By Kate Hill

Staff Writer

On Nov. 13, singer-songwriter Faith Gara, of Cazenovia, released a pop/dance single “Heartbreak Looks Better” on all streaming platforms.

Gara, 21, co-wrote the music and lyrics of the new song with her friend and musical collaborator Skylar Blaze Star of La Jolla, San Diego.

Collectively, the two singers/songwriters go by the name “Smokelines.”

“’Heartbreak Looks Better’ is an [anthem] that brings light to how some of us appear to look after a break up, unfazed and stunning as if we didn’t miss a beat,” said Gara. “Smokelines explores the heartbreak process: dealing with being a victim of infidelity while keeping a beautiful composure on the outside . . . [The song] came from our honest conversations about past relationships that we’ve both been in and seen other people go through. Since we’re writers, we like to be very creative with the storyline. We add different layers of fictional and non-fictional experiences to create unique characters and a robust plot.”

According to Gara, “Heartbreak Looks Better” was the first song she and Star wrote together.

The pair came up with the chords first, then developed a storyline and put together the melody.

“We sat on this song for over two years,” Gara said. “We’re so excited it’s finally out and for people to see the evolution of our work.”

Produced by Tropico and Smokelines and mixed by VIDI, the song is inspired by Gara’s love of pop and Star’s dance background.

“The melody of the song odes to pop,” Gara said. “The repetition of words in the chorus and the electronic production elements give the song that dance flair . . . Heartbreak is a relatively sad topic, but by creating an uplifting track it makes listeners feel like they’re not alone.”

Gara attended Cazenovia Central Schools from kindergarten through her sophomore year of high school, after which she and her family moved to New York City.

She attended Gramercy Arts High School for a year and a half before transferring back to Cazenovia to complete her final semester and graduate in June 2017.

While living in Cazenovia, Gara sang in the Syracuse Children’s Chorus for three years, performed in four Syracuse Opera shows, sang in the choirs at school, and participated in local community theater.

A self-taught guitar and piano player, the musician started voice lessons at age eight and began songwriting at age 11.

Gara met Star at Long Island University Brooklyn, where they were both majoring in music technology, entrepreneurship and production with a concentration in songwriting.

“Sky and I work so well together because we have just enough similarities that we have a foundation — like our age, where we go to school, living in NYC, our hobbies, and our interests — but we have enough differences that writing together enriches the songs,” Gara said. “Sky is from San Diego, she grew up playing classical piano and was into punk and EDM music, whereas I grew up in Upstate NY playing guitar [and doing] musical theater, and I was infatuated with pop and R&B music. When we write together we are on the same page in regards to the direction of the song, but the details we each come up with are so unique and that is really what makes the songwriting collaboration so special.”

The duo released its debut single, a pop Christmas song titled “Ms. Claus,” last December.

Gara and Star hope to expand their Smokelines fan base by releasing more music in the near future.

To learn more about Smokelines, visit smokelines.com or follow the artists on Instagram @smokelinesgroup.