. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- ^ Aplerku, Alexander. "New Music: "Militant Pop" – Sa'ra Charismata Releases New Single, 'Mushroom'". Afropunk. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
- ^ Ek, Torbjörn. "Gratiskonsert när musikproducenten hyllas". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
- ^ Gradvall, Jan. "Svensk musiks nästa 5 stora stjärnor". Di Weekend. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
- ^ Robinson, Tyler. "The Mind Behind a Movement". SKIO Music. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^ Pennington, Latonya. "Sa'ra Charismata – Gothic Goddess in 'Gold Digga'". Afropunk. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ Rundquist, Solveig. "'I was ashamed of not being fully Swedish'". The Local. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ^ "Protest Music in the Shape of Wonderfully Infectious Pop Songs". Roskilde Festival. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ "Sa'ra Charismata Releases Her First Song About Love: Addicted (To Your Messed Up Kinda Lovin)". Mynewsdesk. Retrieved 20 September 2016.