About

S T A R R

S T A R R busby (receives all pronouns said with respect) is a Black experimental artist who sings, acts, composes, educates, and is committed to the liberation of all people. Raised in the southern Black church and a graduate of Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) and Northwestern University, S T A R R ’s creative expression carries varied influences from German Lieder to traditional Blues. A 2024 recipient of a NYSCA grant, S T A R R leads a music project under their name which will release an EP in 2024 - Working Up A Surrender. She is also the lead singer of Brooklyn-based dance&b band, People’s Champs (peopleschamps.com) which released their latest project, Show Up, in the Fall of 2023 available everywhere. S T A R R  has also supported and collaborated with artists such as The Gorillaz, Esperanza Spalding, X Ambassadors, Son Lux, Kimbra, Alice Smith, and Quelle Chris. They were an Ars Nova 2020 - 2021 Vision Resident. Their April 2021 residency programming culminated with the release of her latest EP and accompanying film  9  C u p s  i n  t h e  M o o N  “…her otherworldly voice beautifully blurring the lines of R&B, avant-garde and the experimental that soothes and stuns” - Earl Douglas for The Interrobang. 9  C u p s… is available via Bandcamp and all streaming services.

S T A R R has also performed extensively in the New York theatre scene. Most recently at MoMA in Sable Elyse Smith’s chamber opera If You Unfolded Us. Prior to that, you may have seen S T A R R in (pray) by nichi douglas. S T A R R composed music, music directed, and performed the role of A Singer in (pray) which was named as a New York Times Critics Pick and won 3 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Direction, and Outstanding Ensemble. (pray) was also nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music. S T A R R also starred in Liz Swados’ Beautiful Lady at La Mama in the Spring of 2023 which was also named a New York Times Critic’s Pick. In the world premiere of Dave Malloy’s Octet, S T A R R originated the role of Paula and was awarded a 2020 Special Drama Desk Ensemble Award for their work. She also co-composed the music for the world premiere of Aleshea Harris’s 2023 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Drama, On Sugarland, at NYTW. Other selected appearances include Rest Within the Wake (James Allister Sprang, Baryshnikov Arts Center; Moby Dick (American Repertory Theatre; Starbuck); Where Love Lies Fallow (The Shed; Nia 1); Apollo Cafe Live: Soul Cypher; #BlackGirlMagic Show (Jack; composer/performer); Mikrokosmos (Steirischer Herbst, Graz and Nottingham Contemporary); The Girl with the Incredible Feeling (Spoleto Festival dei due di Mondi) as well as various concerts and solo shows. S T A R R also enjoys working as a teaching artist at Carnegie Hall as well as Long Island University where she is a member of the musical theatre voice faculty. https://linktr.ee/S_T_A_R_R