Inbar Starr is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles, California. Her forthcoming EP is her debut release and contains a captivating collection of songs that offers a window into her eclectic life. Starr has always had a tremendous passion for music. She was born in Israel and was allegedly singing before she was talking; she wrote her first original song at the tender age of seven. In her teenage years, she drew inspiration from the likes of Alicia Keys, Alanis Morissette, Neil Young, Avril Lavigne, Blink 182 and Etta James. She is self-taught on the piano, guitar, ukulele, and took lessons for the trumpet and drums. She made a big move to Los Angeles in 2011, setting out to connect with other musicians and develop herself as a creative force. She was soon bolstered by an endorsement from Daisy Rock Guitars and emerging victorious from a YouTube competition held by Grammy Award nominated artist Jamie Cullum. This gave Starr the opportunity to connect with Cullum at a show in Belgium and subsequently embark on a European tour herself. Inbar Starr is putting the finishing touches on her debut EP which is slated for release later in 2019. For now, you can check out the first single from said EP and you can also watch her “Acoustic Series - Originals Unplugged” on her YouTube channel, where you can see previews and behind the scenes videos of her upcoming EP. A fresh single by Inbar Starr called “If It Feels Right” is giving us goosebumps! Right from the first few seconds, you’re hit with a mix of modern sounding beats and the simple and humble acoustic guitar. The vocals enter shortly thereafter, and you are enveloped in the dulcet tones of Inbar Starr. Her voice is wonderfully captivating, and her songwriting is tasteful and well crafted. The song itself has a great momentum and builds nicely towards each chorus. Newer elements such as additional backup vocals are introduced gradually, showing great restraint and care in the arrangement. This is definitely a single quality song, and we recommend you get it in your ears immediately!
Give a listen to "If It Feels Right" on Spotify, and keep scrolling for Inbar's interview with BuzzMusic!
It's great to chat with you Inbar Starr! Can you tell us about your background and how you first became involved with songwriting?
Thank you, the pleasure is all mine! Music was a fascinating thing to me my entire life, and I always knew I wanted to sing. I grew up in a little Kibbutz in Israel and I had a very ‘hippie’ and humbling childhood, walking around barefoot and memories of ditching school, and running to the nearby orange orchard and just sitting, looking at the sky and just being.I grew up listening to so many different artists from Stevie Wonder, Etta James and The Beatles to Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Alicia Keys and Alanis Morisstte. I wrote my first song at the age of 7 and never stopped writing, though I’ll admit my first original songs were heavily influenced by Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette - kinda funny to listen back nowadays. For a moment there, I was so obsessed with Blink 182 that I learned how to play the drums, thinking drumming was my future, but after 2 years I woke up just knowing that singing is my life and I can’t be distracted anymore by anything else (though I cherish my drumming days very much!).
You have a diverse pool of artists that influence you. How do you balance that variety and bring a bit of each to the table?
Well you know, it’s funny you should ask- I feel like I truly found my voice only about 5 years ago and what a journey that was… and to be honest, I don't think of the different artists that influenced me as part of the process while creating my art. I think that just happens organically and subconsciously, so there’s no real need to balance anything, just to stay true to what I feel and what I wanna say through my music, that’s the most important thing. However, I am very thankful for all the inspiration around me and even now- I’m listening to different artists from all around the world and get inspired by them and their stories!
What does your songwriting process generally look like?
Every day looks a bit different. There will be times where I’ll be doodling with the guitar, trying to find something that inspires me. Sometimes lyrics will show up first and I’ll be sitting down without any instruments and just write. Sometimes, something magical and unexplainable happens, where music and lyrics come together and really quickly - it’s almost an out of body experience. There will also be some sessions where everything will feel uninspiring or it will take forever to finish one song, in which case I’ll just let it be and may come back to it later (or not. man, I have tons of unfinished songs in my phone that I gotta get back to one day lol).
Did you have a certain message or intent behind the music in your new single “If It Feels Right”?
Absolutely. This song was mainly born out of social anxiety and that need that we all have to ‘fit in’. But at what cost? I kept asking myself this question after I noticed that in some situations, I modify myself to fit a certain group of people or I don’t feel like being myself would work around them. So I wrote ‘If It Feels Right’ almost as a self reminder that I should consider myself and my values first before saying yes and joining others on different activities. I’m really searching for my tribe, some of which I’ve found already and some are scattered throughout the world. How nice would it be to have a really close group of friends who I can just be myself around?
What plans do you have for the future after you release your forthcoming EP?
The EP is coming out this summer and I’m so, so excited about it!! In May I’ll be embarking on a U.K. tour with my buddy James Kirby (a singer-songwriter from England) to promote the EP (first edition physical copies will be available in my shows too - woo hoo!) and looking at a west-coast U.S. tour this fall.