SANTIGOLD

SANTIGOLD

Master Of The Universe

Following up her groundbreaking debut album Santogold, eclectic pop songstress Santigold is back with Master Of My Make Believe. SIMONE ZIADE chats to Miss Santi White herself.

When you hear Santigold, you know it’s Santigold. The fact of the matter is, this Philadelphia-born, musically-diverse songstress knows exactly what she wants out of her own material, and will take as much time as she needs to get there.

After four long years since the release of her debut album, 2008’s Santogold, Santi White is back with her sophomore record, Master Of My Make Believe – an 11-track record that, although diverse in its genres, flows from start to finish. Speaking with Santi, it’s blatantly obvious that she’s exactly where she wants to be; making the music that she loves for the fans that she loves even more. “I feel really good about [the album], and I especially feel good that it’s finally coming out,” she says. “You know, it’s been a long process and I’m just so glad that it’s out already. It’s actually been done – or mostly done – for a really long time, so I’m so happy that people are finally able to hear it.”

Like any good artist, Santi’s music is a true definition of herself, and if Santogold wasn’t a reflection of that, then Master Of My Make Believe definitely is. Tracks like Big Mouth and Go!, featuring the immaculate vocals from Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O, began the introduction to what we were to expect from the upcoming album – or so we thought. Listening to Master Of My Make Believe, it’s evident that numerous new influences have helped shaped the singer as she delves into genres that she may have never thought that she would. Yep, she even tries her hand at her version of a ballad.

“I didn’t set out saying that ‘Oh, I want to make it sounds different,” she says. “But... it’s been a while between records, and I’ve grown as an artist and, naturally, I’m going to push myself to higher standards, and I think that the music evolved ‘cause I’ve evolved. Maybe I was a little bit more ambitious as well, trying to make songs that, I dunno, sound really big in some ways, like Riot’s Gone or God From The Machine. Riot’s Gone is quite a different song for me because it’s my version of a ballad, which I’ve never done before. I don’t know, I guess that I took some different kinds of risks.”

Collaborating with some of music’s most prestigious musicians and producers in the past, the calibre of appearances for this album was nothing short of perfection. “I don’t work with people unless I get a twitch to work with them,” White says. “I’m very particular because when I do collaborations, I want them to be good. I wouldn’t work with somebody unless I knew that they were amazing, and that I wanted to work with them.”

But what’s a good artist if their live performances don’t perfectly reflect, if not excel, their recorded tracks? Well, Santigold wouldn’t know. With live performances that get every crowd on the same hyperactive, dance-induced wavelength, Miss Santi understands what it means to keep her audiences constantly entertained.

“They’re high energy, and they’re fun. There’s a lot of dancing and movement and, also, visually, there’s a lot to take in. We’ve got costumes, and props, and dancers and a band. It’s decked out. I mean, there’s just so much going on. It’s very visual, and I really try to give a physical presence to the songs.”

Listen to Master Of My Make Believe and you’ll realise just why Santigold has the following that she does. With her perfectly-crafted old and new tracks, we can expect Santi and her high-octane live performances heading down under very soon.