Sakari

R&B/Soul/Pop- Vocals & Writing

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218 Reviews (210 Verified)
Sakari on SoundBetter

A gal with soul, specializing in R&B, Funk, Soul, Pop, House, Hip-Hop and Gospel. I have done work for PeterCottontale, Ingrid Michelson and DAVIE & Channel Tres Jessy Wilson, Tori Kelly, Hillary Scott, Kirk Franklin, Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton and Mavis Staples.

Chicago born and raised, I grew up singing in the church gospel choir beginning at the age of 4. At age 12 I began writing and recoding in the studio, releasing my first solo album at age 16. I was formerly based in Nashville, TN where I attended Belmont University for four year studying Commercial Music with an emphasis in Vocal Performance. Throughout my 6 year stay in Tennessee I spent time gigging at venues, private parties, college events, corporate events, festivals and bars down on Broadway with my band, Mocha. In addition, I have been blessed to sing behind various artists on stages across the nation; Bonnaroo (with DAVIE), Lollapalooza (with DAVIE opening for LIZZO), The Greek Theatre (with Jessy Wilson opening for Al Green), the Country Music Awards (CMAs) signing background vocals for Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton and Mavis Staples, The Dove Awards singing bgvs for Tori Kelly, Hillary Scott and Kirk Franklin and the Pinknic Festival (NY) singing with YEBBA and Mark Ronson. I have also done studio background vocals for Ingrid Michaelson and Peter CottonTale (Chance The Rapper's musical director) . I am currently based in Los Angeles, California.

I am offering:
vocals for a original songs
vocals for cover songs
top line writing (lyrics and/or melody)
back ground vocal arranging

Would love to hear from you. Click the contact button above to get in touch.

Languages

  • English

218 Reviews - 52 Repeat Clients

Endorse Sakari
  1. Review by Jimmi Braun
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    it's always a pleasure to work with Sakari, she is super professional and the results are always stunning. I can only recommend Sakari, she is very easy to work with and smooth in communication. I would love to work with her again in the future.

  2. Review by Djeki B.
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    amazing as always!

  3. Review by Simas S.
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    Great as always!

  4. Review by Sineself
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    Sakari is an amazing songwriter. I'm about to work with her again for another song :)

  5. Review by Jens L.
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    Sakari always delivers! Very professional, amazing voice, pro at harmonies.

  6. Review by Antonin
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    Sakari delivered again in spades! She should have a big record contract by now ! I am always greatly surprised by how good her vocals sound and how creative she is with harmonies.

  7. Review by Alex Iva
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    Super Pro Singer and Producer, it was a pleasure to work with she

  8. Review by KiddJay
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    3rd track together, came through and very professional! Thanks again

  9. Review by Cristian Ferrer
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    She is a top singer and songwritter, it was a pleasure work with her, very professional, she was helping me with some changes based on my demand, for sure will count with her for the future.

  10. Review by Antonin H.
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    Sakari did great job on my previous song and this one was again perfect. She takes her time but the result is far worth it! Thank you so much!

  11. Review by Jacob J.
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    Sakari is simply the best!! When I write songs i already hear her vocal on them!! Her sound, her feeling - it amazes me every time

  12. Review by Jacob J.
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    Sakari is the best! She works fast and delivers a high-quality vocal that captures the feeling of any song and makes it far better. Thank you so much! Looking forward to our next project.

  13. Review by Chris Giuliano
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    Sakari absolutely nailed original vocals for my track. Delivery, melodies, harmonies are ace; I had zero feedback. Definitely will work together again!

  14. Review by Simeon K.
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    Outstanding performer and talent! Very creative approach, Quick high quality delivery. Can highly recommend Sakari!

  15. Review by Djeki B.
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    Sakari is very talented and very easy to work with. Knew exactly what I had in mind from the beginning!

  16. Review by Tanuke
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    by Tanuke
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    what can I say, Sakari's voice is beautiful and soulful. I love her style. She is very professional, prompt, and a downright good person. I've worked with her in the past and looking to work with her again. Thanks, Sakari!

  17. Review by Randy H.
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    I wish I could give Sakari a hundred stars. She really went all out on my project and delivered a truly inspired and soulful performance. Great voice, sweet person and a total professional. Such a gem. Highly recommended!

  18. Review by Shinobu
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    Sakari is very responsive and 100% nailed what I needed. Would love to work with her again!

  19. Review by Dj O.
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    by Dj O.
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    Be smart and book Sakari before an A&R takes her away. She has such an amazing voice and is a pro to work with! Thanks again Sakari! Protect her at all costs:)

  20. Review by Luca R.
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    Another great experience with Sakari. She is simply super in terms of quality of work, creativity, deadlines and it is always amazing her ability to capture the emotion of my work, creating vocals that perfectly fits what I had in mind.
    I strongly recommend working with Sakari!

