A 2021 Grammy Award winner for best rap song with Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage Remix” featuring Beyoncé, Starrah has been steadily cultivating a hits-filled catalog with writer/co-writer credits that include Camila Cabello’s “Havana,” Rihanna’s “Needed Me,” Drake’s “Fake Love” and, most recently, as a writer/producer on Normani’s “Wild Side” featuring Cardi B. Starrah also became the first woman in 16 years to be presented with ASCAP’s Pop Songwriter of the Year Award in 2018.
Now Starrah is making major moves on another front. Today on International Women’s Day (March 8), the multi-faceted creative is announcing a partnership with Pulse Music Group through which she’s establishing her own publishing company called 3:02 Music Group. The Los Angeles-based firm will operate in a dedicated three-room studio building, team and budget for CEO Starrah to sign and develop her own roster of artists, songwriters and producers. Starrah’s manager Nick Jarjour is her co-founder in the venture. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
In announcing the partnership with Starrah, Pulse co-founder/co-CEO Scott Cutler tells Billboard it’s in keeping with the company’s long-held pledge to create a diverse and inclusive sanctuary for musicreators.
“When myself and [co-founder/co-CEO and fellow songwriter/producer] Josh Abraham started Pulse, it was always about breaking boundaries,” says Cutler. “Starrah never wanted to be identified as just a woman, as just Black or as just LGBTQ+. She wants to break down barriers for everybody who feels marginalized. And part of her vision is to build a venture where she can be the CEO who brings in the next generational talent with the same quality and control that she uses in her day-to-day creative process. It felt like it was time to pass the baton.”
“This is something I’ve wanted to do since I first started,” adds Starrah. “And Pulse, which has been like family to me, has understood my vision from the beginning. Going back to my MySpace days, I’ve always had a collective of friends with whom I love creating music. Now I want to create opportunities for them to showcase their talents in the same way that I was able to do; to provide a space for friends, family and other creatives to come together and make authentic music that’s true to them without feeling like they have to change and conform to the mainstream.”
Named after the area code for Delaware where Starrah (aka Brittany Hazzard) was born and raised, 3:02 Music Group begins operations with a roster that includes:
- Brad Bustamante – in-house engineer/studio manager; Starrah’s personal engineer
- Taylor Ross – producer/songwriter whose credits include Normani’s “Wild Side”
- June Nawakii – producer/songwriter (Nicki Minaj); also collaborated on “Wild Side”
- Laquan “302Quan” Hazzard – producer and Starrah’s brother
- Max “Maxxx” Moquette – producer/songwriter
- Keenan “Spacecoupe” Melvin – producer (Southside 808 Mafia, Dej Loaf)
- Suburban Plaza – production trio and Starrah collaborators going back to MySpace
- Aaron “Rahk” Revelle – producer/songwriter who studied under Timbaland; collaborator with Starrah on Normani’s debut album
“As we were building Starrah’s career path, she also started integrating her initial roster,” says 3:02 co-founder Jarjour. “Scott, Josh and the entire Pulse team have empowered Starrah and her business in an unprecedented way that we feel is going to shift the paradigm of the music industry. They’re allowing her the opportunity to build what they’ve built. And we’re able to create a real machine now.”
Signed six years ago by Pulse senior vp/head of creative Ashley Calhoun (“Her lyrical content, cadences and delivery were just so fresh and unique from what was going on”), Starrah first attracted national attention in 2015 through her work on Kid Ink’s “Be Real.” The following year, the former Public Storage employee began running up a string of writer/co-writer credits on various Hot 100 hits including Kevin Gates’ “2 Phones,” Halsey’s “Now or Never,” Rihanna’s “Needed Me,” Travis Scott’s “Pick Up the Phone,” Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You” featuring Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne’s “No Frauds.”
An artist in her own right, Starrah teamed with Diplo on the 2017 EP Starrah X Diplo. She has since released the 2020 single “How It Goes” as well as her critically acclaimed debut album The Longest Interlude last year. Starrah’s “Automatic Woman” co-write with H.E.R. and Van Hunt, featured in Halle Berry’s movie Bruised, was among the 15 songs shortlisted for Oscar contention in the best original song category in December. Following the success of “Wild Side,” Starrah is currently executive producing Normani’s debut album and released her own new single “222” in February.
“It’s a blessing as a young Black woman to have my own publishing company,” adds Starrah, who broke into the industry by also selling hook demos on Instagram for $150. “It’s hard for a lot of creatives just to get heard.”
In addition to Starrah, Pulse Music Group’s roster includes Ty Dolla $ign, Cordae and Rich the Kid plus new signees Flo Milli, Kehlani and Trevor Daniel. The company also recently signed a creative joint venture with producer Mike Dean (Kanye “Ye” West, Jay-Z, Beyoncé); Marc Anthony’s Magnus Media, Rick Rubin’s American Recordings and Nas’ Mass Appeal are among the company’s other joint ventures. Pulse’s songwriter roster is responsible for such platinum-certified hits as Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You,” Future and Drake’s “Life Is Good” and Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande’s “Rain on Me.”
