Starya Discusses “Gradient” in an Exclusive Interview: A Cosmic Single’s Journey

When music and cosmic wonder collide, the result can be otherworldly. This is the domain of LA-based Starya, whose new single “Gradient” serves as a vessel for her rich narrative as both a producer and a vocalist. In our exclusive interview, Starya delves into the galactic themes that fuel her creative process and the transformative power of music that resonates throughout her work. Her journey from the wilderness to the urban sprawl informs the duality in her sound—a harmonious blend of the natural and the digital.

This intimate conversation unveils the layers behind “Gradient,” a track that thrums with intergalactic bass and ethereal melodies. Starya opens up about her artistic metamorphosis, her drive to connect with listeners on a transcendent level, and her vision for the future. Through her reflective answers, we gain insight into the making of an artist whose signature sound is as boundless as the universe itself.

What inspired the celestial themes of your new track, “Gradient”?

I had just watched a beautiful sunset, so I was thinking about that and how the sun is the most powerful thing in our lives. It can completely alter how everything looks by providing light or taking it away. 

Our entire perception of the world, color, warmth – all from the sun. You can find endless inspiration in nature, so I love to incorporate the natural world in almost all my music.

How has your transition from Tuff Ghost to Starya allowed you to evolve as an artist?

I feel like I’ve always been a bit all over the place, and I haven’t always had a real specific direction other than I love to make music and play it for people. I feel like the name change has helped anchor me into a little more defined, purposeful place, like a north star that I can look at and know I’m going the right way.

In what ways do you believe your music contributes to the “larger fabric of creators” mentioned in your bio?

In the same way that any music would. Not objectively, more or less, but always with the possibility to create memorable moments for people to experience, hopefully evoking some emotional or physical response (in the case of dance music). 

My entire life has been shaped by music and its power for connection, emotion, the altering of reality, and the ability to define something beyond words. 

Because these things have been so important to me, I want to be able to pass them on and hope to create something that one day will have the same effect on others.

With such a distinctive style, how do you balance maintaining your signature sound and experimenting with new ideas?

I don’t believe in a signature sound because if I think about it too hard, I turn into a little black hole, which doesn’t get me anywhere. Instead, I think about a Really Fun Party and how I would like to have more original music to play at the Really Fun Party, so I better make something I WOULD play at such an event. 

After I think about that, I usually do a lot of weird stuff that will never see the light of day. Then, after about 100 hours of doing that, I start thinking of the Really Fun Party again, and somehow, after another 100 hours, something materializes.

How do you maintain a connection with your audience during virtual performances?

I usually talk way too much, responding to anybody who says anything in the chat, trying to get to know the people watching, and generally just rambling on about god knows what. 

A lot of people who are watching music streamers are looking for the community; they want someone to see them – and although this is not true for everyone (and some people would probably prefer I don’t talk at all), I want to make people feel seen and connected, and part of a community.

Looking ahead, what is the next milestone you’re aiming to achieve with your music?

My first big goal was to create enough space in my life that I had the energy and time to work on music as much as possible, if not all the time. The second one was to have the ability to make music that I would be able to play out in a dance party/club setting. My next goal is to find my audience, continue those last two things, and find ways of getting more people to listen to my music. So thank you so much for helping me with that by inviting me to talk about it!