According to legend, the true extent of her talent was first revealed on trip to New York City, when a friend pushed her onstage at an East Village club's open-mic night, where her impromptu spoken-word poetry met an enthusiastic reception.

Following a self-released demo called Learning 2 Cook in 1995, she released her debut album Tidy in 1996, mixing rock, punk, pop, and hip-hop, along with her trademark spoken-word poetry.

[2] The next year, Seagram bought Polygram, the parent company of Island Def Jam, and merged it into Universal Music Group.

[4] Cirque du Soleil pursued Starr to sing in their productions, and in 2003 she contracted with them to perform in Zumanity for two years.

Her 2013 album "Kiss It" was made available to fans at Vancouver's Queer Arts Festival one week before the official release.

[citation needed] Starr's songs have been included on the soundtracks for the TV series The L Word and the movie Thirteen.

[11] Much of Starr's work engages positively with female sexuality, in contrast to male perspectives often associated with hip-hop culture.

[13] In 2006 she formally became a mentor for aspiring indigenous musicians as a faculty member with the Manitoba Audio Recording Industry Association's Aboriginal Music Program (AMP) Camp.