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Sky Star says coming home to San Diego inspired her to write seven songs in a week.

“I’m releasing my debut single on March 26, called ‘Melancholy Treasures’” says Sky Star, one half of the musical duo Smokelines. “The song talks about my move from San Diego to New York City for college and specifically mentions San Diego in the song. It’s basically all about the memories I’ve made which can bring on the feeling of melancholy, but how I also treasure those memories.”

Her duo Smokelines is a west and east coast fusion featuring San Diego-born Star and New York singer-songwriter Faith Gara. Their most recent pop-dance single “Heartbreak Looks Better” was released in November, while Star was staying in New York to attend college. “I’m finishing up my last semester at music school. I just took a trip back to San Diego to shoot pictures for the ‘Melancholy Treasures’ marketing rollout. That was my first time being back home in Bird Rock since Covid began.”

Star was born in Chula Vista and spent time living with her family around Dehesa, Encinitas, and eventually Bird Rock. “Growing up so close to north Pacific Beach, PB and Mission Beach became my stomping grounds as a teen and young adult. Whenever I visit back home to see my family, I find myself back on the boardwalk, checking out the roller coaster to see if it’s still running, going to Lestat’s on Adams, and grabbing my favorite late-late night food that I can only get in San Diego: California burritos. Being back home was tremendously inspiring and sparked my songwriting roots in the hometown where it all began. I ended writing seven new songs in one week.”

In addition to her solo single, a new Smokelines EP is planned for summer. “We’re in the process of coordinating virtual performances until the Covid restrictions are fully lifted to schedule live performances again. Smokelines has another single coming out this spring. After that, we plan to each release another single as solo artists, in addition to a collaborative Smokelines single.”

Faith Gara will soon premiere her own solo single “Blame,” right around the same time she graduates from Long Island University Brooklyn with her music degree. Following that, her relocation to the Bay Area will make Smokelines a California band, albeit with members on either end of the state.

In early May, the duo plans to drop a collaborative Smokelines single called “Chanel Ad,” which will be the final song previewing the Smokelines EP Magenta Hills. Star emphasizes that the three separate endeavors, their band and the two solo projects, represent individual inspirations, rather than just the same act in different configurations. “Our solo artist singles under Sky Star and Faith Gara will not be released on our Smokelines EP, showcasing our dedication to our careers as collaborative songwriters and solo artists.”

Regarding the inspiration behind her solo single, Star says “‘Melancholy Treasures’ is about looking back on the tiny memories that you usually forget about but, when they pop in your head, they always make you nostalgic. Moments pass by in a flash and we usually forget, but there are some moments that last forever. Though you don’t always remember them on a daily basis, you treasure the memories dearly in retrospect.”

“When I was in New York City, flashbacks would swirl through my brain, like re-watching old movie scenes of my life. I decided to write ‘Melancholy Treasures’ based on that simple feeling of bittersweet nostalgia.”