Yahzarah
Location: Washington, DC
Genre(s): R&B
Booking: Click Here

People who have had the pleasure to witness a YahZarah live performance usually walk away with an adrenaline rush and a tingling feeling running up and down their spines. The Washington, D.C. native's energetic, funky, soulful Tina Turner-esque shows have that type of effect on the nervous system. Hearing YahZarah elevate from a soul diva to a funk shaman causes your ears and soul to be inundated with a sound that's part Shirley Caesar and part Sly Stone, with a touch of the Brides of Funkenstein. Your feet might move in a syncopated church-happy fashion, but your hips do a George Clinton Funkadelic gyration. That's what the YahZarah experience has been known to do. "I want people to know that when they come to my show and hear my music, they are going see and hear the best; they are going to feel my best. This music is my life, and I want to share my life with all who will listen."

"Evolution" would best be the word to describe YahZarah. The former student from the renowned Duke Ellington School of Music, who once performed with such musical legendary geniuses as Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker and Dave Brubek, has made an incredible transformation in a short amount of time. In a span of seven years, she has gone from a music scholarship student at North Carolina Central University, to a background singer for one of the founders of the neo-soul movement, Erykah Badu, to a soul artist in her own right. YahZarah has released two musical ventures to date, "Hear Me" (released on the Keo Music label) and "Black Star" (released on the Three Keys label).  Both releases have sold over 80,000 thousand units combined.  Both cds enjoy a customer satisfaction rating of 4.5 out of 5.0 on Amazon.com.  YahZarah has an international following, with significant fan bases in the North America (all of the major U .S. markets such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles), the UK, Germany and Japan. What is phenomenal regarding YahZarah's oversees fan base is that she has never performed as the artist YahZarah in Europe nor in Asia, where the demand for her music is strong.  The support has been generated through word-of-mouth and the internet.

YahZarah emerges from the background and steps into the spotlight with a sound that's distinctly her own. Her sound pushes the envelope at times, while being subtly sexy and familiar at other times. Yah calls it "gumbo" with funk at the core. "I want to make funky beautiful music with the head nock and ass jiggle of hip hop, where the passion is felt as well as heard". "If hip hop had a baby with Tina, Parliament and Minnie, I would be her." Ask anyone about YahZarah and the reaction you'll get is amazement over how a woman so petite can possess such an immense voice and energy. You will also hear a deep overwhelming appreciation for an artist who invokes memories of the soul greats of the past. She is the confluence of that which is both classic and cutting edge. YahZarah has created a unique mold that cannot be replicated. She is one of kind. 

YahZarah's voice first became known to the music world when YahZarah, then known as mild-mannered background singer Dana Williams, was putting her considerable vocals down behind Erykah Badu. You've heard her on Badu's multi-platinum, Mama's Gun album. You've may have seen her as the fiery soprano on Badu's critically acclaimed " Mama's Gun" tour or as the Nickel Bag Lady in Badu's "Bag Lady" video. She's come a long way since then having released her own videos on BET and VH1 soul, appearing on Soul Train, Live In Hollywood, ESPN2's Cold Pizza and XM Radio Live; releasing two cd's; opening for artists such as Music Soulchild, Earth Wind and Fire, Chaka Khan, Floetry, Rahsann Paterson, Donnie, Res , R. Kelly and Erykah Badu;  and being covered by publications such as Essence, Billboard, Ebony, Sister to Sister, EURWEB, Pointed Magazine, the Washington Post, the Charlotte Observer and the News and Observer.  Most recently, she has collaborated with Phonte Coleman of Little brother on the album "Foreign Exchange Connected" and is featured on the next Little Brother release " The Minstrel Show", set for release in 2005 on Atlantic Records.  

 YahZarah defined means "Queen mother is the brightest star." The name is a memorial to her deceased grandmother from Ghana, Yah Atchewincohma, and a tribute to her living grandmother, Sara (Zarah in Arabic). Growing up, YahZarah was influenced by soul greats such as Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, George Clinton, Prince, Minnie Reperton, and the music of the Church. Now an unsigned artist, YahZarah is looking forward. While her evolution is still a work in progress, YahZarah enjoys the direction in which she's traveling. "I am changing. I am evolving, I am growing, and my music will grow with me." Get ready for YahZarah.