It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon. I was heading to the tea point at work when I heard someone humming a very melodious tune. You see, I am not very much into music, but this particular tune caught my attention. As I turned around, I saw her, chilling within her workspace – in her own element while typing away at work. Music to everyone is very subjective. And to me personally, I’d listen to any genre as long as it fits my mood. Recently I’ve discovered Spotify and was actually influenced to get the premium version because let’s face it – nobody has time to wait for the ads to end, right? And this is how my friendship with Sara Cortez started.

Source: Image by @saracortez via Instagram
Sara Cortez: “My Coping Mechanism, Vessel For Inspiration, Is Music”
As someone who is sort of tone-deaf, I enjoy the company of music based on someone else’s recommendation. Sara and her humming caught my attention that day. It was also a week before Good Vibes Festival 2019, and I’ve discovered that Sara plays the guitar AND she sings too. After converting me to be a Joji fan, we immediately became closer and she slowly opens up about her musical journey.
“I believe music is a place everyone of us can go to. I don’t care who you are, where you were born, what you do with your life. Everyone can come here in music and be equal.”
Hayley Williams, LEAD VOCALIST OF PARAMORE
Sara Cortez Sees, Sara Cortez Does
When Sara was only eight months old, her parents brought her to Hard Rock Cafe. They told her that mini Sara absolutely loved it there. In fact, baby Sara didn’t cry when the music got loud. Even when the surroundings got even more hectic with the change of songs.
The story was retold too many times and she believed that was when she started appreciating music. Her parents are also one of her biggest musical influences. Fun fact: her father was in a band of his own during his younger days.

Source: Sara Cortez’s personal photo
She started singing since she was five. At age 15, her father surprised her with a guitar – blessing her current love.
YouTube is still her best friend – as she self-taught herself to play the guitar. She then had her own band at school when she was 16. She was the vocalist, and the band performed at school events like proms and charity services.
Source: One of her many covers on @saracortez via Instagram
I was not surprised when she told me that she started writing her own music when she was 15. She somehow blushed when asked about her first-ever song ‘Social Media’. It was written for her crush. We both laughed too hard that day as she described having that cringy video of her singing to that song. However, unfortunately, it will never see the light of day. Music to Sara is an artistic expression of herself. She was a child with so much bottled up emotions and she realised the only way to release it is by writing.
A Little Piece Of Sara’s Heaven
After discovering her passion for writing music, she started posting covers on SoundCloud. It is a platform where we can discover, stream, and share a constantly expanding mix of music from emerging and major artists around the world.
After much encouragement from her loved ones, she started being serious about making music last year, 2019. She first posted a song called ‘Spacedice’ on Sara’s SoundCloud.
Because of that song, she has met so many other local musicians and it opened doors to so many opportunities. She wrote ‘Choco-latte’ a day after her birthday last year. That was when people really started noticing her art.
“Somewhere weakness is our strength, and I’ll die searching for it.”
Paramore – Let the Flames Begin
Getting to know Sara and her passion for music has made me love discovering music more. In between breaks, we will always exchange songs and new artistes we’ve discovered accidentally, or from recommendations. I’d have to say that’s somewhat a little thing we share in common.
I am so envious when she shared her Good Vibes Festival trip last year.

Source: Image from 14k@fanpop from Alternative Press by David Mcclister
Chaos Makes The Muse
If you are wondering who’s Sara’s biggest inspiration, that would be Hayley Williams from Paramore. She’s the main reason why Sara is Sara Cortez today. She grew up listening to the band ever since she was in secondary school. That’s when she first fell in love with music and the art scene. She speaks fondly of the way Hayley carries herself through music, and her lyrics are so relatable. It helped her go through hard times in life.
Only recently during our usual chit chat, I asked her the golden question… “What do you want to achieve in making music?” In a heartbeat, she said that just like any other musician, she does it solely to contribute to the arts. She doesn’t want to measure her success by the number of streams, followers or even the number of shares.
She is all about being authentic and does not aim to grow big. “It was never about the number, Atika. It is more about pure connection, understanding and a sense of belonging,” she said, smiling. She believes that as long as the one listening to her music is able to reciprocate, feels her vibe and/or understand her content in a positive light, that’s good enough for her.
As long as she is able to inspire others, no matter how big or small the impact is, that’s her definition of success.
All About The Good Vibes
For 2020, Sara shares with me that she is planning to release more music for global listeners. Think of Valentine’s Day (February), Suicide Prevention Month (September) and many more. She a firm believer in ‘art inspires art’ and music is her way to express it to the world.

Source: Image by @goodvibesfestival from Instagram
Sara and I plan to attend the upcoming 2020 Good Vibes Festival (GVF). It is happening on 14 to 16 August (THREE DAYS!) at The Ranch, Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia.
Since 2013, Good Vibes Festival has been paving its own entertainment waves. By 2017, it is officially part of Malaysia Major Events, a division of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia.
We’re patiently waiting for more updates from their official Twitter and Instagram page!
It is going to be my first GVF. I am definitely looking forward to enjoying the variety of other happenings. From art installations and its giant playground to market stalls and some incredible local cuisine. Well – most importantly, if you’re going to be there, let us know and we can experience the music together!
If you aspire to learn more about music professionally or even to be able to play any musical instrument to kill time, head on to this article and be blown away with more interesting music facts! *wink
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