Katarra

From serenading ballads at jazz lounges to championing all women beat battles, to opening  for Boyz II Men's sold out concert, Katarra, singer-songwriter,  pianist, and producer has performed in venues locally and across the nation. From the Black Lives Conference in Atlanta to the III Points Festival in Miami, this St. Louis native brings a variety of talents and styles to the table, pulling audiences into her impassioned performances with 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 grooves to jazz centered Prometheans...all spilling from one place: the soul.

Katarra began her career performing at a local open mic, where she overcame years of anxiety by joining the live band as a musician, singer, poet and lyricist. After weeks to years of being pushed into the spotlight, she eventually blossomed out of stage fright and began to draw a crowd with her original songs and compositions. Since then, Katarra has become a staple in the local St. Louis music scene, making a name for herself as a multifaceted performer and artist. From joining artist collective ‘WeAreFarfetched’ by multi-disciplinary artist Damon Davis in 2018, to gaining an 18 month Residency with the Kranzberg Arts Foundation in 2019. From performing the Black National Anthem for St. Louis’ first black woman mayor, Tishaura Jones’ Inauguration in 2021, to another empowering performance at TedX St. Louis Women in the same year. From live performances at Cori Bush led events and celebrations in 2022, to entering 2023 by opening for Grammy winning group Boyz II Men, Katarra has gone from being voiceless to becoming a voice of her community.

Katarra’s story and music has been covered by her city’s most cherished media platforms, such as: STL Post Dispatch, STL Magazine, STL American, The Riverfront Times, STL Public Radio, and Deluxe Magazine amongst others. After the release of her debut project ‘Cocoa Voyage’  in Nov. 2019, Katarra would go on to be 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’. A story of a phoenix rising from the ashes made its way around the city, and in the midst of positive and negative experiences with mental health, Katarra found healing and personal strength with every stage she touched. 

With raw emotion, this story continues on 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 one stage at a time.