Interview With Protest Pop Artist Sa’ra Charismata

Introducing Sa’ra Charismata and her uplifting powerhouse of a song Life Is Not About Control. Incorporating catchy pop melodies, 80s synths and dynamic vocals, Charismata discusses topics of mental health, racism and gender inequality through her music. Her new release Life Is Not About Control (LINAC) is about her struggle with anxiety but portrayed in a jubilant, positive fashion. We caught up with Sa’ra Charismata to find out more.

In what stage of your life were you when you wrote Life Is Not About Control
Life Is Not About Control aka LINAC was written in parts over the past few years. I began writing the verses of the song in 2013. But I didn’t release it until now because it was lacking authenticity and vulnerability.

See over the years I told myself that I was writing the lyrics about someone else when in reality it was about myself and my own experiences. So I was still hiding. I always struggled with being seen as flawed somehow, so I built up a lot of defences over the years. One of them being that I couldn’t write music about my personal feelings fearing I would be seen for what I really am.

After breaking free of years of self-isolation, I was finally in a place to complete the song and release it. This is because I finally understood myself and how trying to control everything in life (defences) had hindered me from living the life I always dreamed of living.

Was it therapeutic putting down the lyrics?
Oh yes! Writing lyrics is my preferred medium of expression. My biggest talent might actually be songwriting because it flows naturally. When I write a song, I don’t have to try to control the outcome because the inspiration truly just flows through me. It is so much fun! Now that I think of it, my issues with self-isolation probably started when my inspiration to write music stopped.

There are so many amazing lines in LINAC that I still tell myself every day like a mantra. Here are two of my favorite lines from the song (the lyrics are available on Google).

“And there she goes, so peaceful to the world. But in herself, she fights a war”
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“I look light now, with a ray piercing the cloud, I think I see myself in his eyes”

The first line because it rings true for so many men and women suffering in silence. And the second line because it gives hope that things do get better, as contrasted with the melancholic
lyrical beginning of the song.

What was the main intention behind releasing this track?
To free myself of past trauma. LINAC is my freedom song, and it can be that for others too if one is ready for the message. When I have an epiphany, I need to share it because I am not greedy with my self-development. I believe in uplifting others, and my way of doing that is by putting thought into my lyrics.

If you listen to LINAC every morning for a month, or a week even, you will see how your life will change. It is like any word of affirmation or mantra, in song form.

What were the main things that helped you get through the darkest times?
My dreams. Even in the saddest moments, I was still able to dream about the music I wanted to create and having a thriving music career. That is what kept me going. If there was ever a doubt, I know now that I was put on this earth to create and perform my music.
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What are you looking to express in the Life Is Not About Control music video?
Contrast; between the divine spiritual world and life on earth, between our higher selves looking for purpose and the child within that just wants to have fun, play, and give in to temptations. My observation is that we are the happiest when we are in balance between these two realms, which starts from within. When we are not in balance from within, we tend to try to control external circumstances forcefully for a sense of pseudo balance; the sensation of which is an anxious state of being.
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Could you tell us anything about your upcoming releases?
I don’t know what will come next. In honor of LINAC, I am trying to not control it to allow a natural progression. BUT, I do have a song that I am collaborating on with Richy Jackson, a creative genius who also happens to be Lady Gaga’s choreographer. He has helped me develop a lot in the past year. I actually attribute my more colorful look to my work with him. He helped me see another side of myself and dared me to unleash it.

Richy and I have been planning to do a video shoot in LA for months, but I haven’t been able to travel to the U.S. due to Covid travel restrictions for foreigners (I live in Stockholm). I am keeping my fingers crossed that will change soon.

LINAC is out now.