Sakari

Vocals & Writing- Soul/R&B/Pop

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240 Reviews (232 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

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Languages

  • English

240 Reviews - 56 Repeat Clients

Endorse Sakari
  1. Review by Steffen 'Sugar' Harning
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    Sakari is an outstanding talent and an absolute pleasure to work with. Her artistry, dedication, and unique vocal style brought something truly special to our project. She approaches every collaboration with professionalism and creativity, making the process both seamless and inspiring. I highly recommend working with Sakari—her talent speaks for itself, and we can't wait to see what she does next!

  2. Review by Steffen 'Sugar' Harning
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    Working with Sakari has been an absolute pleasure. She’s an incredibly talented artist with a unique voice and an exceptional ability to bring emotion into her music. Her professionalism and creativity made the entire process smooth and inspiring. I can highly recommend working with Sakari, her passion and artistry truly shine in everything she does.

  3. Review by VIA
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    by VIA
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    Another absolutely flawless collaboration—beyond expectations! That voice is as breathtaking as ever. Gotta give it up for such an incredibly talented artist!

  4. Review by VIA
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    by VIA
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    What an amazing voice—like an angel, every note resonates so beautifully. Huge applause for Sakari—such a talented vocalist!

  5. Review by Jennifer C.
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    by Jennifer C.
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    A nice blend of Pop and Soul. I like it!

  6. Review by Jay G.
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    by Jay G.
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    Sakari ALWAYS delivers for me, every time! It's such a pleasure to work with her, as she is so professional, timely, talented and always brings LIFE to my records, it's a no-brainer for me each time 🙏🏾

  7. Review by Domagoj J.
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    by Domagoj J.
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    Sakari is great and talented! Did exactly what was in my head. Looking forward to work with her again!

  8. Review by scott w.
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    by scott w.
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    10/10 amazing !! killed it!!!

  9. Review by Dieatra J.
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    by Dieatra J.
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    Sakari is great to work with. I have worked with her several times and she never disappoints. Her voice is absolutely beautiful, and she can arrange your lyrics into a song beyond what you even imagined.

  10. Review by Arash V.(Alfons)
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    by Arash V.(Alfons)
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    Sakari is a talented singer and a pleasure to work with!

  11. Review by Jay G.
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    by Jay G.
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    Just typing out that Sakari is AMAZING doesn't even do it enough justice. She is flat out extraordinary in every way and will bring your vision to life. Such a talented, creative, timely, down to earth professional with soul and emotion in her vocals, she's incredible. If you're hesitant, you never will be again after working with her!

  12. Review by Jacob J.
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    by Jacob J.
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    Super professional, insanely fast and gifted with the most beautiful vocal. Sakari is wonderful to work with, extremely creative and inspiring

  13. Review by Benny’s Sound Design
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    by Benny’s Sound Design
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    Sakari”s, ability to convey deep emotions and to connect is truly remarkable. Her harmonies & harmonic stacking abilities is where she really shines and separates her from the rest. Highly recommended.

  14. Review by Carl P.
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    by Carl P.
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    Sakari is always a pleasure to work with! She always takes my projects to another level!

  15. Review by Richard H.
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    by Richard H.
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    It was a great experience working with Sakari. She is an amazing vocalist! She completed my job quickly and to perfection!

  16. Review by William Giakas
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    by William Giakas
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    Sakari did a fantastic job with my modern disco/Doja Cat vibe song. Her voice and background vocals were perfect for this project. She was a pleasure to work with, was accommodating and completed on schedule! Highly recommended!!

  17. Review by Darren P.
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    by Darren P.
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    Sakari has the rare combination of top notch vocal talent, song interpretation skills, and good vibes. I recommend her highly! She has taken my lyrics and melodies to great heights. Until the next one Sakari!

  18. Review by Petros P.
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    by Petros P.
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    Sakari was wonderful to work with, Amazing voice which definitely will be working again in the future songs. Thanks Again

  19. Review by Sineself
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    by Sineself
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    Aways great work from Sakari. Love her writing and her superb vocal performance!

  20. Review by Bobby O.
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    by Bobby O.
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    Sakari is always awesome to work with and produces great work! Thank you once again!

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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I was the Vocals & Lyrics 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
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