Starrah

Brittany Talia Hazzard (born June 14, 1990), known professionally as Starrah, is an American songwriter, singer, and rapper from Delaware. Best known for her songwriting work for other music industry artists, Starrah has co-written three singles that peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100: "Havana" for Camila Cabello (featuring Young Thug) in 2017, "Girls Like You" for Maroon 5 the following year, and "Savage Remix" for Megan Thee Stallion (featuring Beyoncé) in 2020; the latter won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song. In addition, she has co-written songs that have peaked within the chart's top 20: Rihanna's "Needed Me," Normani's "Wild Side" (featuring Cardi B), Halsey's "Now or Never," Kevin Gates' "2 Phones," Nicki Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne's "No Frauds," and Drake's "Fake Love."

Her album credits include Travis Scott's Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016), Calvin Harris's Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 (2017)—including the top 20 single "Feels" featuring Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, and Big Sean—Nicki Minaj's Queen (2018), and Madonna's Madame X (2019).

As a recording artist, Starrah signed with Diplo's Mad Decent record label to release an eponymous collaborative project with the producer (titled Starrah x Diplo) in 2017. Her 2020 single, "How It Goes", preceded the release of her debut studio album, The Longest Interlude (2021).

Early life and career

Starrah grew up in Delaware as the youngest of nine siblings. She has stated that she "grew up in the ghetto" and has written lyrics about police raids she experienced as a child. Her songwriting grew from writing short stories and poems. She attended Delaware State University and moved to Los Angeles after graduation to pursue a music career. After a period of uploading music to SoundCloud and selling samples through Instagram, a manager in the industry reached out to her. He connected her to more songwriters which led to Starrah writing "Be Real" by Kid Ink in 2015, which reached No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2016, Starrah wrote several songs that became top 40 hits. "2 Phones" by Kevin Gates reached double platinum status. Rihanna's single "Needed Me" reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 42 weeks on the chart.

On September 22, 2017, Starrah released a joint EP with producer Diplo titled Starrah x Diplo.

In April 2019, Starrah formed a partnership with Hipgnosis Songs Fund. She worked closely with Madonna for her 2019 album Madame X, writing on six tracks.

Starrah released her debut single "How It Goes" on August 12, 2020.

Artistry

Starrah stated that she writes lyrics first, and then finds a melody and production to fit them. In her early career, she was sometimes turned away from studio sessions for being "too urban", but later found success with urban crossover into mainstream pop music.

Personal life

Due to a mixture of social anxiety and wishes for privacy, Starrah avoids being photographed and recognized in public. Starrah is queer.

Discography

Songwriting credits

References

External links

• Brittany Hazzard at AllMusic
• Starrah at AllMusic
• Starrah on X