Brooklyn-based artist Santigold isn’t hip-hop, she isn’t soul, reggae, pop, or electronica, nor is she dance music. As a matter of fact, she’s nearly impossible to contain in a neat little box, which is exactly the point. After debuting her self-titled album in 2008, she blazed a new trail for her own genre-less style of music by working with a variety producers (sometimes multiple producers for just one song) and keeping the audience engaged with her unique sound. Her sophomore album, 2012’s Master of My Make-Believe was heralded as a masterpiece by critics and fans alike. Recorded in Jamaica, it features guests vocals by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and production by Diplo, Switch and Nick Zinner, also of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
“I think music is a communal thing and I love collaborating with people,” Santi says. “My records are like a collage. There are all these different sounds and all these different styles, influences, and ideas mashed up in this way that’s completely unexpected and unusual.”
Her third and most recent album, 99¢, drops February 26 via Atlantic Records and Santi couldn’t be more elated, but times have changed, and it takes more than just good music to grab people’s attention.
“The day it comes out, I’m excited because that means I’ve gotten through all the things I have to do before that day,” she says. “Today, how am I feeling? I’m feeling super stressed out because I have so many things to get done before then. You have to have so much content. It’s all about fighting for a tiny bit of someone’s attention. There’s so much out there that you can’t just put out good music anymore. You have to put out music and be like, ‘Hey, hey remember me? Over here! Hey!’ [Laughs] I spent almost as much time working on the content as I did making the album.”
With the release date just around the corner, she’s already given the world a taste of the album with three videos for the singles “Can’t Get Enough Of Myself,” “Chasing Shadows” and “Who Be Lovin’ Me” Ft. ILOVEMAKONNEN. The vibe of the record is upbeat and fun, while tackling some pretty intense subject matter, including society’s tendency towards packaging and selling everything.
“I decided to cope with it by laughing my way through it and by really being deep in it, embracing it, partially because I had to,” she says. “That was what I was writing about: the challenge of how to come to terms with what I was having to do as an artist right now that totally went against what felt natural and comfortable to me, which is be a product, sell yourself all the time, put up this facade of a perfect life and market that, market that. That’s not stuff that I’m into so I decided to just play with it and turn that into art.”
Visit http://tumblr.santigold.com/ for more information.
By Kyle Eustice for RAPstation.com
Santigold releasing new album on Atlantic Records
Brooklyn-based artist Santigold isn’t hip-hop, she isn’t soul, reggae, pop, or electronica, nor is she dance music. As a matter of fact, she’s nearly impossible to contain in a neat little box, which is exactly the point. After debuting her self-titled album in 2008, she blazed a new trail for her own genre-less style of music by working with a variety producers (sometimes multiple producers for just one song) and keeping the audience engaged with her unique sound. Her sophomore album, 2012’s Master of My Make-Believe was heralded as a masterpiece by critics and fans alike. Recorded in Jamaica, it features guests vocals by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and production by Diplo, Switch and Nick Zinner, also of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
“I think music is a communal thing and I love collaborating with people,” Santi says. “My records are like a collage. There are all these different sounds and all these different styles, influences, and ideas mashed up in this way that’s completely unexpected and unusual.”
Her third and most recent album, 99¢, drops February 26 via Atlantic Records and Santi couldn’t be more elated, but times have changed, and it takes more than just good music to grab people’s attention.
“The day it comes out, I’m excited because that means I’ve gotten through all the things I have to do before that day,” she says. “Today, how am I feeling? I’m feeling super stressed out because I have so many things to get done before then. You have to have so much content. It’s all about fighting for a tiny bit of someone’s attention. There’s so much out there that you can’t just put out good music anymore. You have to put out music and be like, ‘Hey, hey remember me? Over here! Hey!’ [Laughs] I spent almost as much time working on the content as I did making the album.”
With the release date just around the corner, she’s already given the world a taste of the album with three videos for the singles “Can’t Get Enough Of Myself,” “Chasing Shadows” and “Who Be Lovin’ Me” Ft. ILOVEMAKONNEN. The vibe of the record is upbeat and fun, while tackling some pretty intense subject matter, including society’s tendency towards packaging and selling everything.
“I decided to cope with it by laughing my way through it and by really being deep in it, embracing it, partially because I had to,” she says. “That was what I was writing about: the challenge of how to come to terms with what I was having to do as an artist right now that totally went against what felt natural and comfortable to me, which is be a product, sell yourself all the time, put up this facade of a perfect life and market that, market that. That’s not stuff that I’m into so I decided to just play with it and turn that into art.”
Visit http://tumblr.santigold.com/ for more information.
By Kyle Eustice for RAPstation.com
