Rising Stars: Meet Samuri West of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuri West.

Hi Samuri, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Talking about myself has never been easy. I’ve always felt more comfortable expressing who I am through songs than through interviews.

I’ve been a singer and performer for as long as I can remember. In fact, the first trophy I ever won was for singing. I was so young that I don’t remember the actual performance, but I remember what it represented. From the time I was a little girl, being an artist wasn’t just something I wanted to do, it was who I was. I always dreamed of becoming a pop star, but even more than that, I wanted to use music to leave people feeling uplifted, inspired, and understood. I remember creating my first “band” with my two girlfriends (that were my moms friends daughters) & I made a drum set out of pots & pans, a guitar out of tissue box with strings, & a had a stick from outside, properly shaped in my 6-year old imagination, as a microphone. I was the only one who wanted to do the band haha, but still I persisted. Those type of memories ring so found to me. Songwriting on the couch to every single thing I would watch on the TV. Being outside & singing whatever came to my mind that rhymed. Songwriting has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was constantly filling notebooks with lyrics, melodies, poems, and ideas. I would sing all day and write all night. Creating wasn’t something I learned to do, it was something I naturally did.

Through every challenge life has placed in front of me, music has remained the thread connecting me to my purpose. I’ve always believed that this divine universe, and our own spirit can show us what’s possible, & I also believe that prayer without work is dead. Dreams require action. You have to wake up every day and choose them again, especially on the days when they’re hardest to believe in.

As a teenager, I got my first real glimpse into the music industry. Along with exciting opportunities came disappointment, empty promises, and pressure to become a version of myself that fit someone else’s marketing strategy. I never felt comfortable allowing others to define who I was as an artist. Because of that, I walked away from opportunities that didn’t align with my values, even when they may have accelerated my career.

Some people might see those choices as setbacks, but I see them as investments in my integrity. I’ve always believed that success means very little if you have to sacrifice yourself to achieve it. At the end of the day, I want to be able to tell my story honestly and know that I stayed true to who I am.

As an adult, I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with legendary funk musicians, respected producers, and talented artists whose work I grew up admiring. Those experiences taught me that authenticity has value. Staying consistent, working hard, and treating people with respect has created opportunities that no shortcut ever could.

My journey hasn’t been without heartbreak. Years ago, my debut album was pulled apart after a producer attempted to secure rights that I was unwilling to give away. It was devastating to watch years of work disappear over a situation that never should have happened. Before I had fully recovered from that setback, I experienced the greatest loss of my life when my daughter was taken from this world.

The years that followed changed me forever. There was a long gap between releases because survival became more important than music. Grief has a way of changing every part of your life. Yet even in the darkest moments, music never stopped calling me back.

Now, five years later, I find myself returning to the dream with a deeper purpose than ever before. I am recreating the debut album that was lost, creating new music, and building projects that honor both my daughter and the people I love. Every step forward is a testament to resilience, faith, and the belief that our purpose doesn’t disappear simply because life becomes painful.

Beyond music, I am passionate about entrepreneurship, community impact, and creating spaces where artists can feel safe, supported, and free to create. Everything I am building is connected to a larger vision of legacy, healing, and service.

I am proud of how far I’ve come, not because the road has been easy, but because I never stopped walking it. I believe the world is hungry for music that carries real emotion, real healing, and real humanity. My goal is to contribute to that healing through my art and through every venture I create. I often say that we’re creating a new healing frequency, and that’s exactly what I intend to spend the rest of my life doing.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not, it has been anything but a smooth road, haha. But honestly, I wouldn’t trade the lessons I’ve learned along the way.

Some of the biggest challenges I’ve faced have involved protecting my identity, my creative work, and my vision. I’ve experienced situations where people attempted to gain control over rights connected to my name, my music, or my brand. I’ve also encountered individuals who presented themselves as friends, mentors, or supporters, only to reveal different intentions when opportunities arose.

As a woman in the music industry, I’ve faced pressures that many artists unfortunately know all too well. There have been moments where professional opportunities came attached to expectations that did not align with my values, whether that meant compromising my image, my voice, or my personal boundaries. Choosing to walk away from those situations wasn’t always easy, and at times it came with consequences, misunderstandings, or people attempting to damage my reputation. But I have never regretted choosing integrity over convenience.

Those experiences taught me the importance of self-respect, strong boundaries, and understanding the business side of the entertainment industry. They also made me fiercely protective of the artists and creatives I work with through Samuri Sound. I want the people around me to have the support, knowledge, and encouragement that I wish more artists had access to when they are first starting out.

One lesson I’ve learned is that success doesn’t just reveal opportunities, it reveals people. As you grow, some relationships grow with you, while others fall away. Not everyone will understand your vision, and not everyone is meant to be part of your journey forever. Learning to accept that has been one of the most valuable parts of my growth.

