YahZarah
 (born 
Dana 
Nicole 
Williams)
 is 
a 
classically
 trained
 R & B 
singer‐songwriter
 based
 out 
of 
Durham,
 NC.
 
Her 
stage
name, 
a 
dedication 
to 
her
 grandmothers
 Yah 
and 
Sarah, 
roughly
 translates
 to 
''Queen
 Mother 
is 
the 
brightest
 star'' in 
Arabic.


Born
 and 
raised
 in 
Washington 
DC, 
YahZarah
 started
 singing
 at 
the 
age 
of
 7
 in 
her
 church
 choir.
 Her
 love 
for 
performance
 began
 after 
winning 
a 
youth 
talent 
search
 at
 the 
Kennedy
 Center 
at 
age 
10. 
After
 years
 of
 honing
 her
 talent 
in 
churches,
 talent
 shows
 and 
local 
concerts,
 she 
entered 
high 
school
 at
 DC’s
 prestigious
 Duke 
Ellington
 School
 of
 the
 Arts.
 
Upon 
graduation 
in 
1997,
 she
 was
 accepted
 to 
North
 Carolina
 Central
 University
 in 
Durham 
on 
a 
full
 scholarship
 to 
the 
school’s
 jazz 
program.
 In
 1998, 
she
 left
 NC
 Central
 and
 began
 touring
 as
 a
 background
 singer 
for 
Erykah 
Badu. While 
touring,
 YahZarah 
contributed
 background
 vocals 
and 
vocal
 arrangements to Badu's platinum-selling "Mama's Gun" LP. In 2001, she left the Mama's Gun tour and went on to pursue her solo career.

-Hear Me (2000)
-Black Star (2003)
-The Prelude (2008)
-The Ballad of Purple Saint James (2010)

-Is Ghanaian and a member of the Ashanti Tribe.
-Lived in the seaport town of Bremahavin Germany from ages 3-7.
-Learned how to put the needle on a groove of a record when she was four years old.
-Started singing in church at the age of 7 and was so short the pastor had to hold her up when she sung so the congregation could see her. -Studied Ballet, Modern, and Tap for 14 years.
-First met Phonte, Pooh, and 9th Wonder in a music industry class while attending North Carolina Central University.
-At 14, was named "Miss DC Talented Teen" and performed at the Apollo.
-Penned the lyrics for her first CD "Hear Me" in her dorm room while attending NCCU.
-Her second release Blackstar reached number 44 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
-Performed at a fundraiser for John Kerry's presidential run and was introduced to Bill Clinton in 2003.
-Ran a half marathon (13.5 miles) in 53 minutes as her tribute to her best friend who couldn't run due to complications from sickle cell anemia.
-At 5 years old loved dressing up like Diana Ross and Tina Turner for Halloween.
-Addicted to picnic sized Bojangles fries and honey mustard.
-Wrote her first song when she was 4 called "Your Dad and My Dad" after her mother told her about families separated by the Berlin wall.
-Was in an African acrobatic circus troupe.
-Performed at the invitation of the Republic of Italy for the Inauguration of Barack Obama.

"Kiss today goodbye, The sweetness and the sorrow, Wish me luck, the same to you, But I can't regret, what I did for love, What I did for love." -Grace Jones