The whole thing started the way most honest songs do — quietly, and without a plan.
ATARAH is a singer-songwriter based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a recent graduate of the University of Michigan. Her songs are personal to the point of slightly oversharing — written in the gap between who she is and who she keeps meaning to become.
In 2026 she submitted "JAP" to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. Her debut single, "My Own Way," arrives July 17, 2026 on all streaming platforms — the first release from the songs she's been writing and playing live around Ann Arbor, Brooklyn, and her home base of New Orleans.
When she's not writing or performing, ATARAH works as a psychotherapist — a second kind of listening that quietly shapes the first. She's a proud Jewish woman and, for the record, still not Lorde.
Vintage warmth & Local roots.
I'm ATARAH — a singer-songwriter based in New Orleans and a recent University of Michigan grad. I write songs about the things I'm still figuring out, which is most things. Off the stage, I also work as a psychotherapist. Same curiosity, quieter room.
“If you're reading this, I'm still not Lorde.”
Where she’s coming from
No résumé padding — just the few things worth knowing before you press play.
Writing and playing out of Michigan — the city turns up in the songs whether she means it to or not.
Self-written material, recorded close to the mic — performance clips over polished cuts, on purpose.
Original songs from New Orleans — live takes, late-night writing, and new music on the way.
Press & Praise
“There's a new kid on the purple sparkle floor, and wow, she is a force.”
“ATARAH's voice is a phenomenon unto its own. And her songs are just as good.”
“ATARAH is going places. Come see her play while she's just getting started.”
Gallery
Stages, soundchecks, and the in-between — the candid frames, uncropped.
If any of this sounds like your kind of thing, come find the songs.
New live takes and first listens land all the time. Reach out, follow along, or just press play — whichever feels right.