Meet Zara Sargsyan

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

Zara, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I’ve always known that I was made to make music. There was never a moment of doubt in my heart. I stepped on stage for the first time when I was five years old, and I just *knew*. I belonged there. The way everything else faded away, the way I felt completely at home in my own skin—it was like my purpose had been there all along, just waiting for me to step into it.

But knowing what I was meant to do didn’t mean everyone around me accepted it. My dad, my grandfather, and so many others in my family are musicians. They knew how unstable this career could be, how much sacrifice it required, and they didn’t want that for me. They wanted me to choose something safer, something that wouldn’t break my heart over and over again.

Still, my heart told me otherwise. Music wasn’t just something I wanted to do; it was something I had to do. So I fought for it. Every performance, every song I wrote, every moment I dedicated to my craft was proof that this wasn’t just a dream—it was my reality, my purpose. Over time, my family saw it too. They saw my passion, my dedication, and the way I came alive on stage. And slowly, they began to accept it. They chose to support me, not because the road had become any easier, but because they knew I was willing to walk it no matter what.

I never had to find my purpose. It was always there. I just had to believe in it enough to make the world believe too.

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?

I’m an indie jazz and folk singer-songwriter, and music has always been the heart of everything I do. I write songs that feel intimate and honest. What excites me the most about my music is the storytelling—how a melody, a lyric, or even just a vocal texture can capture a feeling so deeply that it connects with someone else’s experience.

Right now, I’m working on my debut Album, which is set to release in the end of 2025. It’s a project that truly reflects who I am as an artist, weaving together rich harmonies, introspective songwriting, and some experimental elements that push beyond what I’ve done before. I want it to feel raw, certain, and comforting. As I graduate from Berklee this year, I’m stepping into a new chapter and fully dedicating myself to my career as a songwriter and musician.

Beyond recording, I’ve been performing a lot, from intimate showcases in Boston and Montreal to playing venues like The Red Room, Theatre Saint-Catherine, Sala Jerusalem in Spain, and Hotel Cafe in LA. Later this year, I’m planning a big transition. I’m moving to LA in September to immerse myself in the music scene there. I want to keep growing as an artist, working with more musicians, writing for others, and performing as much as I can. More than anything, I want to keep creating music that feels honest, that brings people in, and that reminds them they’re not alone in what they’re feeling.

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?

Resilience, authenticity, and adaptability have been the most important qualities in my journey. Moving to Boston to start my journey at Berklee was a huge transition and adapting to a new city, a new environment, and the level of musicianship was definitely a challenge. However, it taught me resilience, pushing through the challenges of being in a high expectation environment and constantly evolving. A year before that, in 2021, I experienced a short burst of fame through *Star Académie* in Montreal, which was both exciting and overwhelming. But I realized I didn’t want a TV show to define me. I wanted to find my own voice as an artist and especially a songwriter. That’s where authenticity became key. I had to strip away expectations and focus on making music that truly felt like me. With all that said, adaptability has been a crucial quality, whether it was navigating new opportunities, collaborating with different musicians, or stepping into unknown spaces with confidence.

I’m still at the start of my career, so I don’t have all the answers, but if you’re just beginning, one thing I know for sure is that it takes hard work. You have to believe in it fully and fight for it, even when it feels impossible. No one is going to hand it to you. You have to show up for you, push through the doubts, and trust that if you stay true to yourself, the right path will appear.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

My perspective on this is shaped by an experience I had when I was 14. I was in a theatre group in Montreal, and my director knew I sang, so she asked me to sing a song for the play and accompany myself on guitar. At that point, I barely knew how to play, but I told her, “Of course, I can do it.” I had about a month and a half to learn the song. My mom was furious when I came home and told her, worried I wouldn’t be able to learn an instrument and accompany myself in such a short time. But for me, it felt like a piece of cake. I just dove in, and I did it. Now, I’m proficient at guitar and always accompany myself when I sing and I write all of my songs on guitar as well.

So, I do believe going all in can be a powerful approach, but it doesn’t always work. There were definitely times when it didn’t go as planned or when it felt like I was taking a leap of faith. But I think the important part is committing to it fully, even if it’s challenging. My experience taught me that sometimes you have to dive in headfirst to find what you’re truly capable of, but you also need to be ready to adjust when things don’t go as expected. That’s the balance I’ve found in my own journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/zarasmusicofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zarasmusicofficial
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zara-sargsyan-752a94326/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChIbmJUK8viwYhs5Dcil03A/videos
• Other: https://linktr.ee/Zaramusic

  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3iR00V5Z2KeNqeGRoPCixD

  Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/zara/1548172775

Image Credits

Photos 2 and 4: by Elia MA