Singer-songwriter Cocoa Sarai: my dream is to sell out MSG

Cocoa Sarai is a singer-songwriter from Brooklyn. She discusses her songwriting, winning the Hot 97 Blaze the Stage contest, and artists she would like to write with. Cocoa appears courtesy of Tawag Promotions.

When did you write your first song? What was it, and do you still perform it?

(Cocoa Sarai) I started writing poetry at the age 11, which is something that I still do well. I wrote my first song at the age of 13. The song was titled "Goodbye". It was actually a great song at the time. Currently I don’t perform it now that I think of it; maybe I should bring it back into my set list.

Describe your experience participating in Hot 97 BET Blaze the Stage and describe your reaction when you won.

(CS) It was a lot of fun! All of the Artists performing were very supportive and had beautiful energy backstage. The start of my day to the finish was extremely busy. [laughs] This was actually my second time performing at Blaze the Stage; whereas, I performed previously in December of 2007. This time I had a great team backstage with me. When it was time for my performance I just went out there and did my thing on the stage. I didn’t think about anything else except putting on a good show and remembering the dance moves. [laughs] When they called my name for 1st Place I was standing in the back of the crowd. The experience was amazing!


If you could sit down and have a conversation about music with anyone, who would it be?

(CS) It would definitely be Prince. I think he’s GREAT! He plays a various kinds of instruments and he had so much feeling in his music. Music is about tackling the emotions, that’s the only way people can relate to it. It’s about what feels good. I’m a firm believer in that. It’s something about the way he dug deep, especially his live performances. I would like to ask him questions about his creative process.

With whom would you like to write and perform a song?

(CS) That's a hard one, well I love Neyo's writing. Of course! He’s absolutely amazing and a definite inspiration. Performance...hmmm...that would be a toss up between Prince and Kanye West. They are both amazing performers.

What is the one thing you want to accomplish in your career?

(CS) My life long dream has been to sell out Madison Square Garden. From the age of 9, I wanted to perform there. I will be extremely happy WHEN that happens... Yes I said WHEN [laughs]. Got to have faith.

What would you be doing if you weren't making music?

(CS) Well I’m a teaching Artist already, So I would definitely be a teacher. It’s an amazing feeling. There are people that came into my life that I will never forget, and it feels good to be able to do the same thing for someone else. Being a part of the Hip Hop Project (A documentary produced by Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah) has been life changing. And being that blessing to someone else is far more than another career choice; it’s a life mission. Also a psychologist would have been a career path for me, I’ve always been interested in the way people think. That frame of mind has definitely helped me as a Songwriter.

Keep up with Cocoa on Twitter.