Yara Kanaaneh-
With only one year of high-school Yara Kanaaneh left and a resolve to do something big before going out into the “real world,” 16-year-old Yara Kanaaneh (now 19 years-old) somewhat spontaneously decided to write and record her first album. With almost no formal music training but a knack for a poetry and a passion for music, she fervently began writing songs in her bedroom, unaware of the attention that her music would receive. Weeks after writing her songs, Yara met Bay Area rock-n-roll powerhouse Pamela Parker, who immediately took a liking to Yara’s music and offered to help arrange and produce her album. What Yara first thought would be an informal record became a two year recording and production project, partially funded by thousands of dollars in donations from fans, and creative support from a number of music industry professionals, including but not limited to Nathan Winter (all-star mixing engineer), Mike Wells (LA-based mastering guru), Jermaine Hamilton (Studio Circle Recordings founder), Tony Glaser (current bass player for Scott Pemberton), and Christopher Harold Wells, (former bass player for Grammy winner Lauryn Hill).
Yara is a Bay Area native with Palestinian blood. Her complex background, struggles, and experiences shine through in her artistry. Her lyrics are abstract and poetic yet strikingly honest and pertinent to listeners of any demographic. Her songs are a sort of urban electro-pop, ranging in composition and mood yet flowing together like raindrops on the pavement, distinct like the many facets of Yara’s personality yet coherent and grounded in a strong sense of self. It is thus only fitting that Yara’s music has rendered her “wise beyond her years.”
