While there is plenty of talent emerging out of London’s music scene, no one is causing waves quite like Santino Le Saint. Quickly becoming branded as Brixton’s brightest rising star, the 23-year-old has most recently captivated the music world with the release of his dual-toned track’s “Ride of Die” and “Hurricane”. Hacked from his upcoming album Beautiful Disaster, the pair of songs may differ sonically as well as in pace and production, one thing they both have in common is a feature from Le Saint’s heavenly vocals.
When speaking on his favourite track from the new album, the artist states, “‘Hurricane’ means the most to me as it’s lyrically one of my favourite I’ve written. I’ve also never released a purely acoustic song despite growing up writing and performing all of my songs like that since I was 13. It’s also about something and someone very close to my heart and talks about a sensation everyone can relate to.”
Ahead of the release of his new album, the artist sat down to discuss his upbringing in Brixton and which of his new tracks are his favourite. Head below to enjoy our interview with Santino Le Saint…
Hey Santino, how are you? How has your year been?
I’m good. My year has been good music-wise as I’ve had a lot to work on and focus on, as always! I had a lot of time during various lockdowns and travels restrictions to dive into things I previously didn’t have enough time for.
COVID affected a lot of people’s creativity, was yours affected?
I found that my creativity blossomed, as I had real time to dive deeply into other art forms that have always inspired me and my music helped me loads.
How did you first get into music, what sparked the interest?
I’ve always been musical, my dad is super musical, so I guess it’s in my blood. I was singing and playing before I can even remember anything else.
You’re from Brixton which is a melting pot of culture, do you think your area impacted your sound?
I think Brixton being so multicultural meant I was always in an area where I felt like I didn’t have to be anything and that I could do whatever I wanted with my life. That, and having a diverse group of friends who did different things around Brixton such as basketball and boxing, meant I was always experiencing new ideas, cultures and ways of life and, I think that has impacted me tremendously.
And now you’re about to drop your debut album, have you felt pressure to deliver as it’s your first?
No pressure! I try not to work myself up about things. There’s always another song, another album, another high and another low. I take time and care when creating and the process is what I really live for. I have no doubt I’ll always deliver but not because I’m on some ego trip or I think I’m the best thing in the world, it’s because I know I spend time being really meticulous about what I want and how to execute it, but I also know that perfection is impossible and I don’t chase numbers, clout or awards. I just do it for the love of music and creation.
What was your mindset going into your album?
I spent the first lockdown listening to albums I grew up listening to that inspired me to start playing the guitar, and for months I just studied them. I was learning riffs and melodies in a way I hadn’t done before, replaying and sampling etc. I then watched loads of films and read poetry which lead me to spend two months with a sick group of guys to create the album, all of which are now some of my best friends.
