Samora Pinderhouges was born a mixed-race kid in the Bay Area, a hotbed of revolutionary organization and incredible music and art that immediately seeped into his soul. He started playing music at two years old; his father played him The Delfonics, Tupac, and Bob Marley while his mother introduced him to Nina Simone, Fela Kuti, and Pete Seeger. He became serious about making music is life after living in Cuba studying spiritual music traditions. He moved to NYC to study at Juilliard under master teachers Kenny Barron and Kendall Briggs; it was during this time that he also met his artistic mentor MacArthur-winning playwright, Anna Deavere Smith. This started him down the path of writing lyrics and combining film / theater with this music in radical new ways. With the help of these mentors, Samora eventually began to create his very own unique style, a combination of striking intimacy and carefully crafted, radically honest lyrics with lush, immersive music, maximalist visual story telling and high levels of concept. Samora is currently pursuing a phD in Creative Practice and Critical Inquiry under mentor Vijay Iyer at Harvard University.