Staarz (she/her) is a 25-year-old singer from Los Fresnos, a city in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) near Brownsville in south central Cameron County. Staarz has been singing since age three and has pursued a career in music since she was 18, when she got her first studio microphone.
Staarz boldly describes her music career as her “full-time job.” She tried to go to college before, but it wasn’t her passion, so she decided to leave and pursue music full-time instead.
If you’re interested in getting to know more about Staarz and learn how she fearlessly followed her dreams, scroll down to keep reading more of Staarz’s story, and who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired by her, just like we are!
The Beginning: A Grandmother’s Warmth and Love
When asked who inspired Staarz to pursue music, she immediately said, “My grandma.” When Staarz was just three years old, her grandmother gifted her a microphone, and ever since, she has fallen in love with it and never put it down.
Staarz also shared that she wasn’t aware that she had been singing since she was three years old, but that she found out because her parents recorded her “whole life.”
When Staarz looked at the videos her parents filmed, she said she came across a video of her opening a microphone when she was three, and that all the videos after that were basically her holding the microphone.
As Staarz grew up and became more self-aware, she would admit to wanting to become a singer, and what inspired her to be a singer was her grandma telling her that she was going to be a “star.”
Staarz’s Music Influences and Dreams
It was four years ago, in 2022, when Staarz released her first song on Spotify, and since then, she has been releasing original music and covers on the streaming platform. Staarz shared that her voice and music are unique, ethereal, and soft, but at other times, it can also be dark and haunting. Synth-wave is one of the genres that Staarz feels her voice fits well with. Some of Staarz’s favorite songs include “Iris” by Pastel Ghost and music by Tommee Profitt.
Staarz’s soft voice also holds power, Staarz said, commenting on her cover of Billie Eilish’s “BIRDS OF A FEATHER,” which was the first time Staarz belted while singing. Billie Eilish is one of Staarz’s favorite singers ever since the singer released “ocean eyes.”
Staarz has covered Crystal Castles, Billie Eilish, and Coldplay. Staarz explained what influences her about some of these artists: “Honestly, […] Crystal Castles, her soft vocals, it’s very inspiring to me, and just how dreamy it sounds in some of her music. So, that inspired me to do a cover of one of her songs, put my own twist to it, and turn the song around. For the Billie Eilish one […] I challenged myself, and I actually could do it, which was insane to me. […] [Last] year, I recorded with Tommee Profitt [in Nashville], […] to a piano in his studio, and he sent me the entire song when it was done. That was an awesome project for me.”
Additionally, one of Staarz’s dreams since she was 12 has been to be a singer for TV and film. Staarz commented on why this has been a dream of hers for so long: “Instead of being fascinated by the actual movie itself, I was always fascinated [by] the song in the background. […] I want my voice to be on A24 and Blumhouse, and all of these really scary movies. I love The Strangers, and I would love to do a soundtrack for The Strangers.”
A Golden Opportunity, Original Songs and Covers
A song cover that Staarz worked on that led her to the opportunity to work with Tommee Profitt was her cover of “What They’ll Say About Us” by FINNEAS. Her cover of “What They’ll Say About Us” was released on Spotify in July 2024, nearly two years ago.
Staarz discussed the hard work and dedication she put into singing and recording this song in her own bedroom years ago, long before she met Tommee Profitt, but she had always wanted to release this cover, which had been sitting on her computer for years. Staarz was unsure what to do with the cover. She sent Profitt around 50 songs through email over three years.
“All it took was just that one song,” Staarz said.
Staarz had gone through her computer trying to find the perfect song to send to Tommee Profitt, and he was in love with the cover and told Staarz she needed to come to his studio in Nashville, Tennessee, to record.
Staarz shared some more behind-the-scenes details of this collaboration: “Getting to record that song was very emotional for me, only because the first time I sang it was because of my cousin. She was really sick, and it always made me think of her. […] The whole process was surreal. I remember sitting in my closet recording that song, and then all of a sudden, years later, I’m sitting in Tommee Profitt’s studio, and he’s playing the piano. I cried a little because it was emotional to me. Going from my bedroom to one of my dream studios was absolutely insane to me. But the process was emotional, I cried, and the result was beyond my expectation. Not even a week after I released that song, FINNEAS commented on my video.”
Besides this collaboration with Tommee Profitt, Staarz has also worked on other songs that have been extremely well-received by her audience and listeners. Two of Staarz’s biggest songs at the moment are Broken Trust, with 44.1M streams, an original song, and Transgender, with 14.1M streams, a cover. Staarz’s Transgender cover has been played at some of the biggest festivals, including EDC, Ultra Music Festival, and Tomorrowland, and has received support from artists such as Tiësto, Kaskade, Spinnin’ Records, and more.
Staarz’s Life in the RGV: Then and Now
Staarz faced many challenges early in her career as she tried to make a name for herself in the RGV music scene. “When I first started, nobody believed in me down here. I tried to pursue my dream, and I was always showing my covers to so many people that they were like, ‘You’ll never be anybody if you just do covers in your bedroom,’ or ‘Your music is never gonna get anywhere because you sound like everybody else on TikTok. Good luck, cover girl.’ That’s what they would call me,” Staarz said.
At first, the negativity got to Staarz, but she realized that instead of trying to “please everybody,” she could just do her “own thing,” her “own genre,” and choose to “be different” instead. And because she chose to pursue her dream—Staarz is glowing like another star in the sky!
But besides the challenges Staarz faced, the negativity and the hate helped shape her as the artist she is now. “I don’t feel shameful for living here. I’m very happy to be in the Valley, ‘cause hopefully one day I can inspire other artists too,” she said.
Staarz’s final recommendation for anyone wanting to be an artist is not to listen to negativity.
“Even if you do music in your bedroom, you can still do big things. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or if the place is unknown; you can still do big things. All you gotta do is be dedicated, reach out, and not care what anybody says or thinks. You just have to do you, keep going, and don’t stop, because even covers can take you to huge places.”
Staarz performed at the Grand Ole Opry, where artists such as Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley have sang there. “I was there, and it wasn’t ‘cause of an original, it was ‘cause of a cover. So, it doesn’t always have to be original music, and you need to be playing at local bars to make it. You could just be doing music in your bedroom with a $90 microphone.”
If you enjoyed getting to know Staarz, show support for her and other female artists on Friday, March 20, at Luna Sky Lounge in Harlingen, and keep up with her on Instagram to see where else she may pop up near you in the RGV!