At the same time, I’ve learned that support can come from unexpected places. Whether it’s family, close friends, fellow artists, mentors, or even the unconditional love of a pet waiting for you at home, having a support system matters. None of us accomplish anything meaningful entirely on our own.

Every setback I’ve faced has strengthened my faith, my resilience, and my commitment to my purpose. I’ve learned to value humble beginnings, celebrate small victories, and keep moving forward even when progress feels slow. Healing, growth, and success are rarely linear.

Every morning, I remind myself that our time here is limited. The question I ask myself is simple: “What am I going to do with today?” As long as I continue moving with purpose, creating from a place of truth, and serving the calling I’ve been given, I trust that I’m exactly where I need to be.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a licensed audio engineer,

I work across multiple areas within the music and creative industries, with my foundation rooted in music performance, songwriting, and audio engineering. I am a licensed audio engineer with hands-on experience in recording, mixing, and supporting artists through the full creative and production process, often from inside the studio where ideas first take shape and records slowly become real. That environment has shaped how I understand music from both the emotional and technical sides, the feeling of a moment, and the structure that holds it together.

As an artist, I create and perform under the name Samuri West. My sound is influenced by soul, funk, and contemporary storytelling, and I’m drawn to music that feels emotionally honest, uplifting, and intentional. A lot of my writing begins in quiet spaces late-night ideas, voice notes, fragments in notebooks, melodies tested in real time inside the booth, before they ever become fully formed records. Songwriting has always been central to my life; it’s how I process experience, translate truth, and connect with people in a way that feels real and human.

Alongside the artistry, I’ve always lived in both worlds of creation and construction. I’m just as present behind the board, listening to takes, adjusting levels, shaping tone, as I am in front of the microphone. That movement between roles is natural for me, and it allows me to protect the integrity of a record from its first spark of inspiration all the way through its final mix. I’ve always been deeply aware of how a single vocal take or subtle frequency shift can change the entire emotional weight of a song.

Outside of music, I am an entrepreneur and the founder of Samuri Sound LLC, a creative company built around recording, production, and artistic development. It’s a space where sessions happen, ideas are built from scratch, and artists can sit in the booth without feeling rushed or shaped into something they’re not. I am also the founder of West Health & Beauty, a natural wellness and beauty brand rooted in self-care, restoration, and intentional beauty practices. In addition, I created Lavender’s Love, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families facing medical complexity, disability, and profound loss; something born from lived experience and a desire to turn what I’ve witnessed and walked through into care for others.

What I am most proud of is my ability to remain authentic in an industry that often encourages artists to become something else. I’ve chosen integrity, ownership, and artistic truth even when that meant sitting in longer studio nights, rebuilding records from scratch, or taking a slower path just to make sure the work still sounded like me when it left the room.

What sets me apart is that my work is never confined to one space or role. I am an artist, an engineer, and a builder of creative and healing environments. I don’t separate sound from emotion or business from purpose. Everything I create is connected to something real, something lived, and I think that’s what people feel when they step into my world, whether it’s through a song, a session, or a space I’ve helped create.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Seeing my loved ones happy and healthy is what brings me the most joy. That has always been my core definition of happiness, witnessing peace, wellbeing, and light in the people I care about.

At the same time, life has brought me a great deal of loss, heartache, and trauma, and those experiences have deeply shaped how I understand emotion and presence. I don’t really experience happiness as something that comes from outside of me or from specific achievements or moments. For me, it’s more of an understanding than something I chase. Over time, life has taught me that happiness isn’t something you “get,” it’s something you learn how to hold within yourself, regardless of what is happening around you.

At this point in my life, I find the most peace in simply being present, in waking up, creating, breathing, and continuing to move forward with intention. There is something deeply grounding about recognizing that life itself is the blessing, even in its most difficult or uncertain moments.

I’ve learned that joy and peace can coexist with grief, responsibility, and growth. They don’t cancel each other out. Instead, they live alongside one another, and I’ve come to respect that balance more than the idea of constant emotional highs.

So for me, it’s less about chasing happiness and more about practicing awareness, gratitude, and purpose in real time. When I am in the studio, when I am building, when I am creating, or even in quiet moments alone, I try to stay connected to that sense of presence. That is where my sense of peace comes from.

I would say I don’t look at happiness as something I receive, I look at it as something I understand and carry with me. It is a choice, and also a form of knowing that I always have with me, like in my back pocket.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.samuriwest.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samuriwest/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samuriwest/
• Twitter: https://x.com/SamuriWest
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@samuriwestmusic
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/samuriwest
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1e8UnfbC7CkaPlUoAfehFR?si=frJTsgsQThKLBMkgqlwxgA