Meet Semayah SaraVon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Semayah SaraVon.

Semayah, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started playing piano when I was four years old. I was lead into it by my mother who had always wanted to play but never got the chance. For me, the piano wasn’t an instant love like most people who start out in their There were musical journeys. I didn’t like it very much at all. In fact, I hated it with a passion. I would to always tell my mom that I swore Mozart hated me like he would be mocking me from above whenever I couldn’t get a phrase under my fingers. But the piano turned into something that I loved. I grew to enjoy the phrasings and theories found in music. I started to feel like it was a superpower like I knew another language that most people couldn’t understand.

When I was in the fourth grade, I started doing poetry. I was in a couple of competitions and read a few times out loud. I swore I was going to grow up and be a poet. I would study poets and the different styles just trying to Mimic the talent. I always loved analyzing the meaning of the poems and viewpoints in which it was written.

Eventually, I was given a task similar to that as a summer assignment. I had to analyze Pharrell Williams’s “freedom” lyrics and come up with a 25 slide presentation on the meaning. From there, I never stopped. I found it to be so interesting how someone could fit such a huge concept in a simple sentence or in a simple phrase. From there, every song in my ear shot I analyzed. Eventually, the lyrics started feeling like another language too, similar to notes. There were hidden messages and double sometimes triple layers to what a person meant when writing the words on the paper. The best part was nobody would ever fully know the perspective. There was always something different than a person would hear that draws them into a song. Only the songwriter would know that secret. Songs can be something that’s so public and heard and adored but at the same time, be so private and intimate. I loved it! So, I started playing it. After practicing my classical music everyday, I would learn a new song I heard on the radio or on a show, anything. I felt like it brought me closer to the understanding of the song. After learning and playing so many classical and modern songs, I guess I eventually just started creating my own.

When I wrote my first song, I didn’t think it was that good. My mom was hyping me and telling me how much she loved it, but deep down I knew she was trying to encourage me. But I figured I was writing to make myself happy, so who cares if they were good? They were my words, and that’s what was important. So I never stopped. I was writing every second I could. What’s funny is every one that knows me knows I’m not a very emotional person. In fact I keep emotions at an arm’s length at all times. But then they will hear my song and say it’s so emotional and not understand how I, this non emotional person could write something so heartfelt. That’s just the point. All the emotions I do have to go into my writing. I wouldn’t say it. In conversation, I would say it in my music.

Since I was in middle school, I wanted to go to Berklee School of music. I felt like if I was a musician I had to go to school there to be as great as I wanted to be. With my backing in classical music, I felt like it was something I could reach. So, one summer I went to a Berklee program for songwriting. I was terrified walking in. There were people of all ages 15 and up, I was walking past adults who were way more experienced than me in my 15 years of age. I felt so little. But I just stuck to what I knew, and that was my love for words. By the end of the program I was just happy to have not embarrassed myself while there and managed to have some fun. I was told about a week after returning home that I had won the dean’s award for songwriting at berklee. I was absolutely shook. I was honestly just so glad because it meant that I could actually do the only thing I wanted to do, and that was write. That’s all I’ve been doing since.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by not only the most talented people and musical mentors, but also people of the best quality in the world. They’ve helped make my road way smoother than most people who are thrown into the world of music. Really the only struggle I’ve had is being balanced. I’m still In high school, so balancing being a regular high school student and trying to push myself forward in the music world can be hard to juggle at times. It’s like existing in two different realities. It’s cool, but sometimes you can get too caught up in one or the other. When I’m in music brain fully, I’ll go weeks sometimes months without reconnecting with my friends or focusing on school work. That sometimes causes me to fall behind. But I keep trying to find ways to balance it.

Please tell us about your work.
My writing is what most people I’ve met know me for. I’ve written for a few artists and producers and interned at a few studios. It’s always fun to collab and creates. At this point, I’ve had about 12 years of classical training which I think really helps me with my writing. It gives me a deeper understanding of the musicality behind the lyrics to help build a deeper connection between the two. It’s all about the bond between the lyrics and the music. One should fit into the other. Also, I’ve been really lucky to have mentors like Amond Jackson, Leni Luxo, Ci major and others. They are like family to me now, and I’ve learned so much already. By surrounding myself with greatness, I’m hoping to pick up on a few gems.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I honestly would not change anything. I’ve already been so lucky to meet the people I have met and learn from those I have learned from. I’m still really young and have a lot of time to make mistakes and all that. Hopefully, I’ll do it right, so by the time I’m older. I won’t want any do-overs. Everything happens for a reason or at least that’s what I believe.

Contact Info:

• Email: semayahmusic@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B5B179sHYcG/?igshid=teblilvp8djj

Image Credit:
Derrick Barnhill

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