Katarra

From serenading ballads at jazz lounges to championing all women's beat battles, Katarra, singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer has performed in venues locally and across the nation. From the III Points Festival in Miami to opening a sold-out concert for Boyz II Men in Chesterfield, this St. Louis native brings a variety of talents and styles to the table. Pulling audiences into impassioned performances, Katarra hones sultry, yet powerful vocals and smooth keys that blend Jazz, Soul, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Classical influences.

"My music ranges from emotionally explosive ballads, to boom bap R&B grooves, to Jazz centered Prometheans...all spilling from one place: the soul."

Katarra began her career performing at Lyrical Therapy - STL’s 3rd largest open mic - where she overcame years of anxiety by leading the Therapeutics band as a musician, singer, poet, and lyricist. While blossoming out of stage fright, Katarra began to draw crowds with her original songs and compositions, making a name for herself as a multifaceted performer and artist. Since then (2016) she has become a staple in the St. Louis music scene one stage at a time… 

Joining artist collective ‘WeAreFarfetched’ by multi-disciplinary artist Damon Davis in 2018; gaining an 18-month Jazz Residency with the Kranzberg Arts Foundation in 2019; performing the 'Black National Anthem' at Tishaura Jones' Inauguration as St. Louis’ first black woman mayor in 2019; empowering women leaders at TedX St. Louis Women in the same year; performing live for Cori Bush's campaign in 2022; Opening a sold-out concert for Grammy-winning group Boyz II Men, Katarra has gone from being voiceless to becoming a voice of her community.

After the release of her debut project ‘Cocoa Voyage’ in Nov. 2019, Katarra was listed on Bandcamp’s ‘Best Soul of 2019’, featuring ‘Cocoa Voyage’ on the story headline, and The Riverfront Time’s ‘Best Local Music of 2019’. Her story has since been covered by St. Louis' most cherished media platforms, such as STL Post Dispatch, STL Magazine, STL American, The Riverfront Times, NPR St. Louis Public Radio, and Voyage STL amongst others. A story of a phoenix rising from the ashes made its way around the city, and during positive and negative experiences with mental health, Katarra found healing and personal strength with every stage she touched. 

This story continues as Katarra’s soulful runs and revival of the jazz scat style, is a musical revolution all wrapped up in one woman, allowing her creations to dive into the ups and downs of loving and living, passion and pain, self-reflection, and self-awareness.