Interview with Sakari

  1. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  2. A: I used Logic Pro X. I have Yamaha HS5 studio monitors, UAD Apollo Twin X, Magomi 1/4in cables, Audio-Technica studio headphones, Aston Spirit Large Diaphragm Condenser Mic , Kaotica Eyeball and M-Audio KeyStation midi board.

  3. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  4. A: I did a background vocal arrangement for a cover of song that I grew up listening to as a child. It was a song that shaped me and my musical ear. At first I was thinking, how do I even approach this with an arrangement that isn't corny or played out since I've known this song for almost 20 years. I was able to come up with something that I was really proud of. My arrangement was original, true to me yet true to the original song. The bgvs complimented the cover arrangement and the lead vocals. I felt as though I paid homage to the song in a very simple but beautiful way.

  5. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  6. A: I am currently working on a house/dance track for this DJ based out of Austria, a pop power ballad for a songwirter/producer based in Canada, lead vocals/top lining for an R&B track, and 2 rap verses for a Hip-hop track.

  7. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  8. A: Yes; Andrew Tufano, Sheila Foley, Lauren McClinton, Chloe Kat, Meredith Nee

  9. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  10. A: Digital because I am a millennial woman haha. I love the feel of analog but have never recored on analog tracks.

  11. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  12. A: I promise good quality, good communication, professionalism, a good attitude, enthusiasm.

  13. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  14. A: That I am living my dream and fulfilling what I feel is part of my life purpose as a singer/songwriter/vocal producer

  15. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  16. A: They ask me about turn around time. If it's a smaller job, any where between 1-3 days. If the project is a bit extensive, it takes about a week. My turn around time never exceeds two weeks unless already discussed before being hired.

  17. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  18. A: That I can create exactly the ideas that are in a clients head without a some detailed conversation.

  19. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  20. A: I typically ask will ask a client what inspired the track they've created. Do you have any song or artist references have influenced the track so that I can listen to them a get a better understanding? Do they have any preference for the style of singing? Do you have a deadline?

  21. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  22. A: Be as detailed as possible when explaining your ideas for how you want your track to sound.

  23. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  24. A: 1. Kaotica Eyeball 2. Sony- CG800 3. Apollo Twin 4. Yamaha HS5 motors 5. MacBook

  25. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  26. A: I've been singing and performed since age 4. I've been writing and recording since age 12. I've pursued music by whole life and went to a four year university in Nashville, TN to study commercial music with and emphasis in vocal performance. I have recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue music full time.

  27. Q: How would you describe your style?

  28. A: Soulful

  29. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  30. A: I would love to work with an artist by the name of Samoht. He has a beautifully rich and textured tone. I would love to hear how our voices could sound together. Aside from that he is an amazing lyricist and vocal producer and I feel that I could learn a lot from his process.

  31. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  32. A: Leave space for every voice or instrument to be part of the musical conversation.

  33. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  34. A: I usually work on R&B, hip-hop, pop and house music. An often work on gospel inspired bgv arrangements.

  35. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  36. A: Bringing a clients ideas to life through my vocal arrangements and vocal performance.

  37. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  38. A: I bring life. Because my career as a vocalist began in a live music setting, I bring performance, emotion and story-telling in my lyrics. The quality of my voice is rich in tone, soulful, clean and controlled.

  39. Q: What's your typical work process?

  40. A: Once I get the materials from the client, I spend time listening to the track, thinking about/getting down some initial ideas that come to mind. I then send over a rough demo of my thoughts just to get feedback and to see if I'm going in the right direction. After I get the feedback, I make whatever changes need to be made. I do 2 free revisions and any revisions beyond the 2 free are an additional cost (TBD). Once the client is happy with my contribution, I send then all the fabled files in a zip folder and promptly give the client an honest review.

  41. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  42. A: I am very inspired by Raphael Saddique. He is a producer, arranger, vocalist, multi-instrumentals and creates scores for movies and tv shows. I love his sound. I love his skill set. Other producers that inspire me are Dr. Dre, Prince, Rick Rubin, David Foster, J. Dilla, Baby Face, Rodney Jenkins

  43. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  44. A: I provide lyrics and/or vocals (lead and bgvs) for clients' unfinished songs and formative song ideas.

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Like That(demo) - Sakari x Jaye Locke

I was the Singer/Writer in this production

Terms Of Service

2 revisions free, additional revisions charged at hourly rate
Turn-around time 1 week from funding
Files will be sent after job is marked 'Complete'
No features
Closed Saturdays
Thanks!!

GenresSounds Like
  • Ms. Lauryn Hill
  • Erykah Badu
  • Gloria Gaynor
Gear Highlights
  • Apollo Twin
More Photos