| TOENAIL |

As you discover your own voice, don’t be afraid to share it, no matter how small you feel in the world. Music is magic that connects us to each other.
You always have fans among friends!

Welcome to Dream City, Earth…the most fertile urban center for cutting edge art and music in the galaxy! Beneath the surface of the city’s bustling excitement and blinding lights, intrepid visitors can find their way to the dimly lit venues of the underground where creativity is forged in chaotic and blissful experimentation.

400 years in the future, Beni and Xe perform as their experimental DIY music duo Toenail. Together, they navigate the many micro-cultures of underground arts spaces where they encounter other “regulars” – some friends, some foes, but all community.

Toenail is an in-process musical animated series created by Sister Sai and friends. Most recently, we created a collection of in-world objects:

  • Toeisms by Anicka Austin: tiny handmade books with quotable quotes from the series
  • Dream City Oracle Deck by Bella Dorado: a fresh take on divination inspired by the world of Toenail
  • The Toenail Essential Reading Set: two in-universe music magazines with contributions from Anicka Austin, Bella Dorado, Shaun Frazier, and Saira Raza
    • Dream City Drift: Dream City’s independent music and arts magazine, covering local artists as well as community issues
    • Orbit & Echo: One of Earth’s premier music magazines, elevating Earth’s hottest stars and celebrities and defining trends all over the galaxy

In addition to the collaborators listed above, Jared Pepper and Sequoyah Murray are also part of the writing team and help write the music. We intend to collaborate with many members of our communities who can relate to these stories inspired by the constantly evolving creative environment in Atlanta.

***I no longer use social media. Please join my mailing list to stay in the loop!***

Meet the crew!

| Releases |

| Collaborations |

| Videos |

| About |

Sister Sai is the moniker of musician, songwriter, and producer Saira (pronounced sī’ rǝ) Raza. Her work displays a wide range of musical influences including jazz, folk, electronic, and classical. In her recordings, Saira employs a range of instruments including vibraphone, guitar, bass, found sounds, synths, but she primarily performs with her first love, the cello. Her album Inertia was included in Creative Loafing Atlanta’s 40 Best Albums of 2016. Her 2017 release Extempore, which reflects the experimental loop-based style of her live solo sets, was included among Immersive Atlanta’s 30 Best Local Records of 2017.In recent years, Saira has collaborated with filmmakers providing unique sounds to accompany their artistic visions.

Saira learned to play cello through public school education and as a teen, took private lessons from New Directions Cello Festival founder Chris White to explore jazz music for cello. After a hiatus from playing cello for several years, she began taking lessons again with Okorie Johnson and shortly after began performing as support to hip hop artists. In 2013, she began recording her own compositions, releasing five albums to date, as well as several collaborations with artists in Atlanta and around the U.S.

Sister Sai has two different live incarnations. For solo sets, Saira creates live improvisational compositions by layering loops of cello and vocals, combined with effects and a sampler. Listeners have described her solo sets as meditative and cinematic. In contrast, Sister Sai also performs as a full band, with Saira at the helm on cello and vocals in addition to bass (Dhy Edwardsberry), guitar (Chris Edwards), drums (Jared Pepper), and keys (Gage Gilmore). Full band sets are energetic and dynamic, showcasing the amazing skills of each musician on stage.

In 2016, she participated in Red Bull Music Academy Bass Camp at Bonnaroo alongside 19 other U.S. based emerging music artists. Saira also loves printmaking and was one of three emerging artist residents at Atlanta Printmakers Studio in 2016. In 2018/19, she was one of eleven artists selected for the WonderRoot Hughley Artist Fellowship.