Five Fun Facts with Petra Jarrar
New York's pop darling Petra Jarrar has been busy this year revamping her singer/songwriting stylings and using her music to make a statement. Her latest single, "Rebel”, is the perfect example of her fresh contemporary pop approach. The track seamlessly combines dreamy electronics and danceable beats with a retro synth-pop sensibility. Think P!nk, Lady Gaga, early Madonna, Blondie, and 80's mall pop - "Rebel" is a refreshing homage to the past's pop icons that deliver its message with an authentic sense of modernity.
"The idea for Rebel came to me at the end of May, shortly after the murder of George Floyd and the start of the protests that broke out through New York," Jarrar recalls. "I have been working as an activist since my sophomore year of college and have been extremely vocal about our social, political, economic, and environmental climate. I had built up anger and resentment, especially in light of the murders of Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbrey, and countless others. One key factor I noticed in my activist work is that 2020 set a completely new standard I never saw before; silence is violence, and it's time to stand up for what we believe in and no longer watch quietly", says Jarrar.
A music video accompanies the track, shot by NYC based director Nicholas Keil. Watch below.
Petra is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, model, and so much more. In other words, a true badass woman who doesn't let anyone put her in a box. Her Palestinian and Sri-Lankan ethnic background adds beautiful and colorful layers to the artist she is today. Petra said she "never truly saw girls that looked like her in the spotlight," and that lead to her continuously using her platform and voice to pave the way for women of color, advocating for diversity, representation, and inclusion in the music industry. Now, who can't get behind that?!
Photos by Nicholas Keil
As you can probably tell by now, she knows how to express herself with ease through her art and doesn't leave her powerful message of advocacy and political activism behind. Not to our surprise, we come to find out she could've become a touring virtuoso classical musician, wrote a fantasy/young adult trilogy as a teen, and has been writing songs since the age of 12. Petra kindly shared facts about herself for our signature Five Fun Facts here:
I'm ambidextrous. When I was in school as a kid, it would be my 'magic trick' to show off that I could write my name almost perfectly with both hands. While I prefer to write more with my left hand, my ambidexterity confused a lot of people. This included my first guitar teacher, who taught me how to play everything on a right-handed guitar until one day, he saw me writing with my left hand and thought he made the biggest mistake in the world.
The first job I ever had was selling dresses at my mom's best friend's clothing store. She knew I loved fashion, so the job mostly entailed me getting to try on pretty clothes versus actually working and helping out in the store. It definitely set my expectations high when it came to finding jobs later in life.
I played piano and violin for most of my life and thought I would've become a touring virtuoso classical musician until I discovered my love for Pop music and writing my own songs. I was pretty heavily involved in the classical music world and even released three classical recording albums with my brother for specific charities and causes.
I wrote a fantasy/young adult trilogy throughout most of my teen years. It will probably never see the light of day, but if I decide to dust off the pages, I might release the books under a pseudonym.
The first song I wrote was at the age of 12, about ending a friendship with my childhood best friend. I didn't know how to express my feelings at the time, so a song felt like the most fitting—since then, writing songs has been my go-to outlet for voicing my feelings.
- Petra Jarrar
Written by Piera Lolandes