Born and raised in Washington, DC, YahZarah started singing at the age of 7 in her church choir. Her love for performance began after winning a youth talent search at the Kennedy Center at age 10. After years of honing her talent in churches, talent shows and local concerts, she entered high school at DC’s prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Upon graduation in 1997, she was accepted to North Carolina Central University in Durham on a full scholarship to the school’s jazz program.
In 1998, she left NC Central and began touring as a background singer for Erykah Badu. While touring, YahZarah contributed background vocals and vocal arrangements to Badu’s platinum-selling “Mama’s Gun” LP, and was featured in the video for the album’s lead single, ‘Bag Lady.’ In 2001, she left the Mama’s Gun tour and released her debut album “Hear Me” on the KEO Music label. A follow up LP, 2003’s “Blackstar,” was issued on the Three Keys label and reached #44 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.
2004 found YahZarah reuniting with longtime collaborator and fellow NC Central classmate Phonte Coleman (Little Brother, The Foreign Exchange) for a series of crucial guest appearances. With the release of The Foreign Exchange’s debut album “Connected,” YahZarah was featured on the lead single “Sincere.” The following year she appeared on Little Brother’s “Minstrel Show” LP (Atlantic Records), and was featured on the debut single “Lovin It.” She later contributed two vocal performances to The Foreign Exchange’s GRAMMY-nominated “Leave It All Behind” LP in 2008. That same year, she released an EP of new material entitled “The Prelude.” To support the EP, she toured nationally and internationally with artists such as Chaka Khan, Musiq Soulchild, The Roots, Rahsaan Patterson, and R. Kelly.
YahZarah’s latest album “The Ballad Of Purple Saint James,” is scheduled for release in May 2010 on the Foreign Exchange Music label.
Nova
Yahzarah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know, y'all know this girl
Cold-ass ho, pretty young thang
All the potentials in the world to be beautiful
Just a little too fast strong girl
Gonna mess up on every damn thing
Chill out, life's too short, y'all
Alright, check me out
Ch-vh-ch-check, check, check out
Ch-ch-check out
Ch-ch-check-ch-ch-check out
Check out-ch-ch-check-check out
She was crafty, professional daydreamer
May know her for the star-r-r-r, uh
Head in the clouds, young and loud
Oh, always in a hurry, always in a hurry
She's always in a hurry, jumpin' in
Never thinking
Fast talkin' and high livin' only leads
To trouble
Girl, so might ought to
Slow down, nova
Girl, you're runnin' too fast
Slow down, nova
Lift your foot off the gas
Slow down, nova
Girl, you're runnin' too fast
Slow down, nova
Slow it down
Slow it down, down, down
Chill out and relax
Light a candle and watch the wax
You've got so much time, girl
So mch time, girl
Boo, don't stop what'cha doin'
I ain't hating on you, whoa
But whatever you do next,
The rest is up to you
Uh-huh, I want you just
(Chorus x2)
Traveling faster than the speed of light
Spendin' in the universe tryin' to flight
Nova (nova, nova)
Traveling (yeah, traveling)
Traveling faster than the speed of light
Spendin, in the universe tryin' to flight
Nova (whoaaa, yeahhh, nova)
Traveling (nova, nova, n-n-n-nova)
(Chorus x3 w/ ad-libs)
Put off the brakes, nova
The song 'Nova' by Yahzarah is about a young girl who is continuously rushing through life with reckless abandon. Yahzarah describes her as a "cold-ass ho, pretty young thang" who has all the potential to be beautiful, but her fast-paced lifestyle is causing her to make mistakes in every aspect of her life. The chorus acts as a call to action, encouraging the girl (Nova) to slow down and take time to appreciate life instead of constantly running towards the next thing.
The lyrics highlight the harmful effects of living life at such a high speed, portraying Nova as a "crafty, professional daydreamer" who is always "fast talkin' and high livin'." Yahzarah advises her to "chill out and relax" and enjoy the present moment. The lyrics "light a candle and watch the wax" perfectly encapsulate the kind of self-care Nova needs in order to slow down and take a breath.
