An  Exclusive Interview with Ethereal Songstress Sarina Desir 

Sarina is setting the vibes this summer unveiling her deluxe EP ‘Glass Paradise’

"I think I just want to be able to show that a man doesn't have to be in charge for it to be working. Most of my team are women, and we're doing it!" Sarina shares with a smile when I ask her what impact she would like to leave on the world as a woman in music. The Haitan-American singer, songwriter, and producer is adamant about three things; women empowerment, her love for music, and the vibes she's giving us this summer as she unveils the deluxe version of her EP Glass Paradise on June 18th.

Sarina creates a dreamy harmony of R&B, Pop, and Hip Hop sounds, guiding us through an ethereal trip full of emotions and experiences inspired by love. This project is an ode to summer and all the feelings that come with it. During Covid's peak, Sarina found Glass Paradise to be an escape throughout the lockdown. Fueled by her desire to connect with the world again, she's set her heart on making it an escape for her listeners as well.

It's 5 pm, and Sarina sits comfortably in her purple light-infused room as we compliment each other on our curls. After every question I ask over our zoom call, Sarina smiles, taking a moment to answer in the most genuine way. In this exclusive interview, Sarina spoke with Trutuyou about the moment she knew music was for her, being a woman in the industry, and her new deluxe EP, Glass Paradise.

TRUTUYOU: Tell me about the journey that led to you becoming the woman and artist you are today.

SARINA : I've kind of always known I wanted to do something in entertainment from a very young age. I grew up in a Haitian household, and music is a big part of our culture. My dad was always blasting music out of his speakers, and though I don't have anyone in my family who is in the music industry, I've always gravitated toward it. When I was four or five years old, I had this guitar that my mom's friend gave me. I would make these beats and songs... of course, they were horrible.

It was really in high school when I decided that this was something that I could do with technology advancing and people being able to create from their homes. I literally got a job just to pay for my first home studio setup. It was super bad, but for me, it was the best ever.



TRUTUYOU: Was there a defining moment that solidified that music was the path for you?

SARINA :
It was my first year of college, I went to Penn State, and I was studying Architecture. I was like, I can not do this. I was good at it but could not see myself graduating and getting a job. I hated it so much. So I was doing music on the side just as a hobby, but I knew that's what I really wanted to do. I'm happy when I do this, and I'm pretty good at it, so I knew I had more of a future doing that than just settling for doing something just for money or people's approval.

TRUTUYOU: What would you say music does for you?

SARINA : It's literally like oxygen for me. It's the reason for me breathing and living here. I'm not that great with my words, so music has been able to perfectly embody how I'm feeling at a certain time. Only music can do that for me, and learning how to do that myself with my own music for other people has been very intriguing for me.

TRUTUYOU: Your music is very expressive. Would you say you've had to build up the confidence to be so vulnerable in your lyrics?

SARINA : I think so. For me, the confidence came with actually singing. Like, okay, can I actually even sing in the first place? I was mostly scared of people hearing me sing. It didn't really matter what I was saying. I just didn't want people to be like, omg, she can't sing. When I write, I don't worry about how people will take it or what they think about it. I've always had confidence in my writing; it was more of the delivery I needed to build my confidence in.



TRUTUYOU: The past year was rough for many of us, but for creatives and artists, it was a year that boosted creativity. How would you say the past year has impacted your creativity?

SARINA : I would definitely say it helped me. It was crazy for me because I dropped my debut project at the top of last year, literally right before the pandemic hit. I thought I was going to drop it, perform, and do different things with it, and the next month everything was shut down. Literally, for two to three months, I didn't do anything. No music, nothing. I was so sad about it not working out how I wanted it to, but it kind of worked out for the better because that's when I thought of 'Glass Paradise.'

The pandemic showed me that you don't have to force things when they're not happening, and if they're not happening, it's not your fault. It helped me to focus on what was really important; making sure the music is good. If the music is good, everything else will come with it.

TRUTUYOU: Your music seems to be centered around love. What experiences, emotions, and ideas have influenced your music?

SARINA : Definitely things that I've been through. Almost all my music is about experiences that I've actually gone through and what other people around me have gone through. I like to speak through other people's perspectives, sometimes a perspective that might not be as popular. It may not be a good thing, but I like to give people who do wrong the benefit of the doubt and try understanding their mindset. Like okay, there has to be a reason why they did this; what is it? That's kind of how I write and what I write about. I think that's why people can connect with it because it's true.

 

TRUTUYOU: Who would you say are some of your artist inspirations?

SARINA : Definitely, Ariana Grande, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, and Michael Jackson. Anyone who's a vocalist and who cares about the music. Those are the people that I look up to.



TRUTUYOU: As a woman in the music industry, what message or impact would you like to leave on this world?

SARINA : That you can be just as bold and confident as men in the industry. I feel like a lot of the time, people automatically assume that if you're a black woman, you don't know as much, and you don't know what you're doing as long as you look cute. No. We know what we're doing, and we have our stuff together. I think I just want to be able to show that a man doesn't have to be in charge for it to be working. Most of my team are women, and we're doing it!



TRUTUYOU: Who is your ideal listener? Who do you write music for?

SARINA : I write music for people like me who are shy and introverted but, when around the right people and the right vibes, are open, free, and can be themselves. I write music for people who just feel the same way I do. It's funny because that's a lot more people than I would've thought. I get people a lot older than me telling me they can connect with what I'm saying, and it just shocks me.

TRUTUYOU: Let's talk about the deluxe version of your Glass Paradise EP coming out on June 18th. What was your intention behind this project, and what inspired it?

SARINA : In November 2020, my producer sent me a few beats, and one of them was "My Mother." I instantly loved it! I didn't know what I was going to do with it, but I was like, this has to come out in the summer. Then the second song came along, and I was like, these are summer songs, but I didn't really want to do a whole new project. I decided to play them back to back with 'Glass Paradise,' and it fit perfectly.



TRUTUYOU: You've expressed that this project represents how you want summer to feel. Can you talk more about this feeling?

SARINA : Just to feel happy because I made it at a time when you couldn't go to the places you wanted to go or see the people you wanted to see. I love the beach, I love the islands so I was so upset when I couldn't go. I just wanted to create songs that gave me that same feeling from anywhere. I think I usually write sadder songs so I wanted to push myself and give you guys something that'll make you feel good too.



TRUTUYOU: What is your favorite song on the EP?

SARINA : My favorite song I recorded is "Kiwi" just because it was easy and fun. That was probably the fastest song that we've ever made.






TRUTUYOU: What motivates you to keep going, singing, and putting out music?

SARINA : I just feel like this is what I was meant to do. I literally love it so much. Even if music isn't my main thing in the future, I would still be doing it. I just love it. That's my answer.



TRUTUYOU: It's definitely for you! As a woman in music, why do you think it's important to stay true to yourself?

SARINA : There are a lot of obstacles and things that will come at you and try to bring you down and change you into something that you're not. Being yourself is so important because even if everything goes away or everything is going wrong, you can at least be with yourself and be able to say, okay, I know that this is true about me. I know that this is who I am. Things might be happening, but I'm okay with that because, like you said, as a woman, when you walk in a room, you're already being analyzed, so being okay with who you are is the most important part of it all.

THANK YOU SARINA! ︎