SITARA

Upcoming

May 2 Malaysian Multichannel Performance
May 3 Dance Exhibit of Komodo/Extended Ver.
Stains EP
TOUR EP

Artist's Statement

Through composition, I explore electronics, literature, and different musical cultures from around the world. My modes of creation include hardware and software synthesizers, violin/viola/vocal performance, DJing, and multichannel audio. I had always been interested in electronic music and genres from afar with a father who raised me on 80s-synth scores from movies like Tron, and a mother from Malaysia. When I was three I began to study music, playing violin in classical music and Irish folksongs. My focus shifted when I realized that the Azhan call over my grandmother's town had microtonal features once I began to learn theory at a collegiate level. This unlocked a curiosity for genres that resembled those newer features, oftentimes found in the Middle East, later prompting me to begin a minor degree in Mediterranean Music. Through this field of study I was exposed to many ensembles from other parts of the world such as Spain and the Balkans. This encouraged me to continue looking for new genres reflective of global folk traditions, and I soon began to find friends who would teach me these styles too, such as candombe from Uruguay. Not only did the harmonic and rhythmic side fascinate me, but the texts as well.

One of my favorite parts about living in Spain was the process of learning a new language. In an attempt to learn more in a writing style already beautiful to me, poetry, I bought a spoken word vinyl from Spain to play excerpts from old poets there. I love writing my own poetry, and I decided to record the vinyl into my computer to make their words my own. It was through cutting the poetry samples and having fun with effects that I was able to simultaneously learn more about the Spanish language and create two downtempo electronica pieces in my first EP, Noche Serena. I enjoy exploring the value of the word through different electronic genres, too. In my most recent EP, KOMODO, I explored simplicity in mantras. I first explored electronic dance music in European clubs, and my perspective completely changed on the concept of "divas over the dance floor". What once had been a meaningless layer of EDM to me, became chants that served the purpose of becoming present and letting go. The EP is about a time in my life where I felt misunderstood, but moving the narrative when the EDM groove comes in to create an intentional chant towards release was a significant shift in how I viewed the power of the spoken word. This project also was a nod towards Malay culture as the komodo dragon from Southeast Asia served as a symbol of dark experiences I was composing about.

Moving forward with my work, I will always be interested in tying these concepts together. I am currently working on two projects where although the genres are different, the marriage of electronics, world music, and powerful language are the main themes: Stains and TOUR. In Stains, I sit with themes of longing for what has been lost, particularly through politically-induced circumstances. The beautiful sorrow that stems from these instances immediately pointed me towards Balkan music, known for its specialty in common beloved songs that hide a heartbreaking deeper meaning. In TOUR, I explore the meaning of this word: "a journey for pleasure in which several different places are visited" and "a journey made by performers, in which they play in several different places". I include other collaborators with the intention to bring the listener on a journey between many musical practices ranging from Indian ragas to Balkan choirs, transported through the means of EDM created for a club setting.

Outside of my EPs, I enjoy creating pieces for immersive exhibits that feature systems of dance and multichannel speakers. "Komodo" is being reworked to be expressed differently through choreography in May 2026, and I am using multichannel spaces to present works on Southeast Asian identity. My first quad-speaker piece presents interviews conducted by myself and locals about Filipino protests through the vessel of their sound environments, featuring their native instruments and anthems.

Collectively, my works invite a questioning of what genres, synthesis, and words we find ourselves comfortable with and how we can look to the cultures around us to expand that reality.