"Do you eat?" is one of the first questions that Setra hears when people meet her for the first time. Standing at 56" tall, and weighing a mere 100 pounds, this tiny chanteuse makes people want to spend their time feeding her and protecting her from hard edges…until she opens her mouth and starts to sing."Being so tiny as a child, I had to yell to be noticed," she says. "The big mouth just sort of stuck." Lucky for us it did, because this little girl with the big mouth has a lot to say, mesmerizing us with her delightfully quirky songs in her deep, sultry voice."Ive been compared to everyone from Helen Reddy and Alanis Morisette to Tracy Chapman and Shirley Bassey," Setra says in her perfect English grammar, learned from reading the dictionary from cover to cover.Born in Egypt, Setra (which means "daughter of the sun" in the ancient Egypt language of Khemet), travelled the world as a child, picking up bits and pieces of music and stories wherever she went. "My father died when I was very young," she explains, "and my mother just dragged us around the world. We were poor, so Id find a library or bookstore and spend my days there, reading. When that wasnt possible, Id read an old dictionary that Id carry with me wherever wed wind up." Reading as many as three books a days sometimes, Setra developed quite a vocabulary and vivid imagination."I realized early on that I wasnt cut out for the corporate world," says Setra. "Songwriting just kind of came naturally to me." Things starting happening quickly for the talented singer/songwriter. A brief writing partnership with Justin Strauss (Depeche Mode, Tina Turner, Skinny Pupp, Goldfrapp and others), created songs that quickly got the attention of industry higher ups. She turned down an offer from Teddy Riley to join a girl group he was forming and, in her words, "briefly considered" accepting an offer from Columbia Records. "They wooed me and then wanted to change everything about me; the way I dressed, what I sang about, everything that makes me… well, me."She then worked with studio tech genius Tony Wilson (WuTang Clan, Saturday Night Live Crew, Rolling Stones) for two years and learned all she could about music production. "The first album (Songs About It), was just practice," she says. Her fans disagree, still demanding to hear In My Room at every concert. In her song Hearts and Flowers, she sings about women who, for whatever reason, are "never gonna be mommy," making the song an anthem for many females whove made that decision in life.Her progression as a songwriter and producer is evident in her second album, Daughter of the Sun. She again worked with Justin Strauss, writing Who Do You Love. She called on her good friend Tony James (Cyndi Lauper, Billy Squier, Dave Koz, Brenda K. Starr (w/Mariah Carey), Coolio, Lenny Kravitz, PM Dawn) for his rhythm guitar strumming on Heaven, a farewell song to her sister, and co-wrote Loving You with DJ Jephte Guillaume (Sacred Life Music, Spiritual Life Records, Tet Kale Records).In addition to writing and producing her third album, Setra is also branching out into scoring and foley work, as well as co-writing and co-producing a short film (Heart Rock Point) thats already received over a million views on YouTube. Her musical skills can be heard in BETs Keith Sweats Platinum House and in the soon to be aired new web series, Finding Happily.With so many talents under her belt, its clear why shes been sought after by Sony for her songwriting skills as well as her artistry. "Getting a deal is not important to me," says this free spirit. "Being creatively free and staying true to the song is what its all about. After all, its not just life; its an adventure!"
