What started as messing around on a piano in her room has grown into a genuine career for senior Savannah Martinez, also known by her stage name Savaiah. She released her first single, “Complicated,” on Feb. 26, 2021, on Spotify and Apple Music. More recently, she released another single, “Im The One,” on Oct. 8, on both platforms.
For many students, music is a way to pass the time; they simply pop in earbuds and listen mindlessly to a playlist while going about their day. But for Martinez, music is a way to speak, she said.
“Music is where I feel most at home,” Martinez said. “I guess that’s my way of connecting with other people. I feel like music is such a universal language that you don’t even have to speak the same language to feel something.”
Martinez got her start in music at an early age, she said. She began by singing for her school choir in kindergarten, where she discovered her love for performing, she said. She would do anything to get in front of a crowd, but it wasn’t until high school that she started to make her own music and found her sound, she said.
“Everything I put into my music, I would like to consider it soulful,” Martinez said. “Because everything’s coming from the heart, even all the instruments, everything’s intentional. So I would just say funky, soulful, R&B. But, R&B might not be the only thing; sometimes I think of other stuff like ‘Oh, what if I want to be a little indie?’”
Martinez recently opened for Jessica Domingo in San Francisco, she said. The show was held in San Francisco as a part of the Before The Fame Festival. The crowd was great, and it was an overall beautiful time, Martinez added.
“I recently got back footage from the show, and it made me realize how fun that experience was,” Martinez said. “I can’t wait to do more with that. The fact that people want to work with me and are interested in me—it’s showing that I’m doing something right.”
Daniela Huitron, a senior at Independence High School, Martinez’s drummer and close friend, called Martinez’s journey as an artist inspiring. Seeing Martinez’s growth and success helps motivate her and makes her look forward to her future, Huitron said. She also said seeing her friend in concert was amazing.
“She is really confident with herself and really genuine with everyone,” Huitron said. “Some artists always have to act a certain way and not really be themselves. … She’s always trying to make everyone feel in a safe place and just being herself. And I think that’s why everyone likes her, because she’s really genuine and doesn’t have to put up an act.”
Martinez said a lot of her influence comes from retro sounds, like Stevie Wonder’s music. But she also cites modern-day R&B singers like Kehlani and Frank Ocean as inspiration. Her father, who passed away when she was young, also inspired her, and she said that part of her sees her music career as finishing what her father started. She looks forward to the growth that is to come for her, she said.
“It’s really crazy how we’re growing because, before, we wouldn’t really get that many gigs,” Huitron said. “Now we’re getting acknowledged by producers that produce for SZA or Rico Nasty, and it’s just amazing how we’re getting way more opportunities now.”
Social Studies teacher Rylie Zea is a fan of Martinez’s music. Zea was introduced to her music when Martinez asked if it could be played in her classroom during lunch, she said.
“I was very pleasantly surprised,” Zea said. “This was like a fully produced song. And we get halfway into it, and I’m fully just working, and I realized I didn’t even remember it was her song. I was like, ‘This just feels like a playlist I would put on,’ which was pretty awesome. I remember it finishing, and I was just like, ‘Oh my God. When does this come out?’”
Martinez’s advice for others who are interested in making music is to stop worrying about what others might think and just focus on making the music. She said that people should do what they want. She’s not worried about whether she hits it big or not because she knows no matter what, she’ll find a place for herself in the industry, Martinez said.
“I’m really grateful that my family supports me,” Martinez said. “Because it is risky. You never know what’s going to happen, but I fully believe in myself.”