The Confessional: Santi White

She’s arrived! Miss Santi White has stepped into our Confessional this week and we’re psyched we get to find out a little bit more about this mysterious personality. We’ve been fans of her music since she Executive Produced and wrote songs on Res’ slept-on 2001 album “How I Do”. Not only does this woman have a refreshing sound, style for miles, and incredible songwriting skills (read her lyrics on her myspace page for a taste), but she possesses the highly admirable and hard-to-come-by genuine sense of self.

She’s blessing us with the artistry of music and giving the amateurs something to measure up to.

Keep your eyes and ears open for Santogold’s album release, you’re about to be saved!

(photo: craigwetherby.com)

Name and Age, please:
Santi White, legal

Marital status:
I GOT a man

Where are you originally from?
Philadelphia

How long have you lived in New York?
Probably 6 years over all

What neighborhood in NY do you live in?
Bedford Stuyvesant the livest one

What are your favorite memories of New York since living here?
My most recent great memory is X-Treme! Night sledding in Prospect Park.

Give us a brief rundown of your past work.
Record company internships, e-commerce fashion website, songwriter, A&R, airport art exhibition program, marketing, i don’t know, the list goes on…

Do you have a formal music education background?
I was a music major at Wesleyan University.

We heard you used to work A&R, is that how you first got involved in the music business?
No, my first job was as an intern in Philly at Ruffhouse records.

One album that seems to have never quite made it into the mainstream but is a huge favorite among a lot of music fans is Res’ album “How I Do” released in 2001, an album on which you co-wrote a lot of the songs. Tell us about your involvement with the album and in the music business at the time.
I Executive Produced and wrote most of that record. It was my first time songwriting and I was really green, so it was rough. But I learned a lot, so it was worth. The music industry was a whole different place back then, lots of money, so getting things done was a lot easier. Regardless, they still fucked it up in the end, but thanks to people who actually LISTEN to music, it made its mark regardless.

Who else have you penned songs for?
Not that many actually, after the Res record I decided to focus on my own music, because I don’t really enjoy writing for other people as much (though I’ll still do it somethimes). Most recently I wrote a song with Mark Ronson and Lily Allen for her record, “The Littlest Things“.

Tell us about your former band Stiffed. How long were you guys together?
Stiffed was a great band and so much fun. I started Stiffed when I moved back to Philly. It started with me, Chuck Treece who’s a punkrock and skateboarding legend, Chris Shar who’s now in a band called Man Man, and Matt Schleck. We started out playing this Punk rock night in Philly that I promoted called The Clap, and then once I figured out how to sing we started playing NY and made a bit of noise. Then John Hill joined the band and a guy called Branden King. I really learned a lot about music from being in this band, especially about my relationship to music, so this band was a gift to me.

I caught a couple of Stiffed shows in the East Village when your boyfriend Trevor Andrews’ band Trouble had just started playing and they opened up for you guys. What’s it like having two lead singers in one relationship?
It’s great and not great. It’s so nice to have a boyfriend that really understands and relates to everything that’s important to you, and shares that passion. Also it’s awesome to be able to write together, sing together, share ideas. But of course, we’re both a bit self-centered and super opinionated which ain’t no walk in the park.

Do you and Trevor work on music together?
Yeah, Trevor wrote on a bunch of songs on the last Stiffed record “Burned Again” and he worked and sang on a song on the Santogold record called “I’m A Lady”, which is a really cool song because it’s very different from anything either of us have ever done. I also sang on a couple tracks on his record with his band Trouble Andrew.

I remember thinking how much of a seasoned vet you seemed on the stage, do you two give each other pointers on performing too?
Yeah, especially back then because I think those were his first shows. I was pretty amazed at how quickly Trevor came into his stage performance, because he jumped right in and wrestled that shit down. I hid out in Philly for a year figuring it out first. I love performing on stage. Especially with Stiffed because the music really allowed me to go off in a way that you really can’t anywhere else. I can’t wait to start doing Santogold shows.

Congrats on your newly embarked solo career as Santogold, your music is hot! What have you been working on lately?
I just finished the Santogold record which should be out this summer. I’m about to go on tour to promote it with M.I.A and Amanda Blank, and we’re gone work it out!

How would you describe your sound and how does it differ from the music you were making with Stiffed?
I would say this record’s got a lot of New Wave (a la Gary Numan, Devo) and Dub influence, as well as some ol’ weird shit brought in the mix by producers like Switch and Disco D. It really incorporates everything I like, so there’s a lot there to work with, from straight rock sounding songs to my take on toasting/rap styles. I don’t know, I just went for it. I actually worked with my friend John Hill who was the bass player for Stiffed and is an amazing producer. John pretty much wrote and produced the whole record with me. So it wasn’t a difficult segue at all from the Stiffed project to this one. Very organic, but we just felt freer to try whatever we wanted because we weren’t bound by any band sound that we had to adhere to.

Stiffed had sort of a punk and ska sound which reminds me that you are also friends with some of the legendary Bad Brains members. Have you worked on music with them?
Yes, Daryl Jenifer from Bad Brains produced both Stiffed records, and I toured for a bit with HR. Those dudes literally changed my life.

We’ve gotten a few emails from some of your fans in Europe telling us how much they love you, you’ve already got a nice following out there. Has it been the plan to release your music in Europe first before taking it stateside?
Yup, that’s the plan.

By the way, did you know that when we launched our site last October you were our first ever #1 ranked Hail Mary lister? We consider ourselves Santi White advocates…
No, I didn’t know that. Thank you! I really appreciate your support, especially since you guys have been there since early on. I definitely have been getting hit up by some of your peeps.

Another congrats on your performance with Spankrock on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show. How did you guys meet and start working together?
Oh my god. You saw that?! That was hilarious. I had so much fun. We met through Roxy actually at the cluuub. I went to see an early show of theirs and got swept up. Naeem is psycho, a rare individual. My kinda guy.

Who else have you worked with lately?
I mostly worked with John Hill aka Johnny Rodeo. I worked with Disco D who was an amazing talent. I worked with Switch, Spank Rock, Trouble, Diplo, Radioclit, Mooney from Steel Pulse, Dr. Israel, and a bunch of amazing musicians.

Any idea who you’d like to collaborate with next?
More of the same, bring it on.

When do we get to see you perform in New York?
I’m doing a couple songs at Mixtape Riot this week April 11th, then on April 21st, and May 5th. I’ll list them on my myspace.

When’s the album dropping?!
I think in July.

Got a long term plan?
No, never.

Do you have much free time? And what do you do when you’re not working?
None at all. I have honestly never been so busy. It’s overwhelming. You should see my house.

Who are your favorite musicians/artists of all time?
Devo, The Smiths, Nina Simone, Bad Brains, and a bunch more.

How would you describe your personal style?
Haphazard

What’s your favorite accessory you own?
My camo fleece bathrobe and dirty old navy slippers.

Where do you like to shop?
I’m too broke to shop.

Do you go out much?
Hardly ever. I like daytime activites and adventures.

Name your top 3 fave restaurants in NY and your favorite dish there.
I like Lovely Day (that broccoli in the sauce), The Il Bagatto wine bar (don’t know how to spell it), Chai in Williamsburg (papaya salad and veggie duck)

Do you plan on living in NY forever?
Hell no!

(photo: craigwetherby.com)

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