Sara Elizabeth Mitchell[1] (born July 28, 1988), better known by her stage name Sirah (/ˈsaɪrə/SY-rə),[6] is an American rapper and singer from Los Angeles.[7] She collaborated with Skrillex, on "WEEKENDS!!!",[8] "Kyoto",[9] and the hit single "Bangarang".[9]
Background
Mitchell was born on Long Island, New York,[10] to a bluesman and an artist.[11] Her youth included poverty, homelessness and alcoholism.[12] She was repeatedly caught creating graffiti; she stopped after being arrested for it.[3] She moved to Washington with her father at age six, but after he died of an overdose,[11] she ended up returning to New York. There, she was arrested several times and eventually absconded to Los Angeles rather than be placed in foster care at age fifteen.[11] For a while, she considered Union Station her home before purchasing a Jeep Cherokee and living in it[11] in a garage in East Los Angeles;[3] in an interview, she stated that she lived out of her car and felt safe in doing so.[3]
Career
Mitchell moved from singing to rapping after her mother gave a negative review of her voice,[6] and mentioned that the turning point for her was when she heard Big Pun's Capital Punishment.[6]
After moving to Los Angeles, she booked her own tours in such countries as Germany and Romania, sleeping on floors and collecting money from fans.[13] Her first EP, Clean Windows Dirty Floors, was produced by DJ Hoppa.[11] Her first LP, Smile You Have Teeth, was never released. Prior to its intended release, Mitchell's manager sent her a contract demanding $30,000 from the LP's proceeds. She subsequently decided to abandon the album and start anew.[11]
Skrillex contacted her MySpace, commending her work and requesting that they work together.[14] The first track, "WEEKENDS!!!", resulted when Skrillex asked her to rap her some lyrics she was developing into his laptop.[15] Their second collaboration, "Bangarang", happened after he called her while he was on tour and asked her to record 16 bars[15] about the Lost Boys.[14] She forgot to close the window before recording it,[14] and thus birds are audible in the recording.[15] Sirah has also released a mixtape, C.U.L.T.: Too Young to Die.[14] After that she released another EP, Inhale.[16]
