Rising Stars: Meet Okaay Sami

Today we’d like to introduce you to Okaay Sami.

Hi Okaay, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have been dabbling with music since I was young. Playing percussions, producing beats on Logic Pro X, making DJ mixes, recording for fun, freestyling, and so much more. January 2019, I decided to actually take music seriously and I dropped my first song, which surprisingly garnered attention from some of my favourite artists, such as Jessie Reyez and Tory Lane. This inspired me to keep pushing, so I kept consistently dropping music, going to music networking events, utilizing social media to its fullest advantage, and I bring my supporters on my journey with me also by responding and connecting as much as I can. This is what got me to where I am, the first female rapper from Toronto on a New York Times Square billboard. Hard work, consistency, communication skills, and being genuine is my recipe to success.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but I’m happy for the obstacles because it matured me. Even before music, growing up, I went through a lot of unfortunate events, which made me a brave independent woman! Those bad experiences really made me who I am today. In the music industry so far, I’ve dealt with being overlooked/disrespected because I’m a woman, expecting to act a certain way because I’m black, being played by people who came off as trustworthy, opportunists, people trying to steal my sound, lots of fraudsters, and so much more. But all of these things were lessons that are learned, and now I am very aware of what goes on in the industry and I’m also very protective of my energy as a whole.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My main career is as a musician. Rapper mainly, & singer/songwriter. My music has gained many attention in my city, Toronto. Especially because my song, “I Heard A Rumour,” gained 40,000+ views on youtube. I am also the first female rapper from Canada to be on a Times Square Billboard. What sets me apart from female rappers, Toronto rappers, or rappers in general is my unique voice, my creativity in my artist, and just how versatile I am as a whole. I’m a different vibe…I am truly unlike others. I am also the co-owner of the first mental health organization for black youth in the Greater Toronto Area. I also own two media platforms. One is called “SAMi.Productions,” where I offer my creative services such as graphic design, creative direction, illustration, engineering, producing, video edits, cover arts, 2d face portrait animation, and much more. My biggest accomplishment with that is being accepted in The Weeknd’s HXOUSE program for black women creatives in Toronto. The other platform is called “Toronto Creative Hub,” which is a space I created for creatives to connect and promote themselves.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
For my mental health, I use apps like “calm” or “daylio,” and I also follow positivity pages on my social media apps. For my mindset, I’ve read “the subtle art of not giving a fuck,” and for my career, I’ve read books such as “think and grow rich”. Also would like to give a shoutout to my publicist Warren Morris of WJM Public Relations for always working hard to build my brand.

Contact Info:

• Email: warrenmorris@wjmpublicrelations.com
• Website: http://okaaysami.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/Okaaysami
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/Okaaysami
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/Okaaysami
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a1ezMKbgkA
• SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/okaaysami

Image Credits:
@cindy.tibz @sami.productions for the one with glasses that says okaaysami For the one with 3 of me that says okaaysami with pop of colour put @sami.productions @foreverkinga for the headshot