We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful SAAVI. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with SAAVI below.

SAAVI, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

I feel that my work and I are both misunderstood and mischaracterized. Being a female in a male-dominated industry is complicated enough on its own. However, when you add being Italian/Lebanese to the mix, it takes it to another level. Whenever I tell people I make hip-hop/rap music, they instantly begin to judge me. I’m half white, half Arab. The white half of me makes me stick out like a thumb in this industry. I worked very hard to get to where I am in life and to be able to afford necessities, but somehow my hustle and ambition are constantly overlooked in the genre of music I chose to make by my racial background and the possessions I have. Most of the time, people paint a story of me that I’m some rich white girl who runs to mommy and daddy for everything I want. That’s the furthest thing from the truth. My parents divorced when I was 2, and I went to live with my mom. My mom worked 18-20 hour days to keep a roof over our heads. Some nights, we only had a little to eat. Some nights, we had to warm our water on the stove to shower. Some nights, we sat in candlelight and the cold because we couldn’t afford the electricity bill. My dad was around, but he struggled financially with money as well. As a result, all I knew was to work for whatever I wanted. I got my first job at 15 with a worker’s permit and have been working ever since.
At one point, I worked four jobs and barely slept, but I was determined to save all my money. One day, I decided to quit working for everyone else and chase my dream. So, I did just that. I left all my jobs and moved to L.A. to become ‘the biggest “white” female rapper’ in history. All the misjudgments and mischaracterizations people place on me make this journey challenging, but I focus on what I love, music, and let the rest fall where it may.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is SAAVI, and I am a songwriter and hip-hop/rap artist. I was born in the Bay Area and moved to Los Angeles a year ago to pursue my dreams of a music career. When I was younger, I loved to sing. I would walk around the house (still do), constantly breaking out into songs about anything and everything. As I got older, I enrolled in vocal lessons and joined the local church choir. My love for music was something I shared deeply with my dad. For as long as I can remember, he would play artists such as Diddy and Notorious B.I.G., Sugarhill Gang, India Arie, and many more. My dad’s love for music paralleled his love for me. I began to adopt the concept of relaying messages through music because of him. If I were sad, I would listen to a specific type of music. If I was happy, it was a different type of music you would hear me play. Our love for rap dominated all other genres when Diddy and Biggie’s song “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems” was released. As I grew older, I fell more into the Country music realm, as that was my mom and her family’s favorite music. I continued participating in activities such as vocal lessons and joining a competitive dance team during my high school years. I was appointed to sing a cappella at each competition while the rest of my team danced to the melodies of my voice.
When I was 19 years old, my dad died the month before I was supposed to attend the University of California, Santa Barbara. I knew he would want me to pursue my college education, so I chose not to defer my acceptance. After graduation, I returned to the Bay Area, ready to become an attorney. I had disconnected from my love for music because the only person I felt genuinely shared that with me was no longer here. I became a paralegal and personal assistant and studied vigorously for the LSATs. Which I took and passed. I was planning on applying for Law School when I met Renson Mateo, my engineer. I decided it was time to give my dreams the opportunity they deserved.
My first session with Renson was interesting. I did a cover for Sugarland’s “Stay.” I was stuck on singing and making country music (I know, what a twist!). The following week I was driving to work, and this idea came to me to cover Drake’s “Best I Ever Had.” I went into my next session with Renson, terrified of rapping. Afraid of admitting I had always written rhymes in secret. I was scared that I would not amount to the level of performance I had instilled in my mind. I did not want to let my dad down.
I walked into the session and promptly asked Renson to download the instrumental to Drake’s “Best I Ever Had.” He looked at me like I had misspoken (“Is she about to rap?!”). I walked into the booth and laid the cover within minutes. I vividly remember piercing silence through the headphones as soon as I spit my last bar. I immediately thought to myself, “Oh man, this is it. I am not good at this.” The next thing I heard forever changed my life. I walked out of the booth, Renson turned around in his chair, and with everything he had, he said, “THIS!!!!! Is what you’re supposed to be doing!”
Fast forward five years, and this is what I am doing! I make music full-time. I just opened my own recording studio last month, in November 2022. It’s located in Burbank, California. The name of my studio pays homage to my Sicilian roots— “Cosa Nostra Studios.” I am big on loyalty and family, so I strive to give my fans that sense of collectiveness. Now, with Cosa Nostra Studios, I hope to give it to my clients as well.
I am most proud of myself for never giving up. I have heard more times than I can count that I would never do half the things I’ve already accomplished in this lifetime. From being told I’d never graduate college, to crucial statements that I would never get into shape (I lost 80lbs, by the way–I am BIG on health and fitness), to being told that I could never own my own recording studio, I never gave up. What I hope my fans take away from my music, and my story is that they can do anything in this life. No matter what anybody tells them. You have the power to make anything you dream of your reality. I hope to empower and encourage others never to give up and continue striving for the things they want. Because we all deserve it. We all deserve to live the life that we want.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I turned to music from a young age to express myself and things I could not always vocalize. Sometimes I felt alone and isolated, and I turned to music for comfort in those moments. I hope to do the same for other people. I hope that when someone feels alone, misunderstood, or in a place where they feel lost, my music will comfort them in the same way that I receive comfort and feel understood when I play certain artists or songs. My goal is to impact people’s lives. I want to inspire them to continue to grow, prosper, never give up, and ensure they understand that the things they experience, feel, and go through are normal. I am big on manifestation and I aim to encourage others to walk along the path of manifestation as well. The mind is a powerful tool. We have everything we need inside of us to succeed. All we need to do is believe and give life to whatever we seek.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the connectivity to my fans. When I receive messages from people I have never met telling me that they love my music and can resonate with the things I say, it’s the highest form of payment I could ever receive. The first few messages I read on Instagram from fans I had never met made me cry. I could not believe that just doing what I love and expressing myself could have this much of an impact on people. I love every one of my fans, and I strive to continue making connections and impacts on levels I cannot even fathom. I have so much to share about manifesting and working toward your dreams and goals in life. I want to continue to inspire people, and the more music I make, the further my inspiration and connections reach.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sosaavi.com
• Instagram: @sosaavi__
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoSaavi
• Twitter: @sosaavi__
• Youtube: @sosaavi__
• Other: TikTok: @sosaavi__

Image Credits
Cecile Boko