In an exclusive interview with rolling out on Star Studio Talk, YahZarah shared the powerful story behind her name. Rooted in her lineage, YahZarah honors her grandmothers — two extraordinary women whose lives inspire her daily. Her Ghanaian grandmother, a resilient farmer who raised 29 children and lived to 103, and her other grandmother, a child prodigy pianist who nurtured YahZarah’s musical journey from a young age, both shaped the foundation of her artistry. “When I hear the name YahZarah, it reminds me not to shrink because I’m standing on the shoulders of such incredible women,” she reflects.
YahZarah also opened up about the challenges she’s faced, from self-doubt to balancing single motherhood, and how these experiences inform her music. Ahead of her City Winery performance in Chicago on Jan. 26, 2025, YahZarah promises a show filled with powerhouse vocals and heartfelt storytelling, leaving fans inspired and uplifted.
Talk about the story behind choosing your name, YahZarah. What significance does it hold for you?
So, YahZarah is for both of my grandmothers. For me, it’s a form of ancestor worship. These are really two amazing, entrepreneurial, strong women. My grandmother in Ghana helped raise 29 children. She had 10 of her own, of which my father was the only surviving male heir. She was a farmer until she was 103 years old when she passed away. What a lineage. And my maternal grandmother was as a child prodigy pianist who passed away at the age of 86. For my entire life, from buying my first piano to sending me to Europe as a teenager to sing in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, my grandmother was a central force in making sure that I got into the world of music.
She even entered me in a United States postal talent show and I ended up singing in the opera hall at the Kennedy Center at the age of 10. So, when I hear the name YahZarah, It reminds me of them. And it also reminds me not to shrink because I’m standing on the shoulders of such incredible women.
What have been some of the most challenging moments in your career and how have you gotten over them?
Self-doubt has been a challenge in the past. I think as I’ve gotten older. and I’m very grown now, I care a little bit less. I have a little less self-doubt. You kind of start knowing who you are at a certain point. Balancing life [and] work has been difficult sometimes. I’m a divorced single mother. I have an incredible teenage son. Things aren’t always perfect in the co-parenting experience. I have experienced some very specific highs and lows that all of us have, and it informs my music.
I’ve been a victim of sexual assault. I know what it’s like to have been in the shoes of a lot of people. I guess you’d say that’s the most difficult [challenge]. Life is full of challenges. Because of where, because of who, I am as a result of those things I only remember them as blessings.
You will be performing at City Winery on Jan. 26, 2025. What can the people of Chicago expect?
A lot of good singing. To leave better than they came and to expect to meet a showman. My idols are women like Tina Turner, Lola Falana, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé. I come from a tradition that believes that you just don’t sing. You leave it all on the stage so they can expect to hear some really amazing music given by a great storyteller who wants to sing herself into an asthma attack for their enjoyment.
