Bio

Samaria’s music doubles as a safe space and a healing tool, soundtracked by a blend of R&B, soul with subtle nods to her love for ‘00s pop. Her raw authenticity can be partly attributed to her upbringing in California’s historically artistic Bay Area – specifically Oakland and Berkeley. She was surrounded by music growing up, as her mother was a singer and her father belonged to a local rap group. But when she wasn’t performing ‘90s classics like Deborah Cox’s “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here” at her mother’s Kingdom Hall, Samaria was on her skateboard skating to visionaries like Justin Timberlake, Paramore, Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child and Lauryn Hill or blasting hits like “Cry Me A River” and “One In A Million” in her late grandmother’s car. 

Samaria’s grandmother was her biggest influence. She ultimately gave her the push to fulfill her dreams. “She always told me, ‘You can do both. If you get A’s and B’s, I’ll get you guitar lessons and take you to those Nickelodeon auditions they’ve been talking about on the radio,’” Samaria says. “She always believed that I could be anything that I wanted to be.” 

Samaria’s grandmother passed 2 weeks after she started high school, it sent Samaria spiraling downward. “There are breakups and there are Grandmothers, the loss of my Grandmother was the worst pain I had, and have ever felt.” Samaria says. Missing school, hanging with the wrong crowd, dealing with the loss of a loved one (her grandmother) trying to cope with a loss that cannot be physically reconciled started Samaria on her path to healing. “I had made a promise to her that I would try … we would try … A promise I keep today.” Her lyrics chronicling her journey through pain became her guide and her therapy. 

One of her first uploads to SoundCloud, a remix of Drake’s So Far Gone fan favorite “Brand New”, quickly caught the attention of local producer]. Their collaboration led to the 2016 release of Samaria’s debut project, “The Story of Right Now”, the featured video was Samaria’s video directorial debut. She later followed up with the Adventures of Lovergirl EP in 2019, whose lyrical trajectory ranging from helplessly falling in lust to confronting heartbreak. 

As the world continues to discover Samaria, she hopes to inspire women to be more self-aware, to not be afraid to confront their emotions and to find healthy methods of healing from a shattered heart. For Samaria, music is the best remedy: “Even though I’m in therapy, nothing makes me feel better or gives me a space to comfortably get things off my chest like what music does. I can leave a therapy session and feel good, but I can leave a studio session and feel whole!”