Music Nation is a Music Video Competition for Independent Artists

About sixty miles north of Detroit sits Port Huron, an unassuming city comfortably located on the coast of the Great Lakes. Port Huron also happens to be the home of musical ingénue Sara Stokes. Growing up in this culturally rich but relatively quiet community, Sara embarked on her singing career at the tender age of five. It wasn’t uncommon for little Sara to command an audience in any type of environment. Her vocal performances began to be a mainstay at family functions and church events. Sara counts herself as blessed because she was raised in two separate, but loving households. Her mother, of Irish decent, constantly engaged her children with a variety of music. Sara recalls hearing all types of music; from folk to R&B. The environment in Sara’s father’s home was not much different. Sara’s father, who happens to be of African-American and Cherokee heritage, was an accomplished guitarist and along with Sara’s stepmother; always supported Sara’s musical aspirations. Sara is especially proud of her mixed race legacy; the fusion of both cultures allowed her to be exposed to a plethora of musical influences. Her list of influences; Tears for Fears, Lionel Richie, Hootie & The Blowfish, Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston read like a Billboard Hot 100 chart and crosses all genres. By junior high school, she had already begun to expand her audience. She entered her first talent show in the seventh grade and subsequently experienced her first standing ovation. That was a light bulb moment for Sara; she realized this was her destiny. By the time she was twelve, she was already in the studio recording her first demo cd. Throughout the remainder of her high school career, she began to perform professionally. She was opening for national and local artists as well as, singing backgrounds for several recording artists. Sara’s impeccable vocal range allowed her to cross all genres. Some days she found herself opening for such R&B groups as H-Town and the next singing backgrounds for gospel legends such as Karen Clarke-Sheard. Sara acknowledges that her gospel roots contributed heavily to her vocal style; she was able to develop a knack for creating unique melodies and innovative vocal arrangements. As soon as she graduated from high school, Sara hit the ground running; she was determined to make her mark in the music industry. However at 18, she found herself pregnant with her son and this could have easily halted anyone’s career goals. Not Sara Stokes! She didn’t slow down at all; her new baby became her inspiration. Not long after, she married her son’s father, Tony Stokes. She credits him with being her biggest fan and he quite naturally moved into the role of her manager. Although he was a full-time employee with the Chrysler Corporation, he was committed to developing Sara’s career. It was Tony who procured a meeting with Bad Boy Recordings executive Slam. Like everyone else who heard Sara’s vocal prowess, Slam was blown away. He immediately began recording with her and they eventually packaged a single. The record received medium airplay in the regional Michigan market and the response to the record was overwhelming. Although the single was never released commercially, Sara’s name began to buzz all over the Michigan market. Tony wasted no time looking for every opportunity to expose Sara to new audiences. They decided approach her career from an independent stance; they wrapped a promotional vehicle, set up a photo shoot and continued to record new material. Then fate steps in. Sara was in Atlanta recording new material with producer Kenny Hickson (112, Carl Thomas, Mario Winans) when Tony heard about an audition for an MTV reality show, P. Diddy’s “Makin’ Da Band”. Sara flew back to Michigan for the audition but when she arrived there was already over a thousand people at the venue. Fortunately, they had a relationship with Slam who happened to be at the venue. Sara ended up securing a spot and was the seventh person to perform. Out of 50,000 people that attended auditions all across the country, Sara was the only vocalist that was selected for Da Band. Da Band went on to record a Gold Album and toured extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad. Sara states; “…. that will always be one of the greatest experiences of my lifetime…it was hard work but, I learned so much from Puff about the music industry. I was pushed beyond my limits and the exposure I received from those three seasons was profound.” After Da Band disbanded Sara, who was now the mother of three young children, took time to rekindle her relationship with her family. But, never stopped performing and writing songs. Because of the immediate celebrity recognition from the show, Sara found herself in demand. She was performing for major corporate events and beginning to delve into another area of interest, acting. She filmed two movies, “The Resurrection of JR Richard” and “Yadada” which also features fellow Da Band member Choppa. Although record labels and production companies have courted her since she left Da Band, Sara feels like now is the perfect time to return to the forefront. Timing is essential. Sara has teamed up with St. Louis based production company, Quan Entertainment and recorded some incredible new music with such prolific producers as Kiyamma Griffin (Usher, Faith Evans, Mary J. Blige) and platinum recording artist T-Pain. Through her own writing and collaborations, Sara has penned and recorded timeless music that will speak to the hearts of consumers everywhere. Her music will express where she is now and will chronicle a lifetime of experiences. She recently shot an Evan Winter directed video for her single; “You”. Everything seems to be aligning itself for the grand comeback. Sara’s natural abilities seem to always have her operating at star level. She is continuing to develop her sterling voice, working out everyday and maintaining a health conscious lifestyle. She puts it best; “God gives us one life to live…. in my lifetime, I have been blessed with great family and great fans…and, I plan to make them all proud.” Sara Stokes is a recording artist, songwriter, and actress and is currently developing a cosmetic line called SASS.