Conversations with SistaStrings

Today we’d like to introduce you to SistaStrings.

Hello SistaStrings, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Our story begins in Milwaukee, WI as the two youngest of five children. We began playing violin at the ages of 3 and 5 until Monique switched to Cello when she was 10.

Music was an integral part of our education as we were homeschooled for our entire elementary education. Our parents, Maurice and Deborah Ross are ministers and did a lot of traveling so being on the road with them and singing and playing our instruments together as a family totally set the tone for what we do now.

After a discouraging couple of months of being passed over for any of the few industry opportunities for Milwaukee artists, we decided to make a drastic change. Summer of 2021, we moved to Nashville, TN, and are absolutely in love with the creative community we’ve been blessed to be surrounded by.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Things have never been easy for us as Black women playing violin and cello. The greatest struggle we face collectively is not fitting into any type of mold. Along with being performing artists, we are educators. We love Gospel music but you might hear us on a rap record. We auditioned for every opportunity that we could in Milwaukee and were consistently passed over.

As children, we faced racism and were literally told we didn’t belong. It’s a blessing that we have strong parents who instilled in us the beauty of breaking down stereotypes and appreciating who we are regardless. Fast forward to 2014, when we first coined the name SistaStrings. We collaborated with as many artists as we could. In that process, we tried to force our sound to be more mainstream and it definitely didn’t work.

But down the road, it was the strength of collaboration that led us to find a home in the folk scene. Storytelling, harmonies, and strings came to the forefront and allowed us to grow as artists and songwriters. We’re so thankful for those who always supported and showed us, love, from our time developing our sound in Milwaukee through this transitional period we’re in now.

We’ve been blessed with a supportive community and we don’t take it for granted for one bit!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We like to think our music is a mix of the best qualities from our favorite genres. See, the thing about strings is that they literally sound great in any type of music.

We specialize in mixing lush string sounds with soulful harmonies-we call it the “SistaSauce”. It’s what we get calls for and what we love to do. Music is such a powerful tool in life. We’ve seen it connect folks who would never speak otherwise. We’ve seen it bring comfort and peace in the middle of strife.

The work we do isn’t just about sounds; It’s about heart and community and doing what we can to be agents of change. We all hold a piece to this puzzle. Ours just happens to be music.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Being brand new to town and the scene, we are elated to be collaborating and growing our personal creative community. Collaborations happen organically for us. We make music intentionally and making music with like-minded artists in that way just oozes that magical element of music.

Folks can support us by taking all the precautions they can when enjoying live music. We all suffered without that communal spirit that live music holds during the lockdown. Wearing masks in indoor spaces or not attending a show if you aren’t feeling well is just as important as buying merch or downloading our music.

We’re currently writing and working on the beginning stages of our first full-length album. Keep an eye on our website and social media for news on that.

Contact Info:

• Email: sistastrings@gmail.com
• Website: sistastrings.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sistastrings/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SistaStrings/
• Other: https://sistastrings.bandcamp.com/album/lift

Image Credits
Phe Photography