*Original link: http://webzinem.co.kr/2607
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| photo by Official Saritah Facebook |
It was the Jarasum International Jazz Festival in 2013 when I saw Saritah’s performance for the first time. When she began to sing, countless audiences who was sitting on the grass was beginning to get up and dance singing along. I guess lots of people had never heard of that song but they moved their body to the rhythm as if they knew the tune for a long time. I was enjoying her powerful performance as well. Saritah’s music brought much joy to our life like magic.
SARITAH: Hi everyone! My name is Saritah, I’m a singer, songwriter and musician of music best described as reggae/soul music. I was born in Korea (my mother is Korean), grew up in Australia, have lived in England, France, and Spain and am currently based in Los Angeles, California. I love Korea and I’m very happy to connect with all the music lovers out there.
SARITAH: From memory, my Dad bought me my first reggae album – an unofficial Bob Marley album, back when I was 13 or 14. My interest and love of reggae music has steadily and naturally grown over the years. Music is more about feel than genre of course – I love all kinds of music, as long as it speaks to me, moves me.
SARITAH: Yes, you are right in the sense that life is a journey. My intention or wish is that people can feel inspired, uplifted, empowered or get some kind of healing through listening to the songs. When someone writes to me and tells me how much a certain song has helped or inspired them it brings me so much joy. Music can also bring solidarity – when I write about something I have been going through there are going to be others that can relate. Life can be overwhelming sometimes and music is magic in it’s way of carrying us through. I have heard people describe my music as spiritual… definitely Love (in an eternal, universal sense), joy, and faith are common threads through the lyrics, as well as respecting and protecting the planet, oneself, each other… plus the sheer wonder of being a human being alive on a planet spinning in an infinitely expanding universe!
SARITAH: Yoga, permaculture, surfing, capoeira, dance, are all things I love. I think it is crucial that protect what forests are left, as they are the lungs of the earth. I am interested in evolution of self, and the collective conscious, and the movement towards sustainable living – humans living in harmony with each other and the planet. I choose to be vegan because I know how much the meat industry is harming the planet.
SARITAH: Definitely, Korea is part of who I am and I celebrate that! Although I left Korea when I was a baby, I have been fortunate to spend time there almost every year recently. I love spending time with my Korean family there. I love Korean food, I often cook Korean dishes at home such as dwenjang soup with spinach and tofu, as well as bindaeduk and memil guksu! I also love visiting temples, I always visit ‘Donghaksa’ near my Halmuni(grandmother)’s house everytime I am in Korea. My Halmuni showed me how she does the bows, and I sometimes practise this at home. We once did a ‘Templestay’ together with my Mum too, which is an experience I will always cherish! I have also studied a specific way of singing with Korean Shaman Music teachers, and this affected both me and my voice in a profound way.
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| photo by Official Saritah Facebook |
Q: You performed many times in Korea. Which performance was the most memorable for you?
SARITAH: The recent acoustic show I did at Jamaica Wang in Hongdae was so awesome!! Such good vibes!! Thanks to my friend, Oh Jeongseok and Eastern Standard Sounds for making it happen! Jarasum International Jazz festival was also amazing – such a beautiful festival site and amazing production. Other shows that come to mind are APaMM (Asia Pacific Music Meeting) in Ulsan, TV shows MBC ‘Nanjang’ and EBS ‘Space’. Gwangmyeung Valley Festival was one of the biggest crowds I’ve ever played to and Grand Mint festival was cool too.
Q: How do you think about Korean reggae music? Any artist you want to work with or interested?
SARITAH: I am happy to be connected to the Korean reggae world. My friend Tehiun (folk/reggae singer) has just released his new album, and Kingston Rudieska are an awesome live band. It is wonderful that there are also reggae sound systems like Eastern Standard Sounds, (who also are a label and promoter) who are dedicated to bringing reggae music to the people.
Q: Tell us about the Australian music scene compared to Korean one.
SARITAH: The first thing that comes to mind is that Australia is a very big country compared to Korea, but yet has only half as many people as Korea. This means it can be more challenging for bands to travel and reach people in Australia!! But there are many great bands, venues and festivals. When I first performed in Korea in 2007, most people only knew 3 genres of music – classical, jazz and pop – but now many sounds are being made and embraced in Korea.
Q: You also have been invited to several international music festivals (Sierra Nevada World Music Festival (USA), Greenroom Festival (Japan), etc. Would you tell us about it?
SARITAH: I love visiting different countries, and I love performing at festivals!! They are the perfect place to share the music because the audiences are open and celebrating life as one. Memorable festivals that come to mind are Glastonbury (UK) which was awe inspiring, and Reggae Sun Ska (France). And it doesn’t even matter if you don’t speak the same language, as it is the energy, the melody, and the rhythm that speaks to people – music truly is a universal language. I especially love performing outdoors where I can sing to the land and the trees as well as the people! Festivals are also a place where you can see and connect with other artists which can be very inspiring.
Q: Please tell us how you are getting along.
SARITAH: I’ve been enjoying performing at some great summer festivals in the USA including Electric Forest Festival, California Worldfest, ShangriLa Festival. I also am grateful and blessed to have the time and space to do what I really want and need to do – write music!! So that’s what I’m focusing on – translating feelings, thoughts and ideas into lyrics, chords, melodies, beats…that become songs.
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| photo by Official Saritah Facebook |
Q: What’s your plan for your new album? What kinds of message/sound are you going to put on your new album?
SARITAH: The next album will no doubt reflect the evolution I have gone through musically and personally since the last one
SARITAH: To keep evolving and getting better at singing, songwriting and playing instruments. To continue to tour the world bringing music to the people. I also look forward to more collaborations with other conscious musicians.
SARITAH: At this stage I don’t have any plans, but I really hope it’s soon! In the meantime, I will be doing an online live streaming acoustic concert soon, that anyone around the world can tune in to! I did my first one recently and it was awesome! Anyone interested can just keep an eye on my facebook page for the date announcements.
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| photo by Official Saritah Facebook |
SARITAH: I want to thank everyone for the support and interest. If you would like to check out more of my music, I have four releases out there
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