In conclusion, 'Nova' by Yahzarah is a cautionary tale about the dangers of a fast-paced lifestyle and encourages us to be more present in the moment and appreciate life's journey.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm 'bout to tell y'all a story
The singer is about to narrate a story
You know, y'all know this girl
The singer believes the audience knows the girl she is telling the story about
Cold-ass ho, pretty young thang
A young woman with the potential to be pretty but who is emotionally cold
All the potentials in the world to be beautiful
Despite the girl's flaws and attitude, she still has the possibility to be beautiful
Just a little too fast strong girl
The girl is strong but reckless, always in a rush
Gonna mess up on every damn thing
The girl's attitude will lead her to make serious errors
Chill out, life's too short, y'all
The singer advises the girl to take it easy, enjoy life, and not rush through it
Alright, check me out
The singer is drawing attention to herself to make an important point
Ch-ch-check out
An exclamation getting the audience's attention
Ch-vh-ch-check, check, check out
An exclamation to keep the audience's focus on her
Ch-ch-check out
An exclamation to emphasize the persistence of the message
Ch-ch-check-ch-ch-check out
An exclamation to encourage the audience to pay attention and remember the message
Check out-ch-ch-check-check out
An exhortation to focus on the message being communicated
She was crafty, professional daydreamer
The girl is clever but indulges in idle fantasies
May know her for the star-r-r-r, uh
The audience might recognize her from her accomplishments
Head in the clouds, young and loud
The girl is impractical, naive and self-centered
Oh, always in a hurry, always in a hurry
The girl is always in rush and lacks patience
She's always in a hurry, jumpin' in
She always rushes into things without thinking through the consequences
Never thinking
She does not consider the outcome of her actions
Fast talkin' and high livin' only leads
Being reckless and talking too much will lead her to trouble
To trouble
Her recklessness will cause her harm
Girl, so might ought to
The singer encourages the girl to reconsider her actions
Slow down, nova
The singer advises the girl to slow down and take things easy
Girl, you're runnin' too fast
The girl is rushing through life and needs to slow down
Lift your foot off the gas
She needs to stop being so impulsive and take time to consider her actions
Slow it down
The singer repeats her advice to the girl to slow down
Slow it down, down, down
The singer asks the girl to decelerate her pace
Chill out and relax
The girl needs to calm down and enjoy life
Light a candle and watch the wax
The singer suggests the girl spend time doing relaxing activities such as lighting candles
You've got so much time, girl
The girl's life is ahead of her and she has all the time in the world
So much time, girl
Reiteration of the same idea - the girls' life is still ahead of her
Boo, don't stop what'cha doin'
The singer encourages the girl to continue living her life and not give up
I ain't hating on you, whoa
The singer is not criticizing the girl's personality, but warning her to be careful
But whatever you do next,
The singer emphasizes that the girl has the responsibility to make her choices
The rest is up to you
The girl chooses her own destiny
Traveling faster than the speed of light
The girl is moving too quickly through life
Spendin' in the universe tryin' to flight
The girl is frivolously expending her energy in meaningless pursuits
Nova (nova, nova)
The singer repeats the girl's name to emphasize that the song is for her
Traveling (yeah, traveling)
The girl is in a hurry and never stops moving
Put off the brakes, nova
The singer advises the girl to slow down and be more careful
Contributed by Hannah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rashy
I love Yahzara. She’s so underrated! 💖
Sean Forde
Love this song to the max. I'm glad someone had the sense to upload it. Thank you whoever you are,
Drazon Sanders
This song still slaps. I met a young lady named Nova and remembered this song.
ezzray
Good song !!!!
TheAndrewGorny
I remember when I first heard this tune in Philly, this girl's the best
MAURICIO M.
En que compas esta???