Meet Sariyah Idan

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sariyah Idan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sariyah , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

People say I have a strong work ethic. Astrology nerds might say this is because Saturn is conjunct Sun in my natal chart; self discipline is something I could ease up on a bit.

What I know is that I have a strong urge to move energy. This urge is to get the thoughts, feelings, ideas that I experience inside of myself, onto the outside. Every individual is a channel an expression of the universe. If we do not express that which moves through us then that expression is lost. For me that expression comes in the form of word, song, dance. And so I find myself as a music artist, a singer-songwriter, a poet, multi-instrumentalist, an interpreter of songs, creator of movement and image. I take on these various artistic identities not because I have a desire to be known for them; it is because this is how I know to best communicate with both myself and the world. And so I write and sing and dance and play instruments every morning; if I don’t I am not a nice person to be around, or to be.

At times I am also a facilitator of workshops, to hold the sacred space of creative process for others. And at other times I am a cultural curator of music events, of initiating both social wellness and social justice through the kinds of events that I curate. Both of these practices were born out of looking at my own creations and realizing that they needed community.

I think work ethic and resilience are interconnected, so I’ll add that I get my resilience from deep listening and from following through on what I hear, along with a sense of gratitude. This gratitude is for all that I have, for all that I have experienced, for all that I have yet to experience but welcome into my life. It sounds really nice when I say this all here, but these are also things I need to remind myself daily.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
COVID lockdown changed so many things for so many people. For me it gave the opportunity to do some deep reflecting, some deep healing. It also helped me move into an era of my life when I am making 90% of my living as artist. I shifted away from working full time as a massage therapist in order to sustain my creative pursuits and instead to have those pursuits sustain me. With this shift also came a move out of Los Angeles where I had been unhappy for a while, and to put down roots in New Orleans where I am grateful to have been embraced as an artist and contributor to culture.

This shift created new material for me as an artist. In November 2023 I released the first album I recorded in New Orleans called “Glitter & Blood”. It is about transition, choosing healing, choosing purpose, releasing the toxic past and embracing the possibility of joy in the moment. On an autobiographical level it is very clearly about my move from Los Angeles to New Orleans. The album begins with lyrics about and field recordings from the streets of Hollywood. It ends with lyrics and sounds from The French Quarter and Upper 9th Ward in New Orleans. I am grateful my friend and collaborator Andy Schlegel came in from Berlin to engineer and co-produce the project with me. He worked as engineer on a number of songs on my last album “Breaking Shadows”. Recording with musicians from New Orleans was a real treat and helped me begin to defining my band here. You can find the “Glitter & Blood” album on all streaming platforms here And of course feel free to follow on instagram or BandsInTown to find out if I’ll be coming to play in a city near you soonI

This move also prompted me start an event series that was partially inspired by the memory of an activist friend of mine in East Los Angeles, Soraya Medina, who passed in 2020. In January of 2023 I launched an event series in New Orleans called “Songs For The People”. It is a monthly series featuring 4 original music artists/poets performing in the round, with 100% of ticket profits donated to a different local community/social justice organization each month. I wanted to create a space for original music in this city rich with so much music but generally not known for songwriters. New Orleans is known for party music but not everyone who lives here wants a drunken party all the time. I wanted to create a place for thoughtful listening room sounds and more introspective audiences; a platform to celebrate thoughtful original lyricists of multiple genres of music. It also really excites me to cross pollinate the music community with the social justice community; this is what I have always been about. New Orleans like many cities has experienced waves of gentrification in the last couple decades, starting with the aftermath of hurricane Katrina right up to COVID era flight from larger cities that I recognize I am a part of. As a newcomer to New Orleans it has been important to me to give back, to not just be a taker but to be a giver as well. “Songs For The People” just launched into our second year! It has become an important place for artists to connect and be inspired by each other while also providing interaction between local organizations and potential volunteers, activating fundraising campaigns for orgs serving local youth, the unhoused community, and more. If you live in New Orleans or happen to be coming we are live on the first Monday of the month in The Den at The Howlin Wolf. A reel about the series here.

During COVID lockdown I also started doing a lot of vocal looping inspired from my time studying with Bobby McFerrin. This is opened my voice and my composing in wild ways, which lead to me giving more one on one voice coaching sessions. But what really excited me about this is that it birthed a new form of sonic expression for me that I find super healing both for me and for listeners. Once a month I now offer improvised vocal sound scapes, like a sound bath, for a yoga class that happens outside in City Park. Generally it’s the last Sunday of the month. You can find more info about that on my IG and website.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
It’s hard for me to look back because every day is a choice to wake up and keep doing the thing; the journey is consistently recreating itself every day. I think this is true for most people who are creatives, entrepreneurs, and generally living by means of our passions. So what I can say is that right now the three qualities that center me are, willingness, curiosity, and gratitude. Willingness to say yes to ideas and opportunities, but also to say no and draw a boundary when something is not right or is out of alignment. Curiosity keeps everything fresh, creates innovation and new opportunities. Gratitude is everything, especially when the vision seems far away and out of reach. I lean into gratitude for every moment and every opportunity, this magnifies my joy and ushers even brighter opportunities to both my career and my life.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
Currently my biggest challenge is being a time traveller. Almost every day it seems I balance being in the present moment while I practice, pulling from past emotions while I perform, and thinking in the future with regard to upcoming shows and projects. As an independent music artist there is a constant balancing of being an artist while also being my management, booker, music director. I wear a lot of hats, most independent artists do. While I spend a little time in creative practice every day there is so much time that goes into sending booking request emails, filling out festival applications, managing social media, general PR. I struggle to find balance between being a creative person with being a hustler for that creative “product”, and I like many artists I am not great at thinking about what I do as a product. We live in a time when it is easy to self record, release, promote. This is amazing for the sheer movement of individual creative energy, but there is also a super abundance of music acts out there. It takes a great deal of faith for me to remember every day that there are people who enjoy and are uplifted by my work, and to continue to find new platforms and audiences for it.

That said, I welcome new opportunities! So if you are a festival booker, performance presenter, venue etc who would like my music or sound baths in your place, reach out! If you are a filmmaker who wants to use my music in your project, reach out! And if you are simply an appreciator of music I am so grateful for you, hope you take a listen to my recordings and share them with your people. I also love hearing how the music effects listeners, so again, reach out! I’m easy to find and always happy to be in community.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Michael Alford Michael Alford Michael Alford Zackery Kanzler Steve Rapport Michael Alford

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