For Stasia Irons aka Stas THEE Boss, there’s nothing better than music discovery. Not only does the bicoastal artist and musician love finding hidden gems for herself, but she also revels in gifting them to others to experience, appreciate, and enjoy. Irons values the internal nourishment that a musical revelation provides on a deep level. In fact, she’s devoted her professional life to ensuring others around her experience that feeling, too.
A Nested Approach
Vocalist, lyricist, producer, DJ, and radio host—Irons treats the creative process like a Russian nesting doll. As a former Sub Pop signee and THEESatisfaction producer and MC, she’s approached music from many angles. Frequently, they’re stacked on top of each other.
Let’s say Irons is at a party spinning dance records. She’ll hunt in those tracks for samples to isolate and turn into beats for herself and others to rap over. Next, she’ll bring those songs to collaborative settings like a show or studio session. Later, she’ll work with other artists to create even more music and the cycle continues.
“That’s me,” Irons agrees. “The discovery—I savor it. I relish in moments like that.”
"That’s me. The discovery—I savor it. I relish in moments like that.”
Singing Out of the Womb
Born in Tacoma, Washington, Irons grew up a few miles north in Seattle. There, she earned a degree in English Literature from the University of Washington. Irons’ parents are also quite musical; her father still plays piano for a handful of local churches. He says she came out of the womb humming and singing as an infant.
As a student, Irons loved Shakespeare, Octavia Butler, and the Harry Potter books. During college, she began to make beats after a friend gave her some production software. At the same time, she was also performing spoken word poetry. “I’d never thought about putting the two together until much later on,” Irons admits. “I wasn’t hearing the music that I really wanted to hear, so I decided to make it myself.”
Cosmic Connections
As a Black LGBTQ+ woman in a predominately white American city, Irons says it wasn’t easy to break into the Seattle music scene. In her words, she “kinda just forced my way in,” connecting with key players, venue bookers, and other tastemakers. Later, she met and began working with Catherine “Cat” Harris-White (who now goes by SassyBlack). Coming together as THEESatisfaction, the duo was a force—an instant hit.
“All of that was very cosmic,” Irons recalls. “I never thought I would be a musician or pop star. I knew I’d be good at something, but I didn’t know what that was going to be.”
“Hearing chords that raise the hairs on the back of my neck. The spirit of the ancestors is in them; it’s about storytelling."
A Like-Minded Mentor
THEESatisfaction clicked with Ishmael Butler: rapper, artist, and founder of Grammy-winners Digable Planets. Butler also fronts Shabazz Palaces, an act which itself creates celestial hip-hop music. With Butler and others, Irons helped form Black Constellation, a collective of like-minded, progressive Pacific Northwesterners. The group continues to impact the Emerald City scene.
“I remember the first time all of us performed together on stage,” Irons says of a seminal Seattle show: The Stranger newspaper’s Genius Awards. “It was magical, beautiful. That moment there will always be one of my favorites.”
On the Quarner with the DJ-808
Though Irons savors participating in a good collaboration, she is now primarily a solo artist. In May, she dropped the 15-minute offering, On The Quarner. The release sees Irons taking full advantage of the Roland DJ-808, using it liberally across shapeshifting grooves.
“I made all the beats with the Roland DJ-808,” she explains about On The Quarner. “It started off with me DJing and looping some of the music. But I realized I could record and chop live,” Irons explains. “So, I started queuing up tracks and chopping them live, then adding the 808 drums on top of that, and that became the songs. I love making music that way.”
"I started queuing up tracks and chopping them live, then adding the 808 drums on top of that, and that became the songs."
Bicoastal Beats
These days, Irons splits her time between Brooklyn and Seattle. She hopes to remain bicoastal and enjoys the unique opportunities each side of the country provides. The setup allows her to engage with more people in more places, creating more ways to find fresh sounds to share.
“I love getting those goosebumps,” Irons says. “Hearing chords that raise the hairs on the back of my neck. The spirit of the ancestors is in them; it’s about storytelling. It’s just a great feeling.”
